I just moved from a Manhattan apartment to a house with a big open basement and have done a lot of research over the years on gross motor and sensory toys for my now 2.5 and nearly six year old kids. Below are some of our favorites. Thanks to COVID, we are looking at a winter with lots of time at home, so I thought I’d share our favorite indoor activities that provide gross motor and sensory movement.

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For Infants

Lovevery Play Gym // This activity gym is beautifully made and includes a helpful play guide with ideas and inspiration from child development experts. I received mine as a gift and, in turn, have purchased it
for friends. Available on the Lovevery site (their age-based subscription play kits are amazing too) and Amazon

For pre-walkers and early walkers

Popup play tunnel // These tunnels are great for encouraging crawling, but even fun for confident walkers! Best of all, they are easy to collapse and stash in the closet or behind the sofa when not in use. Lovevery’s is organic and beautiful, but if $50 seems expensive, you can find many less expensive ones on Amazon.

Vtech Walker // My kids both learned to walk with the Vtech Walker (it’s one of the few plastic brightly colored toys that I consistently recommend). If you think the songs and lights will annoy you, try using it without batteries. Available at Amazon.

Lovevery buddy stroller // My daughter was a late walker. We borrowed a few doll strollers from friends and this one was the least tippy and didn’t run away from her. You can add a bag or rice or heavy toy to make it even more sturdy for a pre-walker. She used it daily til past her second birthday and still loves it at 2.5. It also looks nice. We regularly give it as a baby gift. Available on the Lovevery site (but doesn’t reach the free shipping threshold on its own) or at Amazon. I recommend getting a doll too and linked some nice dolls here.

Also see Pikler Triangles below.

For toddlers to preschoolers and beyond

Miscellaneous

Sensory Sock // My kids find endless ways to use this — from sitting inside alone or together and reading, being spun around in it by an adult, or dragging toys around like Santa. Size down for the intended sensory input. We have two and my kids prefer this one from Amazon.

Moluk Bilibo Chair // Both of my kids (2.5 and nearly 6) love this circular rocking chair. It’s also great for remote school movement breaks for my kindergartener. Available at Amazon.

Stepping stones // We have Gonge brand Riverstones and Hilltops and both of my kids use them a ton. We even flip them over to play swinging skeeball (see swing details below). Here is a more budget-friendly alternative.

Ball pit // I considered this (amazing for sensory play) but balls everywhere would drive me crazy and I have concerns about health risks of foam cubes. I looked at this one on Amazon, this XL one on Etsy.

Hopscotch rug // I had a little flooring fiasco in my playroom and bought this mainly to cover an unattractive area, but my kids love it! It comes with little bean bags too. It would also be adorable as a bedroom rug. I ordered a few similar rugs to compare, and this one was hands down the nicest design and material.

Indoor Ride-On Toys

Step2 Rapid Ride and Hide Coaster // My kids love this coaster. It is easy to take apart and store in a closet. Note that it still takes up a fair amount of room stored. Also, the “rapid'“ in the name is not a joke (at least on hardwood or other smooth floors). We put a mat in its path, otherwise my kids bash the walls. Available at Amazon, Step2, and Walmart. It goes in and out of stock, so keep checking back.

Indoor Swings

I bought the Gym1 Deluxe Indoor Playground with Indoor Swing, Plastic Rings, Trapeze Bar, Climbing Ladder, and Swinging Rope as a trial to see if my kids would be into an indoor swing. It’s been one of my best recent purchases. Both kids use it a ton and constantly find new ways to use it. See my above swinging skeeball note under “stepping stones.” A few things to note — you need a doorway with a sturdy door frame that you don’t mind leaving open. I also recommend getting a doorstopper (I splurged on a cute one) and mat to avoid injury. And you must supervise your kids when they use it. I’m considering adding the Gym1 aerial yoga swing or another sensory swing.
I’m still considering hanging an indoor swing, but first want to see how the gym that I ordered below works for my kids.

Large Wooden Toys (Pikler Triangle, Wooden Rocker and Wobble Board)

Pikler Triangle // I never owned a Pikler Triangle but have used them at local play gyms. They’re great for babies to age two or three. This brand is the most recommended in my NYC mom circles.

Wooden rocker // I got one of these for my three year old. She loves to rock in it or flip it and use it as a stage. My six year old races his hot wheels on it. These can also be combined with Pikler triangles. You can find many Wooden rockers on Etsy. Mine is from Wiwiurka (for 10% off, click here and use code MIRIAM10)/

Wobble board // After publishing this article, lots of readers messaged me to recommend a wobble board, which is great for a range of ages, has endless uses and looks beautiful. I ended up ordering a wobble board for my 2.5 year old for Hanukkah. I chose this one as it has great reviews and a felt bottom to limit noise and damage to my floors.

Indoor Play Gyms Trampolines

Once I saw how much my kids enjoyed the Gym 1, I decided to purchased one.

Brainrich Kids // . We decided on the Brainrich Kids W2 Max but haven’t received it yet. I chose it based on reviews from my readers, neutral color scheme, and small footprint for the amount of activities. We have drop ceilings in our basements, so the wall mounted W2 was our best option. If you have standard type and height of ceilings, consider one of their tension-mounted options. Also be sure to purchase some kind of padding for underneath.