Children have a seemingly infinite amount of energy to go around, and you may struggle to keep up with them as a parent. Giving your kids a space inside your home where they can run around and tire themselves out while you're able to monitor them closely gives you the perfect solution. We've compiled a short guide on building an indoor playground for your little ones that both you and your children will love.
Benefits of Creating an Indoor Playground
Having a place for your children to play isn't just a great option when the weather is terrible or you want to get that last bit of energy out of them before bed. An indoor playground offers many benefits for your kids that make them a slam-dunk decision.
Provide Children With Outdoor Benefits While Stuck Indoors
It's becoming more challenging to spend time with other people these days, and traveling to the neighborhood playground is no longer an option for many. When you move the playground indoors, though, you can give your kids the same amount of fun without having to worry about safety issues from being outside. You can also invite your trusted network of parents and children to hang out at your house if you have them.
Get Kids Up & Active
You can establish a stimulating and entertaining environment for children to play while also encouraging them to use their creativity. Getting active can help them develop their physical fitness and muscle strength, decrease their blood pressure and cholesterol levels, regulate weight gain or loss, boost bone density, improve cardiovascular health, and more.
Spend Quality Time Together
Indoor playgrounds allow you to spend quality time with your children in the comfort of an air-conditioned setting where you may play together the entire day and even nap if you want. Having a space in your home that sparks imaginative play lets you find fun and unique ways to connect with children while pulling them away from screens.
Improve Cognitive Functions
Indoor play spaces provide a wealth of possibilities for kids, not only in terms of physical development and fine motor skills but also in developing cognitive functions. The first few years of a child's life are crucial for building cognitive skills that can help them become more successful later in life, and the imaginative play indoor playgrounds can offer helps improve these skills. Furthermore, multicolored and vibrant play equipment has several advantages, ranging from enhancing general cognitive intelligence to strengthening your child's visual system and developing linguistic skills.
What You Need To Know Beforehand
You don't want to start a project without working out some important details. If you don't, you might find that you can't fit your structures in place or your children aren't able to grasp the playground you've built for them. Before you sink your time into designing and building, understand a few things first.
How Much Space Do You Have?
While you might dream of creating an elaborate obstacle course straight out of Double Dare, if you're only working with the dimensions of a living room in a typical apartment, you might find this impractical. You should scale your project up or down depending on the amount of space you're working with. There's nothing wrong with having a couple of smaller structures if you maximize the environment available and gear it toward having fun.
Understand What Your Children Like Best
Even if you have enough space to turn a room into a fantastic play area, you must ensure your children are old enough to enjoy it. Toddlers, for example, would have a pretty different experience to children aged six and up. Keep in mind their age, and when they’re older, don’t be hesitant to ask them what they want in a playground to aid your design, so you can be sure they'll enjoy it.
Know Your Budget
Before you start purchasing or preparing, make a budget. It will really help you focus on the best kind of playgrounds you can build and the number of pieces of equipment you can purchase.
Ideas for Your Indoor Playground
Now that you’re ready to go, having a few ideas on how to get started can help you build your indoor playground around several fun activities. We’ve listed some projects below that are both fun to play around with and gratifying to build.
Silent Building Blocks
Kids love building with blocks, which tap into creative play, but these toys can be noisy when they fall. Provide them with this fun and quiet pool noodle alternative. Here's what you need:
- Ruler
- Different colored pool noodles
- Serrated knife
- Cutting board
First, make a tiny marking every two inches along the length of each pool noodle using the ruler. Next, gather your serrated knife and cutting board. Slice through the noodles at each marking to create a two-inch block.
Find a bin or basket to store the pieces in and place them in your indoor playground. Finally, let your children's imaginations run wild as they build all sorts of structures.
Noodle Toss Game
This tossing game is perfect for indoor playgrounds that have a broader space to play around in. Children can spend hours competing with friends and siblings to see who can score the most points. Here's what you need:
- Five pool noodles
- Duct tape
- Twine or string
- Scissors
- Superglue
- Cardboard
Take one of the noodles and bend it into a circle with the ends touching; then, tape them together. You may want to have someone help to keep the ends together while you're taping them. Repeat this step two more times, so you have three complete circles.
Place your three circles close to each other on the floor to construct a line of rings. On the opposite edges of your circular line, place another noodle. Remember that it won't stand up properly if the bottom of your lowest circle hangs out lower than the end of your straight noodles. Tie the rounds to the straight noodles using twine or tape if you want it to be sturdier.
Finally, you'll want to create a base for the game so that it stands up on its own. You can superglue the bottom of the two support noodles to cardboard to keep it upright. Then, simply let your children have fun tossing a small ball through the different rings.
In Conclusion
When building an indoor playground for your little ones, the critical thing to remember is that they should have fun safely and responsibly. Honor Trading Company offers green pool noodles and many other colors and types to help you build out a vibrant and stimulating play place for your children. Feel free to contact us with any questions you may have.
