Getting Energy Out When Indoors {Gift Ideas, Music, and Sites}

Last weekend someone complimented KB on his “summer tan”… in November. Whenever possible we are outside! BUT, it’s just not always possible. Enter winter. And so, these are a few of my “survival techniques” for my active guys during the winter months (and all year round). The big purchases have been Christmas gifts the past few years and we have gotten every penny out of those investments! This year’s Christmas list has an amazing gross motor option on it, but it’s for outdoors (back yard slackline, anyone?? Credit to A Year of Playing Skillfully curriculum for that idea! I bet we will find some warm-enough days to use it before Spring).

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Wavee Board: Our wave board was the boys’ big gift last Christmas. I saved the best for last; just when they thought they were finished opening, I showed them one more BIG box awaiting in the basement.  They opened it and….. looked at me with confused, sad, almost betrayed faces. Fast forward a few weeks, and it became a HIT. They now use it in endless ways, for open ended imaginative play. It is literally a “wave” board as one boy surfs while the other lifeguards from the top of the Doorway Gym (see below). It is turned on its side and becomes a wall to their fort. It is turned over and becomes a ramp for trucks. It is propped on the side of the couch and becomes a slide. I’m so glad I made the leap to buy this!

Doorway Gym: I included this on my list of Last Year’s Gifts We’re Still Using… and once again, true! Just about every single day, my guys are climbing away on the doorway gym.

Rody Horse and Hippity hop: Classics. These are great for a variety of ages and not too pricey! The Rody is probably best for the preschool/toddler crowd. The hippity-hop comes in sizes for 3-5 and 7-9, and adult (for those who are inspired by Phoebe Buffay’s bucket list ;).

Giant Waffle Blocks: I hemmed and hawed about purchasing these for a literal year. I had them in my Amazon list and watched the price for that long, and finally at long last decided on them for a Christmas gift… and they’ve been used endlessly! They were initially difficult for my boys to put together but once they got the hang of it, they created pens for their animals, chairs and tables for their restaurants, caves and forts. Their only downside is the storage space needed.

Balance Board: This isn’t used nearly as much as the wave board as its use is more specified– to stand and balance/rock. I found mine at a consignment sale, but even new they are inexpensive.

Foam Alphabet Tiles: We pull these out periodically when they hit that “rammy” spot of the day. It always perks them up and bonus, I feel like a great mom because we’re working on literacy and numeracy, right?? 🙂 I printed out the list of activities from here– so many ideas for this simple mat! Normally, and most simply, we spread them out, then put them in order, stretching from end to end of our basement. Next, I put on some tunes and we play Letter/Number Freeze Dance! They love running back and forth, the bumpy texture on their bare feet.

Medicine Ball. Are you familiar with these exercise balls? They’re weighted balls, typically used by adults, for strength training and such. I have NOT purchased this yet, but it’s on our Christmas list. My boys use their Pop’s medicine ball, and I thought why not get a smaller/lighter version that they could do more with? I haven’t had a chance to try it out with them, but I’ll keep you posted.

Mini Trampoline. We bought this one because its weight limit is 150 pounds!  Two kids routinely jump on this with no problem but it tucks away behind our love seat inconspicuously. I actually use it nearly every day for rebounding. We also have been known to use it for obstacle courses and for kinesthetic learning in our homeschool.

Dancing & Movement with Music:

Here are some of our favorite songs that encourage movement (youtube links)

• Listen and Move
• Freeze Dance by the Kiboomers
• action songs from Laurie Berkner Band, especially We Are the Dinosaurs; I’m Gonna Catch You;  The Goldfish; The Airplane Song.
• We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (clearly, someone hides and pretends to be a bear and then chases everyone else around the house)
• Cosmic Kids Yoga. A physical outlet, but not so wild! Such a brilliant concept- in these videos, kids follow along to a narrated story that incorporates yoga poses. I enjoy them, too! They’re legit yoga moves!
• 7 Minute HIIT for Kids. This is an app that we have enjoyed in spurts (much like exercise for the adults in our home)! HIIT stands for “high intensity interval training” and it goes through 12 moves, 30 seconds each, things like jumping jacks, push ups, etc. It’s also a solid exercise for grown ups! It may only be available on the Apple store, though.
• GoNoodle. (website, not youtube) This site has hundreds of videos under their tagline, “for movement and mindfulness.” You could spend the whole day there, I suspect! Our favorite video is Banana Banana Meatball which teaches patterns and is just plain fun.

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What are your indoor energy outlets??? I’d love to hear! Connect with me in the comments, on my Facebook or Instagram accounts.