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Home › Articles › Toddlers › Movin' and Groovin'

Movin' and Groovin'

Indoor Activities to Keep Children Active

By Donna Smith

Pages:  1  2  3  

Garabedian encourages parents to do the yoga with their child. "They are great at mimicking your movements and positions," she says.

To make it fun, include the child's favorite furry friend. "Include a favorite stuffed animal into the poses," says Garabedian. "For instance, invite your toddler to try 'tree pose' with a Beanie Baby on his/her head."

Before starting on your own at home, Garabedian encourages parents to find a class with a qualified teacher who has training in yoga and experience teaching toddlers. Web sites such as Baby-yoga.com, Childrensyoga.com and 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., enjoyed playing hopscotch with her son when he was a toddler and still does now that he's 8 years old.

"Toddlers may not be interested in following th 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 numbers on 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," she says. "All it takes is a hopscotch board, family energy and creativity."

Pica shares more ideas to bring the outside in: