P A R E N T   T O   P A R E N T

Adaptive Indoor Physical Activity Ideas

Sandboxes | Scooter Boards | Swings | Trampolines | Water Play

Ball Pits, Snuggling and Climbing Places

• Little tykes can come indoors. A ball pit with tunnel in your living room why not? 
• Pile up some pillows on the floor and let the kids run and jump on them.
• Take  2 old blankets and stitch 3 edges together. Toss in old and/or cheap pillows. After stuffing the blanket "sandwich"  sew the remaining edge together like a huge beanbag. Kids can flop down on it and use it for all sorts of play activities. Caution that no one gets trapped underneath so they don't smother.
• Pull off the living room couch and chair cushions, and lean them against the big armchair (the cushions are stacked side by side like dominoes). Put fluffy bed pillows on top of them, and crawl up the "mountain" of pillows to the top (the armchair). Terrific proprioceptive input! At the top (and it's a struggle to make it), we "jump" him on  the armchair cushion until he gently "falls off" the mountain, and then we roll him down the pile of  pillows!
• The "jelly-roll". We have an old blanket, and we roll Kevin up just like a jelly-roll ..... then we gently pull on the end of the roll, until Kevin starts to "unroll". 

Indoor Sandboxes

• Buy couscous in bulk at an Indian grocery or your local coop! Try dry rice and/or beans in a dishpan--not as large, but also not as messy. 
• Fill old Wet Wipe containers  with pop corn kernals.
• Fill a dish pan or the bathtub with snow!

Scooter Boards

• A large house plants scooter on rollers covered it with carpet using a staple gun makes a great basement scooter.

Swings 

• Add a low platform swing that can hang in the basement playroom--one that is easily unhooked  when there is no adult supervision. 
• For an older child the OUT OF SYNC CHILD book suggests having the child lay tummy down on a platform swing and while slowly swinging try to make baskets with bean bags or draw on a giant piece of paper.
• Purchase on of those hammock porch swings for reading and snuggling

Trampoline

• Tramps with the handles on the side are quite dangerous as the child will keep falling into it. Purchase a cheaper one without the handles and place the tramp under a rope tied to the ceiling attached to one of those swivel mechanisms for hanging net bags, swings, platform swings, etc. Put the little trampoline under that with the little trapeze, the child can jump up and down holding onto the trapeze. The trampoline is one of those little exercise joggers for adults you can pick up at yard or garage sales.
• Get an old waterbed mattress (preferably full-wave) and fill it with air. Call around to various waterbed stores to see if they have any old mattresses. 
• Tramps that is the same size around but not so far off the ground? Put other one in the garage, screen house or pole barn. 
• Blow up camp mattresses also work.
• One Step has a blow up trampoline . . . they are online

Water Play in the Tub

• Put a plastic Bed TV tray in the tub for water parties in the tub so water don't spill on the floor.
• Get gallon, quart, pint, cup containers along with measuring cups and spoons

Adaptive Art Ideas

Finger Paints

• Finger painting inside of a bag.....take a big sturdy ziploc bag and put about 2-3 tablespoons full of paint in them and then close them pushing out all the air and lay it on a table (tape the top if you think they will open it) and they can finger paint with no mess --- a great tactile  experience for the tactile defensive.

Adaptive Safety Ideas

Safety Ideas

Locate electrical outlets in playrooms at about 4 1/2 feet high. This reduces the chance that one of the little ones sticking something into it and also eliminates the cords all over the floor.