Parents and toddlers love the wobble board for rocking play and motor development. But if you’re only using it for rocking, then you’re missing out!
There’s so much more your toddler can do with it!
From play time to quiet time (and learning in between) — balance boards are an extremely versatile plaything.
One single wooden balance board can easily replace all kinds of other toddler equipment (things you might decide *not* to buy after seeing these ideas).
So try these wobble board play ideas to save money, reduce clutter, and make sure your toddler gets the most out of it.
Here are nine wobble balance board activities for toddlers — both fun and functional.
Not just rocking!
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In a hurry?
Here are nine bits of wobble board inspiration to get your toddler up and running!
- Use it for snack time or breakfast in bed
- Lay inside to read a book or take a nap
- Turn it into an ergonomic children’s activity desk
- Navigate obstacle courses with bridges and slides
- Get centered with mindful toddler yoga and stretching exercises
- Become aware of core muscles via toddler Tai Chi
- Race toy cars and watch them zoom
- Help reach tabletops to do housework with Mom & Dad
- Take a rest on a convenient toddler-sized bench
Snack Tray & Breakfast In Bed
Here’s a tasty little idea to get your little one up and running in the morning.
We’ve all dreamed of waking up to a sunny morning at a local bed and breakfast. Go ahead and use your wobble board to give your child that very experience.
Flip the board over as an upside-down U-shape — and you’ve got a tray for healthy snacks and breakfast treats.
In bed, on the sofa, on the floor — wherever you’d like!
Imagine a wonderful popcorn tray for when you’re watching your favorite Disney Pixar movie.
Or a little place to organize Halloween candy after trick-or-treating.
Since the surface is convex the food is likely to slip around. It’s a fun way to use your wobble board, but you’ll want to stay away from messy foods.
Cradle For An Afternoon Nap (Or Book Reading)
Transform your balance board into a relaxation station!
For babies and small toddlers, the average wobble board is big enough to be used as a relaxing cradle that rocks back and forth.
Your toddler lays down lengthwise — and it’s rock-a-bye-baby!
Adapting the balance board for sound sleep includes the soothing gentle rocking of a classic cradle — just on the floor this time.
For infants, you’ll need to get down to rock them, but toddlers will practically lullaby themselves to sleep!
Reclining inside the ergonomic curves of the wobble board doesn’t necessarily mean naptime. In fact, it’s a great relaxing position for nuzzling up with a book too!
No matter if it’s nap time or quiet reading time — consider adding fluffy blankets and pillows for extra cozy comfort!
Toddler Activity Desk
Ergonomic desks are all the rage in 2021 — since grueling office hours and work from home burnout came center stage.
We learned that sitting at a desk for 8 to 10 hours a day isn’t the healthiest lifestyle. That stepping away from a stationary desk gets the creative juices flowing again.
Parents love the wobble board because it promotes active play.
Now, here’s an idea that proves it’s good for book smarts too!
Flip it upside-down (just like we saw with the snack tray idea), and use the surface for enriching activities like reading, writing, or coloring — or building with wooden blocks — or playing with stuffed animals.
Using a wobble board as a functional learning desk for children makes a lot of sense.
Its smooth hard surface is ideal for keeping the book open or placing down papers flat.
When drawing with crayons or markers — you might get some smudges and smears on the bottom of your wobble board. So, be prepared to wipe it clean.
Why even buy a children’s desk? This is the kind of use case that proves how versatile the wobble board is.
Arch Bridge & Furniture Slide
Wobbling, rocking, and balancing aren’t the only ways your child can practice gross motor skills.
When you flip the rocking board upside-down it becomes an impromptu structure for crawling and sliding!
Laid flat on the ground or between two chairs, it’s like an arch bridge to crawl or walk across.
With one side propped against the sofa or other furniture, it’s like a rainbow-shaped slide — a playground classic from the convenience of your living room.
Children’s Yoga & Stretching Exercises
Baby yoga is a thing!
I’m glad since it’s about time we teach our kids that physical health isn’t just about athletics — balance, circulation, and general wellness matter too!
If you’re an avid yoga practitioner yourself — you know all about all the different types of yoga equipment available. The wobble board for toddler yoga — perhaps — is one you’ve never heard before.
To your little ones who aren’t sold on the idea of yoga and stretching, the balance board makes it into a fun toddler-friendly game.
Teach your child your favorite poses — this time with an added element of balance from the wobble board below.
In fact, Wobbel (the original company) themselves created several Wobbel board yoga flash cards to show your child exactly how to get started.
Poses like “the frog jump”, “the double star”, and “the hot air balloon” — make it all the more approachable at a young age!
Stretching sounds even less appealing than yoga — but the wobble board makes it into a fun challenge.
Its curved shape makes it perfect for toddler stretching.
Try having them stretch their Achilles tendons from the concave side — and stretch their backs from the convex side.
Or aim for the banana splits!
Even though toddlers are much more flexible than their adults, there’s no harm in getting a head start towards a long healthy life.
Toddler Tai Chi (Slow Muscle Movement)
Have you ever seen a group of people doing Tai Chi in the park? Slowly and deliberately manipulating their inner energy?
Here’s an in-home alternative to Tai Chi that your little toddler can practice with nothing more than a single rocker board.
The idea is to focus on the energy inside of your body — slowly tipping the wobble board from one side to the next while keeping your body as still as possible.
You’ll see your toddler connect the dots between their body’s muscle groups.
Unlike most kids climbing activities, which generally focus on large or fast movements — here time slows down, and children transfer their strength all from within.
The idea isn’t to get from point A to point B — it’s the process between.
Controlled transfer of body weight from foot to the opposite foot? It’s what I like to call Tai Chi for toddlers — and it’s total zen!
Toy Car Rack Track & Ramp
Oh boy! Both the inside and outside of the wobble board are perfectly smooth surfaces for toy cars.
If you prop one side up onto a sofa (or another raised surface), then you have a zoom track for cars to accelerate down.
Setting it upright in a U-shape is like a halfpipe (for wheeled toys — or fingerboards if it were still the 1990s).
Setting it upside-down, it’s like an overpass for cars to drive over.
For developing kids who love toy cars, it’s an opportune activity to practice pushing and pulling. Or have them move the wobble board to see how the cars react.
Your child may not take a physics course until high school or college — but this wobble board play activity can introduce core concepts today.
They’ll see the kinetic motion in action. Why do cars accelerate down the ramp towards the ground? Why do the cars stop when the slope of the halfpipe gets higher?
It’s essentially a physics lesson early in life!
Toddler Step Stool
By now I’m sure you know that toddlers really love helping out around the house — at least before you frame it as a chore. Our little ones want to do exactly what we’re doing.
Whether prepping lunch in the kitchen or tidying up the living room — they think it’s fun play activity with Mommy and Daddy.
They want to help, but the problem is — most surfaces around your home are adult-height and too high for toddlers to reach. Kitchen counters, dinner tables, bookshelves — you name it.
Here’s where the wobble board comes in!
It’s a perfect little stepping stool to give them a leg up in life — simply turning it upside down.
Being able to reach things way high up will boost your growing toddler’s confidence and refine their problem-solving abilities.
I should know! I was a late bloomer, so I was the shortest kid in my class for the longest time. Being short wore on my self-esteem.
That’s why using a wobble board step stool to overcome your bodily limitations is part of a healthy children’s mindset. It’s a resilience that will help kids navigate more and more difficult challenges as they grow up into high school and adulthood.
It sounds like a very simple idea, but it can be mapped on to much greater things in life.
Toddler Bench
We’ve talked about standing, balancing, rocking, wobbling, and lying down — but what about sitting down?
Indeed, the wobble board also works as a wonderful platform just like a toddler-sized bench or a stool.
Just flip it upside-down and let your toddler have a seat.
Since the wobble board is easy to transport — you can bring it to the beach and have a makeshift little bench to watch the waves roll in. Or put it in front of the television when they’re watching your Saturday morning cartoons.
It’s a sturdy structure that can fit up to two or three little tots right sitting side-by-side.
This is another one of those functional uses that demonstrating why the wobble board is such a versatile piece of play equipment.
Over to you!
There you have it! Nine creative balance board ideas to take your wobble board above and beyond!
No, rocking boards aren’t just for rocking! They can be incorporated into several areas of your little one’s lifestyle.
For play and learning and everything in between.
I’d love to hear from you! How does your toddler play with their wobble board?
Let me know in the comments below.
