Over the weekend it rained for two days straight. Paolo was bouncing off the walls. I was desperate to find ways to get some of that energy out or at the very least, distract him for a while. Here are a six things we either did or dreamed up to do on the next rainy day. Whether or not these will work for you may depend on your rules for indoor play.
1. Run, skip and gallop laps. I had Paolo run forwards and backwards, sideways like a crab, on tip-toes, lunges/big steps, galloping, and skipping- ten laps each. He was panting by the end of this workout.
2. Play foot ball together. The rule in our house is we can play football in the house with a soft ball or Nerf ball in the hallway. So far we haven’t broken the light fixture…
3. Play dodge ball. Clearly this depends on what type of rules you have for indoor play, but it can be a giggle-fest. Check out this video of my parents playing their version of Hallway Dodgeball with our son.
4. City & highway construction. Gather the recyclables, tape, scissors, and markers. Make a town for toy cars, Barbies, army guys or whoever else you have lying around. Add a highway with on and off ramps. FYI- Ramps always = Fun.
5. Crash! Get out all the blocks. Big old-school cardboard ones or traditional wooden blocks both work. Boxes work, too. Build a “brick wall” (the bigger the better) and run cars into it. Or make Angry Birds bean bags out of felt and beans and launch them into it.
6. Do the long jump. Mark a start line with a piece of masking tape and take turns jumping. Mark your landing spots with small pieces of tape and compete for the longest jump. If we’re brave, we add small, soft “hurdles”.
Sadly, these activities did more to build his endurance than wear him out, but we always have a good time playing in the hallway and it keeps us from succumbing to cabin fever. I think my next post will have to be “Six Ways to Recover from a Rainy Weekend”.
Dodge ball and football in the hallway are great fun!!!