Indoor Sensory Activities for Children
The time of year has come when the warm days here in the NorthEast are few and far between. Similar to those who can’t play outside in the extreme heat, our kids don’t go outside for recess in extreme cold. Those of us with active kids, we know that life seems to be just a little easier when they can safely burn off some steam. But what can kids do to stay alert and get movement if they can’t actually play outside?
These are some of my favorite indoor sensory activities for children:
Ogosport – These round discs come in 2 sizes, large and small. They act like a mini-trampoline for koosh balls. 1 often throw the ball while the child bats it back. For more difficult play have the child throw the ball at the Ogosport, then react quickly to catch it. Kids can also hold 1 disk with two hands and practice bouncing it up and down, counting how many times they can do that in succession.
Original Toy Company Mini-Trampoline – This mini-trampoline arrives with a folding handle and includes a 150 lb. weight limit. Nothing says sensory input like a trampoline and given the size of this one along with it’s foldable handle, it can easily be rolled into a large closet when not in use. We purchased one for our son for a holiday gift, I was easily able to put it together within 25 minutes and it has been money very well spent on our part.
Yoga Exercises- Yoga is one of the best activities to do with kids, especially when you don’t have space. 5-6 resistive motor exercises that are completed as part of a routine and held for a period of time, just 20 seconds, can be calming for kids and adults. Barefoot Books sells amazing Yoga Pretzel cards with pictures and if you are a Comcast cable customer, their Activity TV section has free yoga classes.
Yoga Ball – With a round yoga ball, kids can sit on it and bounce up and down, they can also roll forward and backward over the ball while you hold their feet. For kids that need to be calmed down, they will love lying on the floor while you roll the ball over their back like a massage.
XBox Kinect – There are so many different types of XBox games that are played with the Kinect sensor, I can hardly feel guilty for letting my son play video games given the amount of physical work and energy it takes to leap, jump and dance with Just Dance 4, Dance Central 3, Nick Dance 2, and Kinect Rush. Even the Nat Geo game has you dressed up like a bear on your knees scratching for bugs as fast as you can, so there is definitely something for all ages and interests to keep kids active.
Ride-On toys – For young toddlers, the YBike Pewi is a lot of fun indoors, even in small spaces given the 360 degree wheels that travel over surfaces smoothly and quietly. If you have an unfinished basement or can move the cars out into the driveway, don’t rule out the ability to ride bikes inside the garage either where the wind isn’t a factor. Always remember to supervise your kids and purchase a good kids helmet like the Giro helmet.
Thomas & Friends Steam Team Station – For kids that may be technology motivated, this fun game from Discovery Bay Games was developed specifically for use with the iPad. Kids will be hopping, skipping, and running around the living room to return various engines back to Steam Team Station.