Play ’til they Drop: 8 Ways for your Toddler to Exercise

Wouldn’t it be amazing to have the seemingly boundless energy of a toddler? As my two-year old runs around the backyard, I envy the swiftness of his feet and his ability to brush off bruises. That being said, sometimes toddlers need energy direction. I wanted to share with you several ways to help your toddler feel ready for bed at night. (Since you will certainly feel ready for bed!)

1. The number 1 way we get our toddler to expel some energy is going for a walk. We typically walk in our neighborhood, but if we have enough time, we go to a park with a trail. (Not as much worry if he runs off a bit!)
2. It is worth a bit of a search to find a good playground for your toddler. The playground at the school in our neighborhood is great for the school-age kids, but my son won’t even climb because it’s too high. (Then he screams as we walk away because he wanted to go on the slide.) So we go to the next neighborhood, where he can do the slide confidently!
3. It is great to play schoolyard games with a bunch of school-age kids, but it is quite another thing to try to play those games with one two-year old! I suggest finding some pretend games that your child likes. My son loves the book We’re Going on Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen. We act out the scenes in the book. There is a video on YouTube if you don’t have the book and want to check it out. We also play a shortened version of “Red Light, Green Light.” Toddlers learn a lot through pretend play. Imitating different animals is especially fun!
4. We have a vegetable garden and several flowerbeds that always seem to need attention. Our two-year old loves pulling weeds with daddy, putting them into the brush can, digging, planting seeds, and using his watering can.
5. A few other outside things we rely on: bubbles, balls, and sidewalk chalk.
6. When I was pregnant with my second baby, I had terrible back pain. I found myself taking Tylenol every night and wanted to find a different way to alleviate the pain. I found some yoga positions to do every day that worked like a charm! My two-year old loves to “mommy exercise!” with me. Even just basic stretches are fun to him.
7. One year for Christmas, my parents and my in-laws both gave my son a tent/tunnel combo. They are seriously a God-send! My boys love crawling through them chasing each other. Bonus: we have to pick up the toys to get them out!
8. We love to dance! It can be hard to find kid-appropriate songs that don’t make you want to saw off your own ears. My suggestion is to find something good for dancing that you can tolerate. I promise to give you some great options in my next post, so stay tuned!