UPDATE: another mama in our Facebook group just shared another fabulous DIY Home Gym option for people who have less space. All you need is a door frame for this indoor playground!!! See the Indoor Home Gym for Small Spaces section below for more details!
I have SO much respect for the incredible parents in our Facebook group!!! We have the most creative, caring, and brilliant members! Jen Z., for example, came up with a GENIUS DIY home gym for kids. She graciously gave me permission to post it for everyone to see. Her home gym hack uses a porch swing frame, along with fun items like a climbing rope, a swing saucer, a monkey bar, and a punching bag. She even made an indoor exercise bike, which is SUPER easy to create if you have a child’s bicycle.
DIY Home Gym for Kids: The Frame
Are you ready to be shocked? Jen said, “We bought this backyard chair swing, but didn’t install the swing.” Instead, the frame for the porch swing became the frame for the DIY home gym. SO BRILLIANT!!!
Jen mentioned that if you have bigger kids, you may want a more sturdy frame like this heavy-duty one which can support up to 440 pounds! Another mom in our Jeanine S. said that she bought this heavy-duty frame and loves it!!! She also suggested ground anchors, if you use it outside!
Now, let’s take a look at some of the add-ons that Jen put on her DIY home gym frame, which is what makes it fun! She was able to place up to three of these on her frame at the same time!
1. Swing Saucer for DIY Home Gym
A swing saucer is the perfect place to read, relax, as well as (of course) swing! The blue “disk” (to the right of the hanging boy in the photo below) is what the swing looks like from above!
2. Monkey Bars for DIY Home Gym
A great addition to your DIY home gym are monkey bars!
3. Kids Punching Bag for DIY Home Gym
Does your little one need to get out energy or frustration? A punching bag is a great option!
4. Climbing Rope for DIY Home Gym
Jen said that this was the least used item that they purchased. However, if your kids are climbers, they may love this climbing rope on their DIY home gym!
How to Protect Your Floors & Kids
You should also pick up padded foam flooring to protect the floors in your house and to cushion when your kids take a fall!
DIY Home Gym Shopping List
Here are all of the items to put together your DIY home gym!
Budget Frame Option for Smaller Kids
Heavy Duty Frame for Big Kids Up to 440 Pounds
Monkey Bars
Swing Saucer
Punching Bag
Climbing Rope
Floor Padding
Indoor Playground Using a Doorframe (PERFECT for Small Spaces!)
Do you want an indoor gym with a smaller footprint? Another mama in our Facebook group suggested this amazing indoor playground for people who don’t have space for a big setup. It comes with a heavy-duty “pull-up” style bar that goes in your doorframe. Then, you swap out various attachments to hang on the bar. Adults can also use the bar to do pull-ups. This indoor playground comes with a swing, rope, ladder, rings and trapeze/monkey bars! She suggested placing a gymnastics mat underneath, to cushion kids falls as well! SUCH an awesome product!!!
Kids Exercise Bicycle Indoors
If your kids love riding their bikes, then you MUST try this hack when it is too rainy / snowy / cold outside to ride a bike. Just take a bicycle with training wheels on it and place each training wheel inside of an old pair of sneakers. That boosts up the back tire, allowing your child to “ride” the bike without it actually going anywhere. BRILLIANT!
How to Setup a Homeschool Room
You guys and gals send me the best messages (thank you! I LOVE getting to know you!!!) You’ve made it clear that you want help getting organized for whatever this school year may bring. Whether you are starting your school year off this fall with distance learning or not, you want to be prepared for if / when our schools go virtual again. Distance learning is not easy. Virtual online school is a challenge for kids, parents, teachers… EVERYONE! Therefore, this week we will be focusing on how to setup a virtual learning space or homeschool classroom.
Below are all of our previous (free!) virtual camps, in case you missed any:
- Back to School – Fight the Summer Slide!
- “Back to Basics” Life Skills Camp
- DIY Craft Camp
- Cooking Classes for Kids
- Science Experiments for Kids
- Kids Entrepreneurship
- World Traveler (Kids Geography Camp)
Don’t forget to join our Facebook group to see our live classes and follow us on Pinterest, so you won’t miss a thing! You definitely need to follow Hannah at Inspired Sparks too, because she is posting all kinds of awesome videos to teach kids about science, crafts and cooking.
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