If you’ve ever been stuck inside all day long with your toddler, you know how hard it can be to help your child work off all that crazy toddler energy in a positive way. It seems like every time you even think about blinking, your little one is scaling the kitchen counters (again).
You know how important it is to give your toddler opportunities to engage in movement activities – like running, jumping, and climbing – every day. But, at the same time, you also want to make sure your child finds safe, developmentally-appropriate ways to stay active when you’re stuck indoors.
So, here are a few simple movement activities to try at home to help keep your little one busy! These easy activity ideas will help your child stay healthy and active indoors – perfect for those days it’s too rainy or cold out to brave the playground.
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13 Fun & Easy Indoor Movement Activities For Toddlers
1 | Make an Easy DIY Obstacle Course
This is one of my favorite, low-prep activity ideas to get kids moving when you’re stuck inside. You can set up a simple obstacle course using whatever you have at home. For example, you could encourage your little one to walk across the couch cushions, crawl under the dining room table, climb up on top of the ottoman, and jump down into a pile of throw pillows!
You can also add interesting obstacles and challenges to spice up the activity, like…
- A balance beam to walk across
- Stepping stones to practice balancing and moving from stone to stone
- A tunnel to crawl through
- And more!
2 | Try a Toddler-Friendly Indoor Climber
Climbing is an important gross motor skill for little ones to master. (That’s why your toddler won’t keep his feet on the floor!)
An indoor climber, like a Pikler triangle, is a good way to encourage your child to safely practice climbing at home on those days you can’t make it to the playground. Look for a versatile climber that your child can use now, as well as when they get a little older, like this best-selling climber from Etsy.
The Little Climber by Lily & River (Etsy)
3 | Have a Dance Party
This activity is easy. Simply turn on your little one’s favorite music and start dancing! Grab some scarves and musical instruments, or just move your bodies to the music.
Dancing helps children develop coordination and practice different movement skills, like marching, jumping, and spinning. If you’re looking for a challenge, playing freeze dance is another fun way to get your toddler moving to the music!
4 | Give Yoga a Go
Yoga is a fun and simple activity to try with your toddler. (Plus, you might even get a little workout in, too!)
If your child is new to yoga, start by introducing a few basic, kid-friendly yoga poses, like Downward Dog, Cobra, and Tree. It can help to use pictures to show your child how each pose should look. I love using yoga cards and board books to help little ones get started with yoga.
If you do screen time at home, there are even kid-friendly yoga videos you can watch with your child to learn together. Just remember to keep it simple, fun, and a little silly to keep your toddler engaged.
5 | Break Out the Tunnel
If I know one thing, it’s this: Toddlers LOVE tunnels. Whether your little one is crawling through the tunnel, playing peek-a-boo, or setting up an indoor obstacle course, there are so many ways to play! (Tunnels also double as an awesome dog toy, if your other child happens to have four paws.)
There are tons of collapsible tunnels that fold up for easy storage, making them a smart choice for smaller spaces. You can also make a quick DIY tunnel if you have an empty cardboard box or two lying around the house!
6 | Practice Balancing
A balance beam – or a simple tape line on the floor – is a fun challenge for toddlers. In addition to improving your child’s balance, walking on the beam can also help your little one develop concentration, perseverance, and coordination.
For a younger child, start by holding their hand or placing the beam against the wall to help them balance. Once your child is confident balancing on the beam, see if they can alternate feet or even walk backwards!
7 | Bring the Slide Inside
Let’s be honest: Slides do take up a lot of real estate in your home. But if you have the space, they’re a great way to encourage your child to stay active indoors!
Sliding requires a surprising amount of balance and coordination for little ones. This makes it a solid gross motor activity for those days you can’t make it to the playground. You can find a simple indoor slide – or, for a more versatile option, look for a Pikler triangle with a slide/ramp attachment.
Wooden Indoor Slide by Kiddiedesign (Etsy)
8 | Build a Big Block Tower
Block play is a fun activity for toddlers with many cognitive benefits, including spatial reasoning, planning, and problem-solving. If you use large blocks to stack and build, this activity can help your child get moving and develop upper body strength, as well.
Can your toddler build a tower as tall as they are? Or build a block road that goes all the way from one side of the room to the other? Give it a try!
9 | Chase Bubbles
It’s no secret that kids love bubbles. Make a game out of this toddler fave by encouraging your little one to chase and catch as many bubbles as they can.
This classic activity is a good way to get your child working on many different gross motor skills – running, reaching, standing on tiptoe, squatting, bending, and more – in a fun, natural way!
10 | Play Ball
There are plenty of fun ways to play ball indoors – just remember to tuck away your valuables first. Rolling, kicking, throwing overhand, and beginning to catch are all good ball handling skills for toddlers to work on.
(Check out this post from Kevin over at Montessori Method for practical ideas to get started playing catch with your little one!)
Here are some more ideas:
- A laundry hamper can become a basketball hoop for free throw practice (or you can get a more legit, child-friendly basketball hoop, if you have a budding athlete at home.)
- Create a “goal post” for indoor soccer practice with a simple tape line on the floor (or a laundry hamper turned on its side!)
- Try bowling at home by standing up a few stuffed animals (or weighted, plastic bottles). Then, encourage your child to roll the ball and knock the toys over.
- When all else fails, try rolling or tossing the ball back and forth with your little one. Sensory balls are always a good choice! Rolling a not-too-heavy yoga ball back and forth is a fun option, too.
11 | Toss Beanbags
Not a fan of playing ball inside the house? Beanbags are a good alternative! They’re fun for little ones to toss at a target – great for working on your child’s aim – or drop from different heights to experiment with gravity.
(Randomly, the toddlers I work with are obsessed with this game where we put beanbags on our heads, and then loudly pretend to sneeze – ACHOO! – dropping the beanbags to the floor. Honestly? Don’t knock it until you try it.)
12 | Do Some Heavy Work (Lifting, Pulling, Carrying, & More!)
Your toddler may not be ready to lift weights just yet, but challenging gross motor activities – like lifting water jugs, pulling a wagon, or carrying a loaded backpack – are a good way to keep your child active and help them reach maximum effort.
These types of activities (usually called heavy work) should be challenging and compelling for your child. Observe your toddler to see what types of heavy work activities they gravitate toward!
Here are a few more heavy work activity ideas for toddlers:
- Helping carry and put away the groceries
- Climbing up the stairs (or a step stool)
- Pushing or pulling a loaded laundry basket
- Playing tug of war
- Loading items (cans, books, etc.) into a cardboard box
- Want more ideas? Check out this post!
13 | Try an Indoor Scavenger Hunt
If you have an older toddler, an indoor scavenger hunt is a good way to keep your child busy when you’re stuck at home. Simply ask your little one to find something – anything – from around the house. “Where is the clock? There it is! Now, can you find a pillow?”
Even better if you can get your child moving back and forth, from room to room, or climbing upstairs and then back down!
To keep things easy, you can simply ask your child to touch or point to each object they find. For a fun twist, try hiding a few interesting objects around the room and encourage your child to find them and collect them in a bag or basket – just like an Easter egg hunt!
Have fun!
Engaging in simple movement activities at home is a great way to help your child strengthen their gross motor skills, burn off energy, and develop healthy habits from an early age.
So, the next time your toddler is bouncing off the walls (and driving you crazy), give one of these easy indoor movement activities a try!
By the way… Did I miss anything? Share your favorite indoor gross motor activity ideas below!
Until next time,
♥ Meg
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LINE BACKWARD WALK: With a (Zigzag) drawing tape pre prepped on the floor, give your child a paper. Standing on the Floor Line’s end/ tip behind him/her, child will rip a small piece of paper, bends forward and leaves the ripped paper on the line, then steps/ moves backwards. (Re – drawing the floor line with the use of his ripped papers) Repeat the action till he / she reaches the other end of the line. This is a good visual motor, eye – hand coordination, balance, flexibility, fine motor exercise.
Additional twist: (prolly for older kids). Give your child 2 different colors of papers. Child will re-draw the line by ripping the papers – but making PATTERNS. (ex. A-B, AA-B, AA -BB Pattern/s)
If in a class, children can race/compete.