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Home › Articles › Toddlers › Movin' and Groovin'

Movin' and Groovin'

Indoor Activities to Keep Children Active

By Donna Smith

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Some may be surprised that movement and exercise are important for babies, but no one questions a toddler's need – or desire – to move. But what's a parent to do when rain or cold weather keep a child from being able to run around outdoors for exercise?

Boogie Down
Rae Pica, a children's movement specialist, is a big fan of toddlers' boogying to moderate- to fast-paced music. Nothing fancy – just however the music moves them. "Otherwise, there's going to be too much emphasis on 'product,' and it's the process that matters," says Pica.

Any type of music will work, but Pica stresses the importance of variety. "If parents play a variety of styles (rock 'n' roll, waltzes, country) they'll be exposing children to different rhythms, cultures and musical elements," she says. "And, of course, they all inspire different types of movement."

Pica says dancing is fun for the family because it's a feel-good activity all around. "Both movement and music have been known to improve mood and energy levels, so when you put them both together, you've got magic," she says.

Diaper Downward Dog
Though no medical research has been conducted on yoga for toddlers, Helen Garabedian, author of Itsy Bitsy Yoga: Poses to Help Your Baby Sleep Longer, Digest Better and Grow Stronger (Fireside, 2004), founder of Itsy Bitsy Yoga International, infant development movement educator, registered yoga teacher and infant massage instructor, says parent participants and early childhood professionals report the benefits of yoga to her. These benefits include:
  • Better and longer sleep. ("Many parents say naps double after an Itsy Bitsy Yoga class," says Garabedian.)
  • Increase in relaxation skills, making bedtime easier.
  • Improved body awareness and physical confidence.
  • Deepening of the parent-child or child-sibling bond.
  • An outlet for social interaction and self-expression.
  • Increased self-esteem.
  • Playful ways for toddlers to relax in an increasingly stress-filled world.
  • Can help build a fit and healthy lifestyle in a bid to counter childhood obesity.
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