Photo by laura7485
I've been struggling -- especially over the loooong holiday break -- with ways to give my kids a daily dose of physical exercise when the weather is too bad to go out. I need some free options, since I can't afford to keep going to the indoor play gym, and a Wii Fit is not in our budget right now.
You know as well as I that it's not good when toddlers have pent up energy. In my house, the result is usually destruction. I've also found that cooped up toddlers don't go to bed as early at night. And when this mom has to push back bedtime, I'm the one who gets cranky!
So aebaby kindly sent me two great ideas for indoor games to get my kids moving. I could kick myself for not thinking of these sooner.
Have an indoor snowball fight. Make a game out of wadding up lots of paper balls. Put a line of painter's tape down the middle of the room, ask each child to stay on their own side, and then throw away! When you're all done, shoot baskets into the garbage with the "snowballs" to clean up.
Have an indoor treasure hunt. Get some plastic jewels or plastic coins (at the craft store or party store respectively for about $3.99/bag; you could also use spoons and say they are silver or make the coins out of paper with the kids) and then hide them around the house. Draw treasure maps of the house, and then send the kids scavaging.
In case you were wondering, the National Association for Sport and Physical Education has set these exercise guidelines for healthy toddlers:
- Toddlers should get at least 30 minutes of daily structured physical activity (organized sports, a game of hide and seek, a walk down the block);
- Toddlers should get at least an hour and up to several hours of daily, unstructured physical activity (meaning they are amusing themselves, and mom is not directing or organizing the activity);
- Toddlers should not be still or sedentary (such as in front of the TV or playing a video game) for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping.
++Are your kids getting enough exercise this winter? What energy-burning inside games do you play with your kids?
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Comments 12
Great article ! My 2 year old LOVES to just to dance in circles for 10 minutes through out the day she also pushes her babies around the house alot as well. I think she sits down at an average 40 minutes a day if that !!
Lucy LOVES to dance, too- she's got lots of KidSongs DVDs and we got her a boombox and CD for Christmas- so I'm sure our dancing is going to take a step up :)
Also, at Jazzercise she likes to do the moves, too- so I have a cardio hip hop dvd and I think if I do it she will, too.
My son LOVES to dance and tumble, so we'll pull out the excercise mats and flip (okay...he flips). Plus, he invents all sorts of games inside for us to play - last night we used light sabers and a beach ball and just hit it back and forth. Sometimes, we play "indoor" tennis with our tennis rackets and a golf ball (hitting on the floor only). Sometimes, we just throw the beach ball back and forth. I tend to let him lead and choose what to do - I only define the rules once he's come up with the game. I just bought a dance excercise dvd which my son is excited about trying out (but I'm not so sure...the women are pretty scantily clad - it's Latin dance, after all...). We're going to try it tonight.
we've done the paper snowball fight....it was a blast!!!!.....namommy even got in on the action....lol
JayLyn loves to dance!!!!!!!!!!!! and sing the "hot dog" song from Mickey mouse clubhouse!
"Toddlers should not be still or sedentary for more than 60 minutes at a time, except when sleeping."
this one made me laugh...does anyone know of a toddler who stays still for that long? :0) Mine aren't even still when they sleep!
My toddler DEFINITELY gets his minimum recommended amount of unstructured activity each day...that kid doesn't walk, he runs everywhere he goes!
What are some examples of structured physical activities?
Alex is almost two, so I'm not sure stuff like the treasure hunt would really be an option for him at this point....
I am also curious as to how they define "toddler." My guy is almost 17 months old but there's nothing I would call structured physical activity in his day. I wouldn't call him a great mover and shaker, but he's not just a 'sit and play' kid either. We play chase around house or race in the basement. He has a push/ride on toy that he gets to play with and for weekends we are looking at a swimming or gymnastics class to get us through winter.
Hey everyone -- "structured" time is any kind of activity organized and/or directed by you or another adult -- a soccer game, hide and seek, a craft activity. "Unstructured time" is letting children amuse themselves by making up their own games or play. That doesn't mean we have to leave them alone or unsupervised, necessarily -- we just don't hover over them or direct what they are doing. This is important because toddlers also need to exercise their imaginations, problem-solving skills, and learn how to get along with their peers. I've clarified above -- hope this helps!