4 Ways to Keep Toddlers Active Indoors
Well, summer’s in full swing, and if you’re home with the kiddos all day, perhaps the bloom is off the summer vacation rose. You’re looking for things for your kids to do, and that can be extra-challenging when some of those kids have special needs. So this week, we’ll be looking at ways to make life easier during the hot, sticky dog days of summer.
The week begins with a post from a new guest blogger, Nancy Flanders. She’s the mother of two little girls, one of whom has cystic fibrosis (CF). Her complete bio can be found by scrolling down the guest blogger page. In today’s post, she describes four ways to keep toddlers (but this will work with older kids, too) active on those rainy days when you’re all trapped indoors.
Four Ways to Keep Toddlers Active Indoors
Sitting is as deadly as smoking. At least that’s what the findings of an American College of Cardiology study recently revealed. Staying sedentary can lead to obesity, heart disease, diabetes, cancer and early death. This means that the case for keeping kids active is getting stronger by the day, especially for children who are battling chronic health conditions like my daughter does. Maggie has cystic fibrosis (CF) and for those with CF, exercise isn’t just recommended, it’s prescribed. The same way CF doctors hand out prescriptions for medications and therapy treatments that people with CF use daily, they hand out one for the amount and type of exercise the patient needs to do. But right now Maggie’s only two, and while letting her run around the yard is the perfect exercise for her, some days the rain or snow traps us indoors. So, Maggie and I find ways to get her moving right in our living room.
Dancing
Maggie loves to dance. Most toddlers do. Unfortunately, she’s inherited my lack of dance moves, but all it takes to get her going is a little music. This works best if you get into it with her. So go ahead, no one’s watching. Spend some time getting your groove on. It will do you and your toddler good.
Ball Popper Play
This ball popper game doesn’t get old and gets Maggie moving. She’s had this toy for over a year and she still loves it. It’s pretty basic. The balls pop out and she chases them around. As she catches them, she puts them back in the machine and out they pop. The music is a bit loud and a little annoying, but she loves it!
Animal Games
Maggie also loves to pretend. She hands me her “drum” – an empty plastic animal cracker tub from Costco – and I beat out a little tune while singing her instructions such as “swim like a fish” or “fly like a bird”. She runs up and down the hallway and around the room jumping like a kangaroo and meowing like a cat. And the best part is it keeps her busy for up to 10 minutes at time. And she wants to play this about 3 times a day giving her about 30 minutes of exercise. And every little bit matters.
Childhood Fun
Maggie also loves to play games like Hide ‘n Go Seek and Ring Around the Rosy. These games are perfect for inside fun. She gets a thrill out of hiding from us and she loves to spin. Both games get her moving and wear her out, which is perfect at bedtime.
In the future, I’m considering buying Maggie one of those video game systems like the Wii Fit. But for right now, following the doctor’s orders on rainy and snowy days means getting creative and finding some favorite activities to do indoors.
Time to Hear from You
Thanks, Nancy, for those wonderful ideas. Now how about the rest of you. How do you keep the kids active on rainy summer days? Please leave a comment about what works at your house.
Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Jolene
