Tap Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 What physical activities does you toddler like to do inside the house? DD2 really needs some new physical activities.......(just had to leave and come back because she was throwing the stool across the room :glare:). She has a mini trampoline that she uses sometimes but otherwise, she has outgrown her baby activity climbers and such. She loves to go outside but it isn't always an option, so I need something for inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carrie12345 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Um... Mine jumps on the couch and climbs up and down the stairs. That's not what you're looking for, is it? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessedfamily Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Um... Mine jumps on the couch and climbs up and down the stairs. That's not what you're looking for, is it? ;) I hate to say it, but that's what I was thinking, too.:001_huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jen500 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 My ds had an indoor tricycle. And one of those balls w/a handle to sit on and bounce. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom4him Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 When ours were this age they each had a 10" bike with training wheels that we let them ride in the house. They loved it and used them a lot. We don't have a lot of room but they would move the furniture just a little so they would have a 'road' through the living/dining/kitchen and road away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Um... Mine jumps on the couch and climbs up and down the stairs. That's not what you're looking for, is it? ;) LOL....nope, not quite what I am looking for. This and climbing on the counters to scout the upper cupboards, is what we are trying to avoid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Pulling everything out of the pantry isn't what you meant either, was it? Rosie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Pulling everything out of the pantry isn't what you meant either, was it? Rosie Funny you should mention that! We just moved our food pantry from one with a door knob and a kid lock, to one with bi fold doors and no lock. Uggggh! I find her in there at least 10 times a day with various stools (highchair, dinning room chair, kitchen counter chair, misc. toys-pretty much anything that will give her a step up) trying to get to the various snacks in there. She is well fed, but thinks that she should have a treat constantly. She will take one bite, then throw it into the garbage can, to go hunting for something else. :glare: She is incredibly strong and quick, and can carry a chair, so you don't hear it getting moved in there. I promise she isn't being ignored. So, No, emptying the pantry into the garbage can isn't what I am looking for. :lol: LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sophia Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 I see you have older dc, can they do a gym class of sorts with her? I will have one of my olders do jumping jacks, lunges, use vegetable cans for weights, etc, for a pretend gym class (this is really fun to watch, too;)) My littles love it, but it's funny how quickly they will claim to be "tired". I will also let them take the mattress off the toddler bed to jump on it, take sheets to make tents/forts using tables and chairs. Mostly when they start getting restless, it's because they are bored and I just have to get creative to keep them occupied and out of trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jann in TX Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 We lived near Chicago when our first two were little--LONG winters and a very small townhouse... We had an indoor children's slide--it was a LIFESAVER. Our favorite was a Little Tykes mini-cube. The littles could climb on, in and under it... When our last dd came along we purchased a similar cube/slide. Since we have hard floors we put the cube on those interlocking foam squares--just in case she took a head dive... My older girls also LOVED those 'ugly' blue plastic rocking 'horses?'. I know they come in all sorts of animal shapes and colors now. Youngest dd did not like them as much--but the older ones wore theirs out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unicorn. Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Yep, at that age, we let them ride a trike inside. We also had a little tykes slide they could use in the house along with a Step 2 fish that rocked, a rocking horse, a tunnel to crawl through, and we piled lots of pillows and blankets in front of the couch, so that when they felt the need to jump off of something..... HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted April 16, 2009 Author Share Posted April 16, 2009 Unfortunately, the bike inside won't work. While we have the room, dh wouldn't be happy if she scratched the walls or the living room furniture. (We thought we were done with littles and bought nice wood furniture when dd10 was 7yo. Then we took in my great niece and adopted her, hence the unexpected 2yo. in a house with nice, not kid friendly, furniture. :lol:) I have let her play with the scooter on the entry and the plasma car (all plastic so it won't hurt the walls as easily) but the both marked up the hard wood floor. It isn't damaged, just marred to the point that I have to hand buff the scratches out. Not my favorite idea, when it takes me several hours to repair what she did in 10 minutes of fun :glare:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnnetteB Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 We moved the Little Tikes big slide inside, too. The round openings gave us "targets" to toss beanbag animals through. Cardboard box houses and Rubbermaid "boats" lined with blankets or even a pillow fueled imaginative play. A toy kitchen and dolls to fuss over helped pass the time. Even the little boys got exercise pushing stuffed animals around the house in a doll buggy. Another hit with toddlers was a blanket covered card table fort all their own to "read" and play in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melissel Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 Do you do TV? My two like the kids' yoga DVDs, where they pretend to be animals and letters and stuff. Of course, the rule is that if I find them sitting and watching instead of bending and crawling, it goes off! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cougarmom4 Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 We put on fun music and dance together--our favorite is a kids' Cd called "Fun to be Fit". The songs have the kids skipping, hopping, tossing bean bags, galloping, marching in a marching band, etc. My little one's other favorite is bubbles--jumping to pop them, dancing around to music while chasing them. And one other idea--my older kids love to make an indoor obstacle course for the little one and then go through it over & over with her. It's hard being cooped up with lots of 'little' energy, isn't it? I can't wait for spring to actually arrive & stay! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 16, 2009 Share Posted April 16, 2009 (edited) You know that big red Folgers containers? I collected them at work and kiddo loved, loved, loved to stack them. When he got bigger, he'd stack them and then hit them down with a plastic (hollow) baseball bat or run them down with a toy car. Nothing and no one ever got hurt. If you set them up at the top of the stairs, they make quit a racket going down. Kiddo did that for months. The other thing he loved was a huge blow-up ball with cloth around it that made it look like a soccer ball with a 3 foot diameter. Inflate it only 3/4 of the way and child can fall into it and very gently bounce. Or, child stands and droops into it and grown-up compresses it from above and child is "throw" back upright onto feet. You can do this as gently as necessary. Edited April 16, 2009 by kalanamak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatieJ Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 my 2 yr old grandson played with his bubbles this morning. In the house. On the couch. Couch cushions are being sent to the drycleaners. Not what you wanted to hear was it?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaxMom Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 We have friends that hung a swing (actual, playground, flexible swing) in the doorway between their front hall and dining room. It's attached by carabiners through eye-bolts in the door frame, so it can be taken down. Very popular. Otherwise, mine are into furniture jumping, breaking things, coloring on walls. You know, the really, REALLY fun stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ibbygirl Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 I used to put on latin music really loud and my daughter and I would dance to merengue or salsa. :) I would give her a coffee can and a spoon to bang on it or a baby rattle to shake like a maraca and she liked that. I would also let her play in the bathtub with toys and let her do that bath crayons on the wall or put shaving cream on the wall and let her finger paint with it. I also did the bubbles in the house too. :) We used to play hide and seek as well and I would let her chase me all around and get all tired out so she would take a nap. :) hehe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tutor Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Balloons! My kids have always loved to occupy themselves playing with and chasing after balloons. I always keep a bag of balloons for rainy days when they can't go outside. They like to put them over the air vents to watch them fly up, put them on a blanket that they shake like a parachute, play kickball and volleyball with them, and even draw on them! They have also liked taking the cushions off of the sofa and using them and blankets to make forts and tunnels. They also like to make obstacle courses or put pillows on the floor and jump from pillow to pillow without touching the ground. They also like riding on or spinning in my desk chair... but that gets them really, really rowdy, so they aren't allowed to do that very often. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacey in MA Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 (edited) Playing in the kitchen sink! He pulls a stool up all the time. I have to be careful about what I leave in there (have to put the glasses and knives out of the way!). He pours and splashes, washes dishes, moves them around, etc. I make sure there's plenty of plastic stuff in there for, but it has to be REAL! He doesn't want toys - he wants to feel like he is really doing something helpful! (cute...) He will spend a good 20 or 30 minutes at a time doing this! My olders (the girls ages 4 and 7) like to put on music and dance, and he LOVES to watch them and join in. I park him w/ headphones with 4yo DD on United Streaming to watch Peep or Magic School Bus while we are doing school sometimes. He gets through about 15 or 20 minutes, but will watch for longer if he's in his highchair (i.e. can't figet or run around) and/or if he's tired. I am thinking about taping a Dollar Store plastic shower curtain or painters tarp to the floor and letting him have a large plastic bin of beans or rice (or oatmeal, as one friend did at her house recently!) for an indoor sensory thing to amuse him during school. He seems to be able to spend lots of time w/ the tactile stuff. Add a few of those little plastic dinosaurs, or FP Little People maybe, and we should have some fun! Hang in there - it's always a challenge. And just when you feel you have it mastered, she will grow up and be at a new stage! hehehee! cheers - Stacey Oh also - YES on the balloons! Lots of fun for little one! But only when myself or my olders are watching (for safety)..... Also, blanket forts and tents. The older kids build them, and 2yo joins them in either playing inside, or destroying them! With the music thing, he jumps on the mini trampoline while the girls are dancing too.... Hoppity Hops (yes, inside - I've succumbed!) Large Cardboard boxes for forts, or coloring on, or pretending it's a boat, etc. I love the idea of the olders teaching the little one yoga or doing a video with him! Haven't tried it, though they often pretend to teach him gymnastics (rolls and such). May be worth a try.... Edited April 17, 2009 by Stacey in MA type-o's and additional ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Hoppity ball: http://www.amazon.com/Hop-Fantasy-18-inch-Ball/dp/B000BPN3JO/ref=pd_bbs_6?ie=UTF8&s=toys-and-games&qid=1239938185&sr=8-6 We have 3 basic games we play to make the kids run. 1. (Dad's game.) He sits on couch, makes them run away, throws couch pillows at them. They pick up couch pillow and run it back to him, then start over. I don't know why, but they love this. 2. (Dad's game.) Monster Scary. It's a combination hide and go seek/run after them game. He hides, then when they find him, he screams and runs after them, sounding like a monster. 3. (Mom's game.) Momma's gonna get you. I run after them, saying "Momma's gonna get you." When I get them, I tickle them or pick them up and kiss them, then let them down for another round. When I start getting tired, I make it so they run a bunch and I walk/jog just a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abbeyej Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 My kids loved Hullabaloo as preschoolers. It (the original game -- I have no experience with the dvd game) is sort of like Twister for little ones (with an electronic announcer, so a parent isn't required to announce the moves). It's very cute, and my kids *still* pull out our old game on occasion. It's physical, requires that kids pay attention, and more than a little silly. Also, how 'bout the bathtub? Tub crayons or other toys, and a little warm water can occupy a toddler for a long time. (Obviously you have to be within sight, but sometimes it might be worth checking the older kids' work in the bathroom while the little one plays!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brindee Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 Our oldest would start piling things up and climb to precarious positions! SCARY! When he was 16 months old, we ended up getting one of those Little Tyke (or was it Step II?) fort/slides for inside. It was a life-saver! He could climb, crawl, slide wiggle, climb some more...and it was all okay! I wasn't having to tell him no-no every few minutes anymore! He and I LOVED that thing! We also had a ball tent that my sister gave us. My kids loved that! We mostly brought it out on Birthdays. We had a bottom drawer in the kitchen that we put little measuring spoons and dishes and things like that, so they could play with and bang those around while I was in the kitchen, they loved "working together" with me in that way, and having their own drawer of things to use while we were "working"! We did a lot of the beans/rice in a bin, and they used the different things from their drawer to play with and measure and count. Dd, especially, loved standing on a little stool at the kitchen sink and playing in soapy water with the same old measuring spoons and cups and dishes! I video'd the kids doing skits. They included dd in them too, and are soooo fun to look at now! We had a game that used up energy; I don't remember how it started. It became Slam Ball. We got a bunch of foam or sponge balls and would throw them at each other. It sounds so simple and possibly boring, but we would end up laughing so hard, and doing funny things to dodge a ball, or make a surprise attack or something like that. It was so fun! The kids still ask to play slam ball once in awhile. It's more sophisticated now, but it's a hilarious family activity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vita Passiva Posted April 17, 2009 Share Posted April 17, 2009 We live in a small space as well, with no outside options unless we all go, and with two monkeys in the house we have found a few favorite energy busters: --collecting all the pillows, blankets, and stuffed animals into a pile and jumping into it from a small stool...the process of collecting is great in and of itself --hyperdash game.... I think there are a few other versions of this game as well --tape a hopscotch game onto a blanket to play --we have a bouncy ball ......I found a pumpkin on at Target for just a few dollars --play simon says with a lot of jumping jacks or hopping --we also play "tennis" or "baseball" with balloons and use wooden spoons for the rackets or bats --take a bath and give them the bubbles to blow in there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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