With colder weather and less daylight, it can be hard getting children outside for big movement and play. This can lead to children bursting with excess energy at home, running, jumping, and throwing anything they can get their hands on. As a caregiver, you can use fun activities, games, and challenges to channel that energy and meet the child’s need for movement.
Why Movement Matters
Kids don’t just want to run around; they need to! Whole-body movement is essential for developing gross motor skills, coordination, and critical thinking. Gross motor skills are movements that use large muscles, like climbing, jumping, running, and throwing. When children play games that involve running, climbing, or tossing, they’re practicing many of these skills all at once. Games that involve running, jumping, and climbing allow children to practice multiple gross motor skills in a fun, dynamic way.
As they run around and play, children are working out their muscles and their brains. A child’s brain is making constant split-second decisions as they play and navigate the space they are in. When we kick a ball, our brain is working to coordinate multiple muscles while processing sensory input to determine where the ball is and calculating how hard to kick the ball to get it to travel where we want it. Play like this gives kids a chance to practice many skills at once, all while having fun.
Movement-Based Play Can Happen Anywhere
People usually think of playgrounds, open backyards, and fields for movement-based play. During the winter months, many of these are not viable options due to the colder/icy weather or early sunsets. Even in tight spaces, kids can enjoy movement-based play with a little creativity and rearranging. When possible, create a temporary space in your home that can be used as a safer area for kids to move around freely. Making space for your child could include moving furniture aside, putting away more fragile objects, or adding a few more pillows around for added safety.
Tips for Safe Indoor Movement
It is important for adults to provide free play options and alternatives that can safely be done in the space that you have. This can prevent more destructive ways of playing that children may come up with. If your child has a tendency to toss things around the house, swap fragile items for soft balls or rolled-up socks, they’ll still get the thrill of tossing safely. Take it a step further and set up some laundry basket hoops to aim for. By providing alternatives, children can engage in play that they are interested in without injuring themselves or breaking things around the house.
Fun Movement Challenges and Activities
Below are some suggestions for activities, games, and challenges that will encourage safe movement-based play.
Obstacles Courses
To create Obstacle courses, you can use the furniture that is already in place as the base, making it easy to weave the course throughout the whole home. The children can crawl under chairs, navigate around table legs, jump over a pillow, or score a goal through the bathroom doorway. Make sure to include toys like jump ropes and hula hoops for even more obstacle course options.
Classic Games with a Movement Twist
Hopscotch
Use tape on the floor or draw on cardboard to turn a hallway into a hopscotch path. This game will work on a child’s balance, jumping, turning and even counting! Play a game of hopscotch or leave the path on the floor to incorporate the movement into the daily routine as children travel through the house.
Freeze Dance
Put on a song and dance away! Freeze dance can be played with any music, pause the music or turn the volume off periodically and test how fast everyone can freeze. You can also find songs designed specifically for freeze dance, like The Kiboomers’ Animal Freeze Dance.
Balance and Jumping Challenges
High Jump
Jump as high as you can! If your child wants to really challenge themselves, have them jump in the middle of a doorway and mark the height on the side of the doorway. Then they can come back and try to get a higher jump next time.
Long Jump
Jump as far as you can! This one can also be marked down with tape on the floor so children can come back and try to jump further than before.
Balance
- Stand on one leg for as long as possible! Use a timer to see how long they can balance on one leg, then have them switch and try the other side.
- Balance a book or pillow on top of your head! If the child can balance the object while standing still, see if they can balance it while standing on one leg, walking, spinning in a circle, or dancing.
- Get the bean bag into the bowl! Starting with the bean bag on top of their foot, children have to lift their leg and balance the beanbag as they move it to a bowl or other container. Use multiple sized containers and distances to extend the challenge.
Yoga
Big movements don’t always have to be high speed, slow down a bit with some yoga. Yoga is a great way to stretch, work on balance, and use the whole body. You can find pictures and descriptions of good yoga poses for children to explore yoga with your child. Or follow along with videos from Cosmic Kids Yoga, designed to engage kids and provide helpful tips on how to do the poses.
Get Moving, Have Fun, Repeat!
With a little creativity, kids can stay active and have fun indoors all winter long. Set up spaces, provide safe alternatives, and watch your child move, learn, and play in new ways. Need more inspiration for safe, fun indoor play? Visit Port Discovery to explore hands-on exhibits and activities that get kids moving!