Wondering what to do if you’re stuck inside with your kids all day? Our huge list of active indoor activities will keep your kids — from toddlers to teens — busy and burning energy!
It doesn’t matter where you’re located, or what the weather is like outside your window, there are always times when you have to be inside. And as Moms, I think we all understand that Kids + Energy + Inside is an equation that can equal chaos and inevitable disaster.
That’s why we teamed up with one of our favorite brands of all time, Tea Collection, to test out their all-new active wear line, and bring you an epic list of active indoor games and activities that will get your kids up and moving, even on the gloomiest of days.
These activities will not only fight boredom (which equals less whining, woohoo!) but will also challenge their minds and muscles – strengthening their bodies and releasing all that pent-up energy – ultimately leaving you with stronger kids (albeit a little sweaty), that won’t fight you when it comes to hitting the hay. A worthy outcome indeed.
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Pin so you have this life-saving list at hand when snow or rain strikes:
TAPE GAMES
A simple roll of low-tack Painter’s tape (like this one for delicate surfaces) will be your new best friend once you try these genius ideas that get kids exerting their energy in all sorts of creative ways.
(editor’s note: just bringing out the roll of tape got Ooos and Ahhs from my kids – these activities were extremely well received and have now been added to my Boredom Buster bag of tricks!)
Tape Shape Game: Use this tape to put a variety of shapes, letters and/or numbers on your floor. Have your child stand on their favorite one then give them instructions to follow that will lead them to their next destination (for example: “bear crawl to the square”, “hop like a Frog to the T”, “Run to the rectangle”). We love that this game from Toddler Approved keeps your child moving, but also helps them learn their shapes, letters and numbers!
Tape Lines: Make 5–10 separate lines of tape, each about a foot apart, on your floor or carpet. Label the first one the “start” line and then give your kids simple instructions:
- Long Jump: See how many lines they can jump over. Have them try and beat their best score each time. Experiment with arm swinging vs. arms behind their backs.
- Run ‘n’ Jump: Now let them take a running start and see if they can jump even further!
- Long Jump Backwards: Increase the difficulty by performing the tasks jumping backwards.
- Hop: How far can they jump on one leg?
- Reach ‘n’ Stretch: How far can their leg reach with one foot on the “start” line?
Create a Race-Car Track: Use your painter’s tape (or opt for this super cool race-track tape) to make a huge road system for your kids’ matchbox cars. Think outside the box and have the track scale furniture and other obstacles (just make sure it’s something you don’t mind toy vehicles being “driven” over). The key to making it active is to make it large-scale, so they are engaging their core muscles while crawling all over. (Pic via PopSugar and Pinterest — source unknown)
You can even make it super-sized for ride-on vehicles like the pics here from Hands On As We Grow.
RELATED: For our top tested picks for indoor ride-on toys see The Best Indoor Gross Motor Toys For Active Kids (To Get That Energy Out!)
Hopscotch: Make a simple hopscotch “board” and your kids will think it’s just the coolest thing that it’s inside! (pic via Brit+co)
Number Squares: Make a large square with your tape and then divide it into 9 or more small squares, marking random numbers in each one. Now ask your child to perform a specific movement to get to the next number like “jump to 10”, “zoom to 3”, “slither to 67”. (via DreamGYM)
Posted by whatmomslove | kids | 43