How To Keep Children Active On Chilly Days

For many East coast people, winter has arrived, so we now fumble over what to do to keep our little monsters busy.  They are magnificent creatures with an uncanny ability to test our patience. I'm regularly surfing the web for helpful tips on how to keep kids busy indoors.  And, I might add, I prefer an activity that lasts more than 10 minutes.  Here are some of my Favorite Tips For Keeping Kids Busy Indoors.  (Mama, Papa, Kids, Babies, and puppies can enjoy these fun activities too) 

Have A Snowball Fight

It’s not what you’re thinking, bringing snow inside.  Instead, it’s the indoor snowball fight version. I got my kit from the dollar section at Target.  It comes with a few snowballs and slingshots. You can also purchase them on Amazon, or keep it simple, and grab pairs of socks.  It’s a lot of fun when the entire family joins in.  We sneak around, giggling, searching for the perfect safe spot.  Although we live in an apartment, my girls are very talented at hiding under the bed or in the corner under blankets.  The snowballs are soft, so when hit they don't have the impact of a cold, icy snowball. No one gets hurts, and hopefully, nothing gets broken.

Use A Balance Board What was initially meant to be a present for my hubby, the balance board quickly became a favorite activity for all.  My intentions were to help my husband get a dad bod. A balance board is shown to help strengthen your core muscles and overall posture, so I'm hoping we can be the next family with a four-pack of six packs.  Sounds like a win to me!  You can take it to the next level by creating some friendly competition.  Write down each person's result and try to set a new record each time you’re up.  The balance boards range from $14 - $125.  If you're interested, I got this one Play Indoor Hopscotch

I found my hopscotch rug at IKEA.  It was 20 dollars and probably the best investment I've made in our new apartment.  I placed it by the door for two reasons: 1. A doormat to keep dirty shoes from entering our home (I’m Asian, what can I say?) and 2. During school mornings, I need my children occupied while I’m rushing to get my shoes and change into appropriate clothes for drop-off.  We use this indoor hopscotch all year round, and when we have visitors, I noticed they can't help but hop to their own beat on the way in. Just Dance With Youtube “Just Dance”

We like to boogie in the privacy of our home (ignoring the fact that the building next door looks straight into our living room.)  We love to dance, but can definitely still use some guidance along the way.  Some might say that I have two left feet, but in my mind, I imagine I'm bouncing like Jenny from the block.  My kids and I will watch Youtube Just Dance videos and follow the choreography.  It’s the best because they're all familiar songs, so we can sing and dance at the same time.  We imagine we're pop stars, ready to take the stage.  This activity really gets you moving and sweating.  Luckily for you, we haven’t recorded our performances just yet.

Climb On Your Indoor Playground

This indoor playground is the priciest investment on my list, by far. However, I highly recommend this gym because it is the most used item of all, and not just on bad weather days.  Since we don’t have a lot of space in our apartment, we set it up in the corner of our living room.  In an ideal world, I would love this to be somewhere else, but once I saw it at a friend's apartment, it was love at first sight.  The playground comes in all different sizes and prices.  We purchased the smallest

one due to space limitations.  The gym is held in place with pressurized poles that push from the ceiling to the floor.  Since we have concrete walls we didn’t even need plywood for reinforcement.  Children can climb the main ladder or a rope ladder for an extra challenge.  There's a rope you scale up or slide down, and a bar to do pull-ups/chin-ups on.  My kids love spending time swinging, hanging up-side-down and fighting off my husband who wants to get his daily dose of exercise too.

One exciting piece of information about climbing, studies have shown a significant increase in test scores when children climb. Children develop better spatial awareness, increase their focus, receive higher test scores, become better problem solvers, and even learn social graces when climbing together.  One school changed their PE curriculum to add more climbing and stray away from the  "traditional sports” used in schools. For more details about the article, please click here:

https://www.luckeyclimbers.com/blog/4-ways-climbing-boosts-kids-development Having one or all of these activities can be a game changer.  Now we even enjoy getting the early phone call in the morning: “School is closed today due to inclement weather.”  If you enjoyed this helpful tips, please leave a comment or feel free to suggest your favorite things to do at home. I’m always looking to broaden our repertoire. Hopping off…

“I do things that help me be happier, smarter, and healthier”

#snowyday#fitkids#schoolday#indoorfun#indooractivites#childrenplay#playtime#indoorgym#snowballfight#balanceboard#hopscotch#indoors

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