Indoor Gross Motor Play
Recycled Cardboard Box Ball Game
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Burn energy and enjoy some fun family time together!
The weather has gotten colder, the snow is falling and the days are shorter. Sadly, we have to spend far more time inside than outside and it really shows. All kids have energy and Liam has a little bit more with his ADHD diagnosis. This winter, I am focussing on indoor gross motor play in simple and affordable ways that all families can try! When winter comes around, it is so important to come up with these simple indoor gross motor games we can also do as a family. This indoor gross motor play with recycled cardboard boxes is so much fun. These food boxes from our local warehouse shopping store (think BJ’s and Costco) have been a delight for so many different activities and are very sturdy. We both had a blast playing together and even worked on our math skills along the way! Here are two ways we played, on the floor and on the stairs!
Simple Indoor Gross Motor Play Set Up #1: Stairs
This indoor gross motor play ball game started on the stairs. I simply put the boxes on each step! Of course any box or bin will do especially if you are trapped inside with a snow day like we are today! We have this wonderful big bag of lightweight PLASTIC BALLS but you could also use ROLLED UP SOCKS, BEAN BAGS, CRUMPLED PAPER and whatever else might work! We took turns throwing the balls and at the end we counted the balls in each box, first by color and then as a whole group! Seems he loves to count!
Simple Indoor Gross Motor Play Set Up#2: Floor
If you don’t have stairs, don’t worry! Just set it up on the floor!. Liam chose to line them up but you can stagger them any way you like! We played the game the exact same way as on the stairs. Of course, we counted at the end too!
Not only was this game inexpensive, easy to set up and fun to do, Liam also had the chance to work on other skills! I think both of us worked on some hand-eye coordination, visual perception and turn taking! I imagine we will be playing this a lot during the winter!
Extending the indoor gross motor play
Predict the box you will try to put it into!
Add numbers to the boxes and keep score!
What happens when you close your eyes or switch hands?
Stand on one foot!
The possibilities are endless…..
More ways to enjoy these great boxes {here}!
Another fun DIY Game with Gross & Fine Motor Play
Lauren Drobnjak
January 28, 2014 at 4:06 amThank you for sharing on our FB page today! Love this activity…the use of recycled boxes is perfect! LOVE the throwing activity on the stairs and how you incorporated the academic skills into your activities! So much fun!
Claire
February 3, 2014 at 3:13 pmHello and happy Monday!! We wanted to let you know that we’ve featured this activity in our Movement Monday Roundup today at The Inspired Treehouse! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing it with us! http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/movement-monday-round/
littlebins
February 4, 2014 at 2:17 pmThank you so much! With the cold weather, we have to be creative in the house sometimes!