Dance Like a Penguin

December 29, 2020Leave a comment

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If a cold winter day means your kids have extra energy to burn in the house, chances are you need some movement play. To wit, today we invented this arctic animal dancing game!

Veronika has a toy penguin that she currently loves, so I’ve been showing her how to “waddle” like a penguin. The silly movement is always good fun for toddlers. And heck, it’s fun and silly for moms and dads, too.

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Then it was just a matter of cranking up the music and doing our best waddle along to the tunes!

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Veronika, of course, didn’t always stick with a waddle, but that didn’t matter now that she was getting in her movement play. Soon she was marching or twirling or knee-high stepping to the beat.

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She loved making her little penguin bounce along, too!

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This gave us the idea to think of how other winter animals would move to the beat. Could we lumber along like a polar bear? Clap like a seal? Jump like an arctic hare?

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No matter what we were pretending to be, there were big smiles and lots of movement.

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Shadow Tag

May 12, 2020Leave a comment

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As an outdoor adventure addition to Travis’s summer workbook, we headed outside today to play shadow tag. The day had been variably sunny and cloudy, but we got a beautiful burst of sunshine in which to play!

I explained the rules to Travis very briefly. Whoever was It had to tag the other person… not by touching their body, but by stomping in their shadow.

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After that, just run! Needless to say, Travis giggled and loved it. We played just after noon when shadows were short, making the game particularly tricky. I challenged him to think about why it would have been easier to play early in the morning or late in the day and he guessed correctly: longer shadows!

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We recruited baby sister to play, too. This was a great way to get some sunshine and movement in.

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Circuit Workout

April 20, 2020Leave a comment

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Travis needed to get his wiggles out today, so I knew he needed a game that would get him moving. This was a fun suggestion from Kiwi Co., where instead of building a battery circuit, your kid gets to be the the electricity zipping around the “wires”.

To set up a life-sized electrical circuit, choose a round object to be a light bulb and a rectangular object to be the battery. Make a rectangle on the floor from painter’s tape to connect them, being sure to leave a little gap along the top.

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For the switch, we used a book. When the book is open, the circuit is complete. But if it’s closed… Oh no, the electricity can’t zip through!

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Travis laughed at this little role-play. He started out at the “battery” and ran to the “switch” book.

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Finding it open meant hopping across, running a circle around the light bulb, and then dashing back to the battery.

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If the book was closed, he had to freeze. Keep playing until you’ve worn out your kid-sized battery of course!

Baby Squats and Mama Bench Presses

July 7, 2019July 7, 2019Leave a comment

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Veronika is just about at that age when babies start pulling up. To encourage the motion, today she did her squats!

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Hold your baby on your lap, with his or her feet firmly on your thighs. As many times as he or she will tolerate, let them push up to stand and then squat back down.

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The first few times we played the game, she would hang her feet in the air, uncertain what to do.

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Then she started to get the hang of using those leg muscles. Veronika didn’t know she was getting exercise, she just loved the up and down motion.

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When she put her weight on her feet, I encouraged her with a big grin and a “Soooo big!”

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After baby gets some exercise, why not reverse things and fit in a few quick moves of your own? Because she can support her upper body completely now, it was time for some Veronika bench presses. Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and hold your baby on your tummy, then lift high into the air. A work out for mama and an airplane ride for baby!

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Or why not flip over and do push ups? For this one, I lay Veronika on her back and assumed push up position over her.

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We nuzzle noses and say I love you each time I press down and then she giggles as I push back up again.

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Note: All photo credits in this post go to big brother Travis!

Morning Exercise

May 16, 2019Leave a comment

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If you’re finding it hard to squeeze in muscle toning activities with a young baby, then make them a game for your little one. To be honest, I had more fun watching Veronika giggle and laugh when we tested these moves out, paying more attention to those gummy smiles than to my muscle movements. But if you incorporate thesee into a morning routine, you’ll both benefit!

For the first move, I put Veronika on her stomach for tummy time. Lie on your stomach facing baby, and lift up into a push-up. She had to push herself even higher to watch me do this – a muscle toning activity for us both!

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For the second move, lie on your back and place your baby on your stomach, belly-to-belly. Do crunches. You get toned and baby gets a ride!

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For the third move, I did leg lifts while Veronika lay on the ground in front of me. I put a hand on her belly, and gently rolled her from side to side.

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(Note: This would be great with even younger babies, to encourage a first roll). Veronika absolutely loved this, cackling with laughter.

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Which made it hard to pay attention to my leg lifting form!

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For the final move, I sat with her between my legs, lying on her back. Hold your baby’s hands, and gently pull him or her up to a sit.

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At the top of the move, she wanted mommy’s pajama pants string!

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I lowered her back down and leaned over her, which provided a nice final stretch.

Exercise Outdoors

April 13, 2019Leave a comment

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Veronika was born just before the cold of winter set in, and all winter I couldn’t wait for fresh, spring weather. Not just so my baby girl could feel warm sun on her skin, but also because it means I get to exercise outdoors!

There’s no need to do anything fancy, but today, make a point of getting some exercise in the fresh air. You can find an easy walking or running trail near you – just make sure you have a true running stroller, if you’re going to be moving fast. Veronika loves the change of scenery when I do my power walks around the lake in our park, including a chance to see ducks and geese.

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For something a bit more organized, check out your local Stroller Strides. Veronika gets to check out the silly moves that mom does from nestled in her stroller, plus interact with the other babies! Our class has been indoors all winter, but I can’t wait for it to move out to the park once May rolls around.

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What’s your favorite way to exercise with baby outside? Please share in the comments.

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Pelvic Lifts with Baby on Board

April 2, 2019Leave a comment

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I just love it when activities are mutual beneficial, don’t you? In this easy little move, mama gets to tone up and feel strong, and baby gets a fun ride – a win-win!

To do the move, I lay down comfortably on an exercise mat, with my knees bent. Veronika sat on my tummy, her back resting against my thighs, and I held her securely around the middle.

Now raise your pelvis off the floor, so your torso and hips form a straight line. Exhale on each lift, and inhale on the way back down, repeating 10 times.

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Of course for me this was exercise, but for Veronika, it was pure fun! She absolutely adored the ride. Many thanks to big brother Travis who captured the beaming smile on her face.

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She loved it so much that we repeat several times throughout the day now; it’s a surefire way to get her to giggle and laugh. Mama gets toned, and baby gets happy!

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Exercise Cube

February 7, 2019February 7, 2019Leave a comment

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Stuck inside on a winter day and need to get moving? Look no further than this game to get those kiddos some exercise, no playground required!

I gave Travis an empty tissue box, and told him we needed to think up an activity for each side of the cube. This was a nice quick math lesson, since we counted to see how many sides our cube had: 6!

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Travis was really into brainstorming the activities, and actually came up with some I wouldn’t have thought of, including… yoga! Great idea. By the end, our list included:

Yoga

Jump up and down

Run in a zig-zag

Touch your toes

Roll onto your back

and Spin in a Circle

Older kids can have fun drawing a picture to go with each caption. Travis liked my little drawings; no points for artistry here, I stick to stick figures, but these got a giggle.

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We used a glue stick to attach one activity per side of the box. It dried in no time, and then it was time to play.

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Travis loved it! We took turns tossing the big dice, and got quite silly, especially when mommy had to spin multiple times in a row, or when he got to run in a zig-zag (his fast favorite).

Here he is spinning:

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