Outdoor Activities Your Kids Can Do Inside!

There are some activities that we associate only with outdoor play, but these things can be fun to do inside, too. When it's too hot, cold, or wet to play outside, kids can become frustrated at being cooped up indoors. With a few inexpensive supplies, your living room can become your backyard--without a huge mess to clean up! Rediscover the wonders of indoor play with these fun ideas for turning outside activities into indoor ones. I can't tell you how to make an indoor jungle gym, but there are many ways to recreate the backyard atmosphere right in your living room.

Sandbox

You would never dream of putting a sandbox in your living room. What a pain it would be to clean up! That sand would get into your carpet, the cushions of your sofas, the cracks of your...well, you get the idea. There are many substances that have a similar feel to sand but are much easier to clean up. These include dried rice, dried beans and lentils, and dried corn. Rice or lentils are best--not as apt to find its way up the nose or in the ear as corn and beans. Rice slips through your fingers almost the same as sand would, and it is just as fun to scoop, drop, pour, and step in.

Buy a plastic storage tub with a lid, whichever size you like. Fill it with one of these substances. Add whatever you like--plastic farm animals, cups, matchbox cars, spoons, shovels. Clean up can be made easier by laying down a vinyl shower liner or old sheet. (It's pretty easy to vacuum and sweep up the mess anyway.) When you're done playing, storage is easy; pop it into a closet it, slide it onto a shelf, push it under the bed. You can convert your living room to a sandbox and back again in minutes!

Forts

Most kids have a swing set outside, usually with a clubhouse. Your kids may have a tree house or plastic playhouse in the back yard. Little Tikes makes a small swing and slide set, called the Swing-Along Castle, and play cubes called, Activity Gyms, of various sizes. If you're lucky enough to be able to purchase one of these and have a playroom to keep it in, good for you! For those who don't, though, never underestimate the power of the fort. We all made them as kids, and they are just as fun now as they were years ago.

Great fort-building supplies include pillows, sofa cushions, furniture, blankets, sheets, and heavy things to use as weights. Get creative. Make a door, a window, a secret exit. Maybe you can build two forts and have a stuffed animal fight. Tents are easily constructed as well with but a sheet and a broomstick. Flashlights are lots of fun to use in tents and forts. Make some s'mores, and tell some ghost stories in your dark cave.

Swings

There are many things in the home that make a wonderful swing! Low-hanging ceiling fans, chandeliers, curtains... Yes, I'm kidding. Sorry, there's really no way to swing in the house, unless you have an ultra-durable Graco Swing-O-Matic.

Slides

There are ways to slide in the house, though! Now this is one thing that will require parental supervision and some safety precautions. If you have a staircase, you have a slide. To be safe, stack some pillows at the bottom, and make sure all kids hold on tight. One or two at the most at a time is best. You can use a twin-sized or toddler mattress for double sliding or couch cushions for individual runs. An adult should be waiting at the bottom to play catch if necessary.

Does your staircase have a rail? Why not let your kids slide down it? Just make sure they know it's only this one time, with you watching and giving permission! Live a little. Don't let them start at the top if you have a high staircase. Starting half-way down is a bit safer. You may want to lay a mattress on the other side of the staircase, just in case.

It sounds dangerous, doesn't it? Your kids are going to do it anyway. They will con a babysitter into mattress surfing or slide down the stair rail when you are not looking. You might as well join in on the fun and teach them to be as safe as possible. An alternative for toddlers is a small plastic slide, made by Playskool or Little Tikes, that should fit in your home pretty easily.

Trampolines

We all know that jumping on the bed or couch can cause damage and be quite dangerous, but this isn't the only way to bounce inside. They do make small trampolines for exercise that can be used safely in the house. An old mattress laid on the floor can be fun to bounce on as well. Bouncing castles are a favorite of kids of all ages. They now make small versions that can be used indoors. You can keep them inflated all the time, or store them and bring them out only on occasion. Many of them come with balls and other toys to play with. They are very affordable, especially at Walmart.com. That's where I purchased a small bouncing castle for my son complete with inflatable swords, peep holes, and balls for throwing.

Ball Pits

Chances are, you remember going to fast food restaurants and playing in ball pits after your meal. Gone are the days where a child can frolic in hundreds of balls, burying himself completely. Well, I say it's time for the ball pit to make a come back, and so do many toy manufacturers. Inflatable ball pits of various types are now available for purchase at places like Walmart.com. My son enjoyed a ball pit that had ramps for rolling the balls down and a hoop in the middle to toss them into. I only spent $25 on it. You can make your own, too. If you look around online and in stores, you can probably find some plastic colorful balls--just like the ones you used to enjoy at McDonald's. A plastic or inflatable pool is only about $10 and makes a great ball pit.

Pools

Did you just do a double-take? Why? It's a lot of fun to set up a pool in the house. An area with tile or wood flooring is best, and you can protect your floor or carpet with a vinyl shower liner. There are a lot of small kiddie pools that aren't too expensive. Your kid will really get a kick out of 'swimming' in the house. If this isn't an option for you, having a mid-day bath in your bathing suit can be a lot of fun, especially if you leave the shower on.

Other Ways to Get Wet and Wild...

Chances are, you have a sprayer in your kitchen. Use it! It's only water. All you have to do is wipe it up. If you want some water fun without as much of a mess, have a squirt gun fight. This uses very little water and will dry up pretty quick. I wouldn't recommend water balloons in the house, but if it floats your boat...

Gardening

Do your children like to plant and grow things? Have a window garden. You can use a little Tupperware container to grow a few herbs or small flowers. Potted plants and trees fare well indoors, too. Your kids will have fun seeing their plants grow and gardening--in the house! You can protect the floor by laying down a vinyl shower curtain liner or old sheet. Violets do very well indoors, and cactuses can be neat to grow, too--but don't touch!

Play Ball

You can just see it now: your knick knacks in pieces on the floor, the cats hiding under the table hissing... It doesn't have to be that way. You can invest in a small basketball hoop, like the plastic kind for toddlers, or even a clean trash can. There are a lot of soft balls, made out of foam for example, that you can toss around without fear of doing excess damage. Dodge ball, basketball, and other games can be played indoors as long as restraint is exercised. Hitting a balloon around with a small plastic bat can be a great indoor alternative to America's favorite pass-time. Balloons also make great indoor soccer balls.

Just because you're stuck in the house doesn't mean you have to do only quiet, indoor activities. Obviously, baseball is more fun when you're in the sun. Nothing can take the place of a giant sandbox. However, you can adequately simulate many of these outdoor pass-times right in your living room. It will at least keep your kids entertained until you can get to the park or until the rain stops falling.

These ideas will serve you well not only on snowy winter mornings but also on hot summer days. Inside is lots of fun. You just have to look around for what you can use, and be creative. Don't be afraid to make a bit of a mess; most things aren't hard to clean up. There's lots of ways to do damage control and play safe indoors. What are you waiting for? Go make your very own rice sandbox today!