Indoor Activities to Strengthen Gross Motor Skills

The weather doesn’t always corporate, and it can sometimes be hard to get kids outdoors to strengthen those gross motor skills. When this happens, you might be looking for ways for the kids to blow off steam indoors while also strengthening those muscles. If you need some fresh ideas, look below at our collection of 13 indoor activities to strengthen gross motor skills in kids

indoor activities to strengthen gross motor skills




You might also like to check out our full list of indoor activities for kids and our list of fine motor activities for kids. 


13 Indoor Activities to Strengthen Gross Motor Skills


These indoor activities can help kids get active while at the same time strengthening the skills they need to work on.

indoor gross motor activities for kids




1. Try stair races.


This activity works best if stairs are carpeted, as they will pose less of a danger this way. Try timing kids to see how fast they can run a designated amount of stairs. For example 1 set may be up and down 1 time. Let kids see how many sets they can do in 30 seconds, or come up with a challenge that works for you. No stairs? Maybe see how many laps they can do around your living room.

2. Get out the hula hoops.


Hula hoops are inexpensive and they can store easily in the garage when not in use. Get hula hoops out so you can practice spinning, twisting, turning, balancing, and other tasks. Kids can get pretty creative with hula hoops! You can also watch hula tutorials on YouTube and get some routine ideas!

3. Make a tape hopscotch.


Take painter’s tape (is peels easily) and make hopscotch boxes on the floor. Let kids play hopscotch just like they would outside. When you are done, it is as easy as peeling the tape up. If you have tile floors, you can even use a dry erase marker to make your boxes.

4. Walk the line.


Keep hold of that painters tape and use it to make several lines on the ground. Try straight lines, zig zag lines and some crazy shaped lines! Can your child walk the line heel to toe? Can they tip toe along the line? Can they push a ball along the line?

5. Paper plate skates.


Turn paper plates into skates! Kids will love skating around the house using paper plates as skates. Simply stand on the paper plates and glide around on them. If the plates don't stick to your kids feet use a little tape to keep them in place. Try skating to music or put on a skating show!

6. Build a box fort.


Give kids those old shipping boxes, some markers, scissors, and let them start building their own box fort! This activity will really flex their brains and their muscles, allowing them to be creative while still using their bodies. Just be prepared, this is an activity that kids can enjoy for HOURS!

7. Use an over the door basketball hoop.


Most discount stores have simple and inexpensive over the door basketball hoops. These can come in handy when stuck indoors and they also encourage hand and eye coordination. Hang one of these on the back of a closet door and start practicing shooting hoops.

8. Have a dance party.


This may be one of the easiest and most frugal ideas yet! Turn on the music and have a dance party! Kids will love strutting their stuff, working those muscles, and blowing off steam. All you need is music and lots of laughs! If you wish, you can even wear costumes and use props such as streamers and musical instruments like homemade tambourines. Using glo sticks is extra fun if it's dark!

9. Try stacking cans, cups, or boxes.


Get paper cups, cans, or empty boxes and try stacking them. Kids will love building with these items and planning out their strategy! Start saving those plastic cups, soup cans, or even empty cereal boxes, they are sure to come in handy!

10. Try some yoga.


There are all sorts of kid friendly yoga out there. You can find tutorials online or books at the library. Try giving some of these yoga routines a try. They can be quite relaxing for kids while building strength at the same time. Cosmic kids yoga is one youtube channel thats great for kids. 

11. Animal action cards.


Get the kids moving with one of our sets of movement cards. Can you slide like a snail or scuttle like a bug? Print out a set of ocean animal action cards or bug action cards and you will have the kids moving around like all kinds of bugs and animals before you know it!

12. Balloon tennis.


Hand the kids a balloon and see their faces light up.  Make bats out of paper plates and play balloon tennis or simply see how long you can keep the balloon in the air for. Balloon tennis is great for developing hand eye coordination as well as burning of excess energy. 

13. Indoor obstacle course.


Kids love making up their own obstacle courses. Throw a few cushions on the floor, add some furniture to climb over or under and maybe add in a blanket or two and see what the kids come up with. Who can complete the obstacle course in the shortest time?

14. Indoor scavenger hunt.


OK, so I said there were 13 gross motor activities, but here is an extra one for good measure! Use our indoor scavenger hunt to get active around the house. Make it a race and the kids will definitely burn off some energy trying to be the first to mark off all the items! 



No sun? No problem! Are you ready to get those kiddos active no matter what the weather is like? Consider these 13 indoor activities to strengthen gross motor skills and see how they can help!

indoor activities to strengthen gross motor skills



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