As the cold winter weather months continue, many early learning programs are staying indoors to keep warm. When children spend more time inside, it is important that physical movement continues to be an integral part of the children’s daily routine, to support their development and overall wellbeing. In this article, we share several fun, low-cost, indoor activities that will encourage children to move their bodies and build important motor skills.
An indoor obstacle course gives the children in your care a fun way to practice skills like balancing, hopping, crawling, and more. They might enjoy crawling under the table or through a tunnel made out of blankets and furniture. You might also put pillows or cushions on the ground and invite children to jump from one to the other.
If you’re thinking of adding some new gross motor materials to your classroom, there are a variety of stepping stones and balance beams for young children available for purchase online. Little ones can arrange these around the room and jump, hop, walk and march on top of and between them!
Dancing is a great way to incorporate movement into your classroom’s routine. It’s fun, engaging, and doesn’t require a lot of space. Put on some music and have a dance party, or turn the activity into a “freeze dance” by pausing the music and encouraging little ones to stand still until the music turns back on. You might also offer accessories, such as scarves or ribbon wands, for the children to use as they dance.
You might also consider playing songs that encourage movement, such as these options…
Pretending to walk like different animals is a great way for children to move their bodies and use their imagination. Children can crawl on all fours like a bear or a lobster. They might slither on the ground like a snake or stand on one leg like a flamingo. Invite the little ones in your care to take turns thinking of an animal and then trying to imitate that animal’s movements!
Balloons are a safe, festive way for children to play games like catch in the classroom. Or, you can throw a few balloons in the air, and encourage children to see if they can prevent them from hitting the ground! These games encourage little ones to move their bodies indoors without the risk of things getting knocked over or damaged.
Hopscotch is a fun and simple game in which children hop from numbered square to numbered square. While this game is traditionally played outside, you can use painter’s tape or pieces of cardboard on the floor of your classroom to create indoor hopscotch squares and invite children to jump and hop between the spaces!
