“Movin’ and Groovin" Indoor Activities to Keep Children Active
By Donna Smith

Some may be surprised that movement and exercise are important for babies, but no one questions a toddler’s need – or desire- to move. So what’s a parent to do when cold weather or storms keep a child from being able to run around outdoors?

BOOGIE DOWN
Rae Pica, a children’s movement specialist (www.movingandlearning.com) is a big fan of toddlers’ boogying to moderate- to fast-paced music. Nothing fancy—just however the music moves them. “Otherwise, there’s going to be too much emphasis on ‘product,’ and it’s the ‘process’ that matters,” says Pica.

Any type of music will work, but Pica stresses the importance of variety. “If parents play a variety of styles (rock ‘n’ roll, waltzes, country), they’ll be exposing children to different rhythms, cultures an musical elements,” she says. “And, of course, they all inspire different types of movement.”

Pica says dancing is fun for the family because it’s a feel-good activity all around. “Both movement and music have been known to improve mood and energy levels, so when you put them both together, you’ve got magic,” she says.

DIAPER DOWNWARD DOG
Though no medical research has been conducted on yoga for toddlers, Helen Garabedian, author of Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better and Grow Stronger (Fireside, 2004) and founder of Itsy Bitsy Yoga International (www.ItsyBitsyYoga.com), says toddler parent participants and early childhood professionals report the benefits of yoga to her. These benefits include:
• Better and longer sleep (“Many parents say naps double after an Itsy Bitsy Yoga class,” says Garabedian.)
• Increase in relaxation skills, making bedtime easier.
• Improved body awareness and physical confidence.
• Deepening of the parent-child or child-sibling bond.
• An outlet for social interaction and self-expression.
• Increased self-esteem.
• Playful ways for toddlers to relax in an increasingly stress-filled world.
• Can help build a fit and healthy lifestyle in a bid to counter child obesity.

Garabedian encourages parents to do yoga with their child. “They are great at mimicking your movements and positions,” she says. “Include a favorite stuffed animal into the poses. For instance, invite your toddler to try “tree pose” with a beanie Baby on his/her head.”

Before starting on your own at home, Helen encourages parents to find a class with a qualified teacher who has training in yoga and experience teaching toddlers. Web sites such as www.baby-yoga.com, www.childrensyoga.com and www.yogakids.com offer a listing of qualified teachers.

And, as taught in the art of yoga itself, be patient with your toddler. “Give it time,” says Garabedian. “Be patient as your toddler figures out how to move his body and learn relaxation skills. After all, becoming a parent is one of our greatest rewards and challenges. And sharing yoga gives you a great opportunity to be present and enhance your relaxation skills around your busy toddler.”

BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
Many outside activities can be modified for indoor play. Penny Powell, a mother of one from Orange Park, Fla., plays hopscotch with her son indoors and out.

“Toddlers may not be interested in following the specific rules of the game [but] they’re sure to enjoy strengthening their coordination and balance by hopping in the squares of a hopscotch board,” says Powell.

“What a fun way for them to learn numbers. Parents could also use hopscotch to begin teaching the alphabet to toddlers by replacing the number son the board with letters.”

To make an indoor play area, Powell says parents can purchase or make large stick-on/peel off numbers from one to 10 and then transform the kitchen floor into a hopscotch board. “This ancient game can serve many purposes—all it takes is a hopscotch board, family energy and creativity,” she says.

Pica shares more ideas to bring the outside in:
• Hold a parade. Put on a recording of a march or break out the pots and pans.
• Play Follow the Leader. This game offers toddlers a great opportunity for toddlers to practice various motor skills. Mom or Dad can lead the way around the house, performing as many different locomotor (traveling) skills as they know their child can replicate. Parents can also vary their movements by changing direction, level, pathway, speed, force and body shape. Make sure to occasionally stop and stretch, twist or shake.
• Play In and Out. Place one plastic hoop per child on the floor. Invite the child to jump in and out of the hoop, all the way around.
• Move through an obstacle course. There’s nothing like an obstacle course to provide practice with any number of skills, including crawling, creeping, walking and jumping. And an obstacle course offers children valuable experience with prepositions such as “over,” “under”, “around” and “through.”
Parents can set up a course using large empty boxes to move through, chairs or other pieces of furniture big enough to move under, jump ropes to move over or small items to move around.