10 Indoor Ideas To Help Get the Winter Wiggles Out
It's January and we're all starting to get getting cabin fever. It can be difficult to get those wiggles out when it is freezing cold! Generally, it is recommended that if it is 32 degrees and above (windchill), it is safe to be outside, so what should we do with our antsy kids when we have to stay indoors? Here are some of my favorite movement activities to do in the winter to get our kiddos moving, follow the links for directions and maybe even some videos of our staff playing these games!
1. Balloon activities. Got a spare balloon laying around from an old birthday party? Blow it up and play “don't touch the ground!” Or count how many times you can bump the balloon in a row and then see if you can beat your record.
2. Indoor bowling. Stack up some cups on the other side of the room and then roll a ball at them. Then have your kiddo run to the other side of the room to set it up again! Soon he'll be running back and getting that energy out.
3. Hide and Seek or Sardines. You know the drill! Don't discount the classics! Remember the rush of finding the perfect hiding spot and hearing the “seeker” come into the room you are in? Kids get so into this one and can play it over and over again! Think you can find a creative spot in your house? Sardines is another good one, and if you haven't heard of it, it is like the opposite of Hide and Seek. One person goes and hides and then everyone else goes looking for the “hider.” If you find the hider, you hide with them and then keep growing your group like “sardines!” Then at the end, there is only one seeker—they lose/get to be the next hider!
4. Commercial games you can buy Thereare lots of games that you can find at the store that encourages movement (remember Twister and now they have expanded this classic game). Your child will have fun with one of our favorite games: Heads Talk Tails Walk. Try and match animal heads and bodies, otherwise you will be walking and talking like the mismatched animal!. This and many other games, are available for at Brainstorm in Lake Villa.
5. Youtube fitness. Youtube has everything! Have your kiddo follow along with one of these fun fitness videos for kids instead of watching cartoons or other kids unboxing things! Join them for extra fun and motivation! The best part is that it's free!
Animal exercises: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26guG6wr5so
Yoga Time!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4CaR0syf1g
Family fun cardio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5if4cjO5nxo
6. Yoga/movement stories. Use your movements to tell a story—you don't have to use the traditional yoga poses. Make up your own! Take turns with each member of your family making up the next part of the story that everyone has to follow. Watch for upcoming kids yoga classes to be offered at PI in March!
7. Scavenger Hunt. Collect a handful of your kid's favorite stuffed animals and hide them around the house. Then do different movements with your body after you've found an animal. Hop, skip, roll, or bear crawl to the next one! Or maybe move your body like the animal you've found to the next one!
8. Indoor snowball fight. My kiddos love this one—and who doesn't like playfully throwing (soft) things at other people! This one gets us riled up and laughing right away. Hide behind your couch fort and FIRE! You can find stuffed snowballs in all sorts of department stores and go crazy! You can also use them to play Bozo Buckets or to knock down a pyramid of cups.
9, Freeze Dance/dance. Jam out to your kid's favorite music and take turns being the “freezer”--or maybe you take turns being Elsa from Frozen! Or take turns being the leader for making up silly dance moves or deciding how fast you are going to move your bodies.
10. Simon Says/Mother May I?/Red Light, Green Light. Chances are you played these all the time when you were a kid. Kids love being Simon/the Mother, and you can't go wrong with a race!
Written by: Anne Chapman, MA, CCC-SLP/L