Indoor Preschool Activities- Let’s Bounce!

A list of inside toys for bouncing and movement.

It’s been COLD and Not Hospitable outside and we’ve been needing activities to keep two busy preschoolers active whilst cooped up  inside.  Here’s a list of our favorite preschool gross motor toys that can be used inside:

Rody Pony- Rody Ponies are super strong, and fun for many ages.  We’ve got two ponies and all three kids from ages 1 to 7 play with them.  Aside from their bouncing capabilities they’ve been central to countless pretend scenarios.

Mini Trampoline-Great for days when your child seems to have an endless need to crash around the house.  I do not have one of these yet, but  likely we’ll be purchasing one soon.  We just need something else to help burn off energy

Bilibo- After finding my three year old spinning on the floor in a mixing bowl, I knew we needed a couple of these instead.  Bilibos are very durable and encourage spinning, rocking, toy carrying and pretend play.  Ours have been used in the bath, in the fort outside and even as step stools.

Ikea Ekorre Swing- This makes for a cozy snuggling spot, a relaxing swinging place and one of the fastest spinning apparatuses I’ve ever seen.  I take this out only in winter and hang it in the boys room. Leland loves to swing (when he was a baby he’d actually fall asleep in the swings at the park) so this is a big hit.

Couches. These are not furniture  (silly mommy).  From obstacle courses made with the cushions to the endless forts, my poor couches get A LOT of use as kid entertainment.

Sit – N – Spin- Some kids are calmed by spinning, even if this is not the case for your child, the coordination and strength required to make themselves spin can be a great indoor movement activity.   Ours stays interesting because I usually keep it in the closet and just take it down occasionally (the trick to keeping any toy entertaining it seems.)

Tumbling Mat- This deceptively simple piece of play equipment is so much fun.  Show your kids how to do somersaults!  Practice hand stands, or even let them impress you with their cartwheels.  A mat makes this a much less nerve wracking play idea.

Do you have any favorite toys that can be used inside for gross motor play? I would love to know about them!