An important part of child care for your little one is ensuring they’re getting enough exercise. During winter, though, it can be difficult to keep them active indoors. Below are a few pieces of advice to make sure your children are staying active enough when it’s cold outside.

Child Care Advice for Winter Exercise & Activities

1. Create a Maze

Utilize all of your indoor space by creating a maze inside your home. Using twine, yarn, or tape, choose the largest room in your house (or even multiple, connected rooms) and set up a maze. Plot out a simple course on a piece of paper first, so you have a design to follow, and then create it by using the tape, yarn, string, or twine to create barriers. Have your children go through the maze, racing to see who can finish it the fastest. For extra fun, you can place a bowl of candy or their favorite snacks at the end of the maze as a reward. You can also set up small obstacles throughout the maze. They can be inventive, like having to climb over a pile of boxes, or straightforward, such as notecards instructing your kids to do exercises before continuing. This will keep all of you entertained for hours, and it ensures your children are engaging in the activity needed for ideal child development.

2. Incorporate Exercises Into Regular Activities

Think of all of your fun indoor activities–board games, watching movies, playing trivia, reading–and come up with ways to incorporate exercise into them. For instance, when reading with your child, you could set exercises for every time certain words are said, choosing words that are repeated often. You could also play your favorite board game, and every time someone moves back on the board, knocks the block tower over, or gets an answer wrong, they have to do five sit-ups or squats.

3. Enroll Them in an Afterschool Program

If you’re already crunched for time, consider enrolling your child in an afterschool activity or program. Many afterschool child care centers offer more physical indoor activities during the winter, and your child would also benefit from structured rituals and more socialization. You could also sign them up for a dance class, sports team, or indoor children’s fitness program. This way, they’ll be getting the exercise they need,  and having fun in the process.

If you’re interested in an early childhood education center that encourages active child care, then contact Great Beginnings in Saint Charles, MO, or Cottleville, MO. They offer various child care programs, including preschool, after-school, and summer camps. Certified instructors will focus on every aspect of early childhood education and child development, promoting mental, social, emotional, and physical health. Safety and security are priorities, and they encourage transparency and communication. You can even check on your child anytime by viewing a WatchMeGrow live-stream of their class. Give your child a great beginning in life. Learn how to enroll online, then call the St. Charles office at (636) 724-5048 or Cottleville location at (636) 447-4212.