Kids' exercise equipment for basement?

[ourbabygirl]

We have a set of rings hanging from a beam in our unfinished basement, as well as a small kids' trampoline. Any other ideas to keep the kids a bit more entertained and getting a bit of exercise as the weather gets cold here and we need to stay indoors more? Do you have any cool things in your house? Kids are 3, 8, and 10, fwiw.

Thanks in advance! :)

[squimp]

Not us, but a friend had a basketball hoop, bouncy castle and gymnastics studio in their basement with a balance beam and bars. One of my friends had a climbing wall in their playroom, so fun.

[roobee]

We have a small trampoline and a huge bean bag chair. That combo provides hours of entertainment as my son launches off the trampoline, does a flip and lands on the bean bag.

We also have an exercise ball and some hand weights. All this is in our modest finished basement so that's as much as we have room for. Rings sound great though!

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[Kestrel]

No answers personally, but our neighbor has an exercise bike in their kids' play area, and their kids (10,12 & 13) can earn extra screen time by biking so many miles. interesting idea!

[candaceb]

We got a Gorilla Gym (now called Gym1) a year ago and I wish I had bought it years earlier. By far the most used play thing in the house. The only thing I don't like about it is that DS and his friends aren't tall and/or coordinated enough to change the accessories so they're always calling me down to the basement. You have to have the right kind of doorway for it though - there was only one in the whole basement that would work.
It shows up on Zulily and Amazon Deal of the Day so I wouldn't pay full price.
https://gym1.net/

[jenstring95]

How about a hop ball? They have them for young kids all the way up to adult size.

[hillview]

gymnastic mats are a big hit
you could grab an agility ladder, simple to use and usually available on holiday lightening deals

[SnuggleBuggles]

gymnastic mats are a big hit
you could grab an agility ladder, simple to use and usually available on holiday lightening deals

I like that idea. I’m less inclined to things they could easily fall off of.


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[anonomom]

We had a gym set up in our screened porch (no basement) for years. The biggest hit was a crash pad -- a huge, fluffy mat that the kids could launch themselves onto. Though, if your basement's floors are concrete, you might want regular gym mats around it in case anyone bounces off funny.

We also had monkey bars that got a lot of use. At some point, someone gave the kids an enormous, thick jump rope (like this one: https://www.hearthsong.com/p/724346) and the combination of those three elements kept my kids busy for hours. Though I lived in fear that they'd strangle themselves or pull the monkey bars down...

[smilequeen]

We have a big unfinished area that we turned into a hockey training area...dryland tiles, stickhandling stuff, a net, and a bunch of other things. They use it all the time. Maybe not as helpful for others :)

I have a nice rebounder (bellicon) that I let them use.

I do make mine go outside even when it's cold. We are not in an area where it gets dangerously cold though. And my kids are hockey players, they prefer to get exercise in the cold :)

What is your space like? We had friends with an unfinished basement that they kept super clean and organized and their kids could ride bikes and scooters around, rollerblade, etc.

When my kids were younger we had an inflatable bouncy house and a ball pit. I had balance blocks...these weren't them, but this looks cooler
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/b4_adventure/playzone_balance_blox_kit.cfm

This is what we had
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/american_educational_products/gonge_riverstones.cfm

A balance board
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/spooner_inc/spooner_board_pro_255_inch.cfm
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/spooner_inc/spooner_board_pro_255_inch.cfm

Indoor bowling

Knee hockey
https://www.hockeymonkey.com/bauer-hockey-accessories-knee-twin-pack.html?gclid=Cj0KCQiAlIXfBRCpARIsAKvManzuJzFGI6 T3X5MXGR6AS4SFAmgI-qM594tE5eYyBC8DUf-4jZ8Z4PgaAsKMEALw_wcB

My boys love these things
https://www.fatbraintoys.com/toy_companies/warm_fuzzy_toys/classic_46_inch_bozo_bop_bag.cfm

Hula Hoops

[carolinamama]

We have a ping pong table, fusball table and a double basketball game thing. The basketball arcade game gets the most use by my boys and is what their friends seem to gravitate towards every time. It is like this one: https://www.dickssportinggoods.com/p/triumph-light-fx-double-shootout-arcade-basketball-17wmvutrmphlghtfxstg/17wmvutrmphlghtfxstg

DD uses this bar and the mats under it or pulled out for tumbling almost daily but she is a gymnast so YMMV https://www.amazon.com/Tumbl-Trak-Adjustable-Gymnastics-Training/dp/B006FF9IDO/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1541525303&sr=8-2-spons&keywords=tumble+trak+bar&psc=1

DS1 has a pullup bar in a doorway that gets some use.

[petesgirl]

We got a Gorilla Gym (now called Gym1) a year ago and I wish I had bought it years earlier. By far the most used play thing in the house. The only thing I don't like about it is that DS and his friends aren't tall and/or coordinated enough to change the accessories so they're always calling me down to the basement. You have to have the right kind of doorway for it though - there was only one in the whole basement that would work.
It shows up on Zulily and Amazon Deal of the Day so I wouldn't pay full price.
https://gym1.net/

I think these look cool but DH is skeptical about them--he thinks that over time they will damage the doorframe, causing property damage and potential injuries. What is your opinion?

[candaceb]

I think these look cool but DH is skeptical about them--he thinks that over time they will damage the doorframe, causing property damage and potential injuries. What is your opinion?
So far the only injury happened when DS's friend was trying to play the ukelele while swinging. That didn't go so well but it wasn't a serious injury.
We did put foam tiles under it on the side where there is cement floor.
I don't see any evidence of damage to the door frame after over a year of it being there. I think there would be talk of it in the Amazon reviews if it happened frequently.

[magnoliaparadise]

I love this thread. I am now more and more interested in buying a house with a basement!