Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

I know there are a lot of us right now that are stuck inside due to extreme cold weather. And in the summer there are a lot of other families that are stuck inside due to extreme heat. So I thought it would be a good idea (spinning off) to share our "get the big energy out while staying inside the house" ideas.

We do Simon Says (where we actually do "mommy says" and they do everything instead of making it a listening game) with big motor activities: jump 10 times, spin in circles while I sing the abc song, touch your toes 5 times, run one big circle around the couch.

Baths are good, too.

Vacuum tag. My big kids like this, but it took a while before E liked it. Chase them around the living room while I vacuum. If they are on the couch they are "safe". They like to run from couch to love seat. You have to know if your kids like to be caught or not. Mine don't. So I never catch them, although I get *this* close a lot. ;) If I catch them they get really upset which blows the point of the game.

Hide & seek inside. Rules include in our house you can only stay on the main level or you can only be on the main level & upstairs, but not in a closet, etc.

Indoor obstacle course. Use pillows, couch cushions, laundry baskets, etc, etc, etc to make an obstacle course.

bouncing-- either a mini trampoline, rebounder, bounce house or a place they can bounce (in our house they can bounce on their cheap straight on the floor mattresses).

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

I'm thinking about getting a chin-up bar to mount in one of the door ways and then hang a swing or rope ladder or rope swing from it.

We have a "Dance Cam" that videos them dancing to music and projects it onto the tv in real-time. This can keep them occupied forever.

I like dancing/karate/movement videos for them.

I'll back the car out of the garage and let them ride their bikes or scooters in there.

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

the Wii :rockon

jumping on the bed

an indoor climber (we haven't done this but I know lots of moms who swear by it)

baths

Mother May I

Simon Says

Red Light, Green Light

Twister ;)

Family Cleaning :tu

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

My boys' gracious grandmother provided them with a small trampoline. They practiced using it today, and I am in love with it. :melting Yay for energy release!

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

I love obstacle courses.

Throw some masking tape on the floor and make it your balance beam, tightrope, whatever!

Play animals - let each child be a wild animal and act like that animal.

Dance contests! Especially if you dress up in costumes first. My girls are currently loving ABBA. :giggle

My kids are in gymnastics, so we will practice some of their moves from class - motorcycle landing, head stands and stuff that isn't too treacherous in the house.

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

just :popcorn I've been wanting to ask this for a while

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

:popcorn

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

Something I used to do with preschoolers on days where we couldn't go out onto the playground was body bowling- lining up empty plastic 3 liter bottles like bowling balls, and having them roll their bodies to the "pins" to knock them over.

With my kindergarten class, they were way too rough for body bowling, but we used to do "Freeze Dance" when we couldn't get outside, but needed to move our bodies. They all had to find a spot where they couldn't touch another person's body, and I manned the cd player- when I hit play, they danced their little hearts out, and when I hit pause, they had to freeze.

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

:popcorn

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

What a great thread! I think most of my ideas have been mentioned already, but I can't wait to see other ideas. :popcorn

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

:popcorn

We "practice" everything we did at dance class the previous week.

Parades--marching, shaking instruments.

Kick splashing in the hot tub or bathtub.

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

:popcorn

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

What about a "punching" bag? Fill up an old pillowcase (or not old :)) with scrunched newspaper. Tie the end together and hang it from a doorway or something like that. Then let them bag at it with their hands and wooden spoons. Obviously it needs to be supervised carefully and perhaps just a one person at a time game.

Indoor obstacle courses? When they get good at it having timed races to see who can complete it the fastest.

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

An indoor sliding board and a collapsible tunnel....sometimes we put the tunnel at the bottom of the slide so he slides down, bump, crawl, run to the ladder....over and over.

playdough punching

Re: Big energy outlets for when you can't leave the house
 

Just :popcorn for now