What are some good indoor gross motor toys? - Page 2

[lovemyfamily6]

Originally Posted by Aubergine68

This year, I think we will look at a balance board like this one

http://www.grandrivertoys.com/websto...8E452848CAD2D3

and maybe a good quality kids exercise trampoline with a handle. Maybe our Rody will get a stablemate! I think the boys would enjoy having hopping races.

Oh my gosh, I'm totally getting a balance board! My oldest has tight heel cords. He has a stretching incline box that he has to stand on for 45 minutes a day and he wears braces at night to maintain the stretch. That looks like a really great way to help him stretch a bit too. Thank you so much!

And, maybe we will still get the trampoline too. I remembered that when he used to do physical therapy, that was something that he did. Plus, we can have the hop balls AND a trampoline. I'm actually getting really excited about Christmas this year! We always buy toys that we think will be loved, and they are briefly. Then I'm posting in the Decluttering forum about too many toys. These all look like things that will be used for years though. Thank you everyone!

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by lovemyfamily6

Do you have a particular tunnel you'd recommend? We had one from Target and the wires came through the nylon in a relatively short period of time (but past the return time so it felt like money wasted). They did love it though when they could play with it.

The one we got from Ikea six years ago has had quite a lot of use, indoors and out, and is only just beginning to wear out. I think we'll get another Ikea one.

[lovemyfamily6]

Originally Posted by LynnS6

I know you said you'd decided against the mini trampoline, but I'd reconsider it. my kids get a lot of use out of ours in the winter.

I talked to dh and we decided we will still go ahead and get a mini trampoline as well as the hop balls. We're going to make it a "for everyone" present. Hopefully our winter will be a lot less stressful than last year!

[RainCoastMama]

we have a huge recroom and have always invested in gross motor stuff via craigslist. We have/had

- Fisher Price climbing slide/fort (they outgrew it but a hit)
- Mini-tramp (one of the BEST things we got - still highly used)
- Exercise ball and sitting-ball hop thingy
- Inflatable bouncy castle (look on amazon - also a HUGE hit for fantasy play)
- Hyperdash game (SERIOUSLY invest in this toy - it's small, cheap, and causes them to run around like crazy - look on amazon)
- Ikea tunnel
- collapsible tent
- Hullabaloo from Cranium (they found it too slow)
- rhythmic gymnastics ribbon sticks

I ordered for Xmas:

- a geodesic climbing dome for the yard, that will first be set up in the recroom in the winter


I would love:
- a plasma car
- balance board
- hammock

[JayGee]

We got DS a fold-up gymnastics mat for Christmas 2 years ago and it still sees daily use. It's got four colors on it, so the children make up games about jumping from color to color, they use if for somersaults, handstands and cartwheels, and since it folds up, it makes a great tent. It's also good for sleep-overs as an extra mattress.

[SkyMomma]

Originally Posted by KyleAnn

I wonder, has anyone ever come across anything similar or hung an indoor swing in their lo's room?

When DS1 was little we had a bucket swing hanging in his doorway, on his 4th birthday we changed it to a trapeze (attached with very sturdy hooks & carabeners to his doorway, so we can easily change it back to the swing or whatever). THis has been an awesome inside, big energy release activity. He's very very good with it & has taught himself all kinds of tricks. When he's doing acrobatics, we layer a few yoga mats under the trapeze for safety, but it's been up almost a year now with no accidents. We recently saw an ariel show with long silk cloths, so we've now attached long cloths to the carabeners & he's working on this new acrobatic act.

We also have exercise balls, lots of pillows to make jumping onto piles, dancing music, 'indoor' scooters, drums, etc. Can you tell we've got a very high energy kid in the house?

[abeliamama]

Great thread! Has gotten me thinking about Christmas.

My son's OT (he has sensory issues) has recommended a bean bag chair. I looked at the bed-a-bag, but it's pricey and we don't need a bed. Is it worth the price?

Does anyone else have beanbag chair recommendations? I worry about the fumes they release with the polysterene foam or those little beads. Does anyone have one from a futon store? Are they a natural material?

Thanks!

Mama to DD 4-00 and DS 4-03

[Bekka]

Hi,

I think no one has mentioned tumbling mats. I know Magic Cabin has them, but we found some (cheaper) at Costco for Christmas last year. My kids have used them for tumbling, jumping, general fort building, and sitting on to watch movies in our family room. We got 2 sets--we have 4 kids. They can do rolls all the way down. All ages, down to our 2 yo (who was 1 last year and so cute doing little somersaults).

We had a mini tramp and got rid of it because it was not space effective and fought over. We also have bean bags--large and used for "islands" in the basement and watching movies at other times. We have a basement sofa for bouncing and a regular (LR) sofa not for bouncing. We send them downstairs.

[pumpkinmom2]

my son loves when i blow up the air mattress. we lean it up longways against the couch and put a slippery type blanket on half of it. he climbs up the velvet side and slides down the side with the blanket. he will do this for hours on and off all day.

[Aubergine68]

Originally Posted by abeliamama

Great thread! Has gotten me thinking about Christmas.

My son's OT (he has sensory issues) has recommended a bean bag chair. I looked at the bed-a-bag, but it's pricey and we don't need a bed. Is it worth the price?

Does anyone else have beanbag chair recommendations? I worry about the fumes they release with the polysterene foam or those little beads. Does anyone have one from a futon store? Are they a natural material?

You could buy a beanbag cover ( I know in Canada, Sears and Walmart sell them) and fill it yourself, with whatever fill you are comfortable with and that works for your son. If it has a zipper closure, I'd double cover it, to prevent spills, perhaps.

Unfortunately, I think that the softer fills would mostly be artificial materials. Maybe a small chair filled with something like rice or real beans would be interesting to sit on?

My dh tells a story about how his mom got a LOT of foam pieces from a place that made upholstered furniture. She made him and his five siblings cut it up into foam chips with scissors, which took forever and left them all with sore wrists. Then they put this fill into a beanbag chair. The Bag the Bed chairs are basically filled with foam chips, but they are so huge, I couldn't imagine chipping all that foam myself. Maybe one could buy chipped foam somewhere?