Rainy afternoon or compulsory confinement: how to allow your children to spend their overflowing energy while staying at home? Over here full of good ideas!
When cold and humid weekends follow each other week after week, or when an exceptional situation such as compulsory confinement falls on us, panic can quickly invade the most creative parents, and especially those who live in apartments, without necessarily enjoying from a balcony or a terrace: how to succeed in releasing these tireless little balls of energy without each day ending in cries – theirs – and in tears – yours? We brainstormed and found a list of activities to do with our kids when we can't get out of the house, which won't (too much) bother the neighbors below. Take notes !
1. Games that move
We first turn to these many games that allow you to move while having fun, like the timeless Jacques said, 1, 2, 3 Sun and the Statue, during which we move and dance like crazy on a song until the master of the game suddenly stops it.
Nursery rhymes will also be your best allies, especially with the little ones, just like the animal gait imitation game (frog, earthworm, crab, elephant, horse …), sure to bring a lot of laughs too.
You can play wheelbarrow, especially if you have several children, but also at the jump and bungee rope with the older children, making sure to place yourself on a soft carpet so as not to make too much noise.
2. A motor skills course
We are inspired by nurseries and other kindergartens to create a course which will allow your child to develop his motor skills, while having fun and spending energy. And rest assured, no need to invest in professional equipment, you can perfectly create a fun circuit by diverting some everyday objects and using your child's toys.
Balance test on a path composed of more or less large cushions, on a “beam” drawn with large scotch tape or even with a book on your head, rolls on a floor mat, jumps in hoops, walking hopping, crawling under the table, throwing balls into a bowl … Everything is possible, and you will certainly have fun imagining this route. Just make sure your child does it barefoot or with non-slip slippers for optimal safety, and of course adapt to the age of your different toddlers.
3. Home sports
Whatever their age, children will love play sports with you if you’re used to watching home gym videos. But to keep their attention more than 5 minutes and allow them to really spend themselves, bet on content specially adapted to their age, more fun and with less repetitive movements. We think of the fitness channel Move Your Fit, or that of Lucile Woodward, both available on YouTube, which offer videos to be followed by parents and children, to do yoga for example, or simply to build muscle. .
Competitors at heart, your children, especially the older ones, will take pleasure in being stronger than you!
If you have a little space, you can also make a part of football in the room, with a small ball or foam ball, volleyball with an inflatable ball, or even Table tennis, with one of these kits where you only have to install a specially designed net on the dining table.
=> 6 ideas of physical exercises that will allow children to let off steam <=
4. An organized battle
It’s not about beating yourself up and ending up with injured people of course, but rather releasing some energy while having fun. So we do not hesitate to go crazy during a pillow fight (not too hard) on the parents' bed to have more space, with tickling and mini tackles as a bonus. We obviously adapt once again to the different ages of our little ones, and if we let them have fun with each other, we stay nearby to prevent it from escalating!
Another idea: a battle of "snowballs" this time, using crumpled sheets of paper (newspaper or already used) to create the balls. Make up teams if there are enough of you and try to hit your opponents.
5. An improvised boom
And if we did the party for no reason, just to let off some steam and show off all the dance steps in her repertoire? Share a good time with your family by organizing an ultra VIP surprise party, with balloons and other garlands, and above all a soundtrack that will make the hippest nightclubs in Paris look as envy as possible! Each member of the family will choose their favorite songs beforehand to compose a playlist that will make you dance until the end of the night – or at least until bath time.