As the weather is changing and it’s getting colder, some of us are limiting our outdoor play. It is so important to continue to move our bodies. The benefits of being active include building strong muscles and bones, decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, having better sleep and maintaining a healthy weight. Here is a fun topic the whole family can benefit from and the best part is we have most of these materials at home.
Indoor gross motor activities:
1. Painter’s Tape shape game: Use painters tape to create shapes, letters or numbers on the floor. Have your child stand on their favorite shape to start. Give your child instructions to follow that will lead them to their destination. For example: Slither like a snake to the triangle.
2. Indoor hop-scotch: Create Hop-scotch inside. Have your child jump and count to each square!
3. Lets race around!: create a race track using painters tape. Map out a huge road system for your child. Incorporate match box cars and building blocks.
4. Balloons (please note that balloons can be a choking hazard for young children once popped. Please use balloons under adult supervision): Don’t let the balloon touch the ground: simply keep the balloon up in the air. Kids can use their hands to keep the balloon or be creative and use other body parts such as their head. This activity focuses on hand-eye coordination.
5. Penguin waddle: Place a balloon between your child’s knees and have them waddle across the room. For older children, make it more challenging by adding obstacles.
6. Balloon paddle ball: make your own paddles using a paper plate and a paint stir stick or plastic spoon. Attach the stick to the plate to create a handle. Using the paddle, you can hit the balloon back and forth.
7. Lego color hunt: Pick out 4 colored construction paper then collect 10 Lego pieces that match. Hide all the Lego pieces and have a color scavenger hunt. Once the pieces are found, they will sort them by color. For older children you can have the challenge timed.
8. Parachute: Use a large bed sheet to create your own parachute. Add small bouncy balls, balloons or small stuffed animals.
9. “We’re going on a bear hunt”: Hide a teddy bear along with clues. Each clue can have a gross motor activity such as, “Jump like a bunny to the kitchen”. Reading the story before the activity can be fun too!