Winter.  Enough already.  It’s freeze your eyebrows cold, so you need to stay indoors with your little ones who have enough energy to fuel a circus. By this time, everyone is starting to get Cabin Fever.  What’s the game plan?  Honestly, you have quite a few options but today, I am going to suggest just one.  The best part,  you don’t even have to leave home and it costs zero dollars.

Cabin Fever Remedy: Create a circuit

When I was in gymnastics, we would do this all the time to practice our skills.  You can create it to be as hard, or easy as you want, and it is a structured activity that will keep your kids from bouncing on the couch or pestering their siblings out of boredom.  It doesn’t have to be gymnastic type activities, but that is what I am going to use for an example.  Feel free to change it up.

First, you will need to gather materials to set it up.  To make it easier, I have provided a few suggestions.

•  yoga mat
• exercise ball
• blue painters tape or a mini balance beam
• orange cones
• spoon and a ping pong ball/plastic egg
• exercise mini tramp
• hula hoop
• step stool
• tunnel

These are just a few options, but it is a good launching point.

Typically, I create 4-5 stations in the circuit.

Start with stretches.  We use Nursery Rhymes to stretch.  It is a great way to incorporate music and movement, and in all honesty it is just as good for me as it is for them.  Our go to is Hickory, Dickory, Dock.

I am hands on with helping the kids through the circuit.  I like to avoid injuries, and most of the time those sweet little ones forget to tuck their heads.  They are learning.

The Circuit Setup:

To set up your circuit, form a square – yoga mat on one side, cones on another, tape or balance beam parallel to the yoga mat; you may use the tramp/tunnel/or hula hoop for the last side.

Next, decide which activities you need help with.  It will depend on age and skill level of your kids as to what you do, so adjust accordingly.

Yoga Mat Station: Forward rolls, somersaults, cartwheels (if you have space), or use the ball to help them do back bend kick overs.

Cones Station: Use four cones with a foot between them.  They will step over the cones trying to stay balanced.  If this is to0 easy for them, have them use the spoon and egg to balance while doing it.  You can also have them practice weaving in and out of the cones, need more difficulty try it backwards.

Balance Beam Station:  If you have a mini balance beam or can create one (keep it low for littles – ours is literally 1 foot off the floor).  You can have the kids practice airplanes (arms out) or giraffes (arms above head) or scoops (dropping one foot down like you would to test the water in a pool and scooping it back up and placing it in front of the other).  These are great for little kids.  If your kids are older you can increase the difficulty of this activity by having them step over things.

If you do not have a beam, use tape on the carpet to create a line.  Have the kids practice bringing one leg up and keeping their balance (Yoga Tree Pose), or you can have them practice handstands, or bridges in this area.

Last Station:  If you have a mini tramp, the exercise type you can do spins (tornados) and dismounts.  With a hula hoop you can roll it upright and have the kids chase it to try to catch it before it falls.  If you have a tunnel you can have them crawl through it.

If you don’t have something, don’t sweat it.  I will have kids do Sulley’s and Mike’s.  Think Monster’s Incorporated.  I have them lunge with their arms up in scare position above their head for Sulley (add a growl it will make them chuckle), and for Mike, I have them practice standing tall like the letter I with their arms stretched above their head.  I call will alternate call out’s, similar to the game red light, green light.  When I say Sulley, they lunge and growl.  If I say Mike they stand tall and cover their mouth.  If they do the wrong one after a call it out, they are out.

Spring is just around the corner, and we are so excited to get out and enjoy some sunshine.  Until then, when it is too cold for this momma to get out and about we like to do stuff like this to break up the day.  What is your Cabin Fever Remedy?