Alright folks, grab your coffee, settle in. Been trying out some “get moving” ideas with my little tornado lately, stuff tagged under “Curious Buddies.” Figured I’d walk you through exactly how it went down. No fancy promises, just what we actually did.
Finding the Stuff & Getting Ready
Spotted a list online somewhere called “Top 5 Curious Buddies Lets Move Activities.” Sounded simple enough for my preschooler. Printed it out – just five short ideas:
- Animal Walks
- Freeze Dance
- Balloon Volleyball
- Obstacle Course (Simple!)
- Follow the Leader (Silly Version)
Cleared a space in the living room – shoved the coffee table back hard. Grabbed what we had: a balloon leftover from last birthday (hopefully not leaky), some couch cushions, a soft ball, the Bluetooth speaker, and a determined but easily distracted 4-year-old.
Jumping Right In – The Trial & Error
First attempt: Animal Walks. Read “Flap like a bird!” Kid stared. “So… we crawl like bears!” I got down on all fours, growled weakly. Kid giggled, then crawled… for about 10 seconds. “I’m a kangaroo!” He yelled, started jumping randomly. More bouncing than hopping. Lasted maybe 3 minutes total. Verdict: He liked the roaring part. Moving on.
Freeze Dance was next. Cranked up some silly kid song. Kid immediately started spinning, arms flailing. Music stopped. Shouted “FREEZE!” He wobbled, almost fell, then froze like a statue… for two seconds. Burst out laughing as soon as the music hit again. Rinse, repeat. He loved the stopping part more than the dancing. Went surprisingly long, maybe 8 minutes, just stopping and starting.
Balloon Volleyball. Blew up the balloon. “Don’t let it touch the floor!” Tapped it softly. Kid whacked it HARD. Balloon rocketed across the room, bounced off the lamp. We chased it, tapped it again. It mostly involved frantic running and diving across the carpet to smack the balloon before it hit the ground. He was breathless, laughing like a maniac. Balloon stuck to the ceiling fan eventually. We called it.
The ‘Course’ & Following the Silly One
The Obstacle Course. Kept it stupid simple like the list said. “Crawl under the table!” (Dining room chair pushed out). “Jump over the cushion!” (A throw pillow on the floor). “Go around the laundry basket!” (The empty one near the wall). Demonstrated slowly. He immediately ran over the cushion, kicked the laundry basket sideways, and belly-flopped under the chair. Total chaos, but he went through it four times shouting “AGAIN!” before losing interest. Used about two couch cushions and a basket, good enough.
Follow the Leader. This was the payoff. Said “I’m the leader! Do THIS!” Started marching stiffly. He copied. Great. Then got silly. Flapped arms, walked backwards, tiptoed, did a silly wiggle. He followed perfectly, giggling the whole time. Then I tripped over my own feet trying to skip. He fell over laughing. I let him be leader. He marched, growled, spun in circles. I copied. Ended with both of us dizzy, collapsed on the carpeted floor. Winner.
So What Actually Stuck?
Took us maybe 45 minutes total, filled with distractions. Freeze Dance and Balloon Volleyball got him sweaty. The course burned energy fast. Follow the Leader was the connection winner – pure silly bonding. Animal walks fizzled quick for us. None needed special gear, which was key. Learned it’s less about doing the exact thing on the list, more about making movement silly and being willing to look ridiculous. He passed out hard after lunch, which tells you all you need to know about “success.” Solid Tuesday morning.
