Children's Play Mats

Summer is here, and we’re trying to find things for our kids to do with their time other than gazing at some sort of illuminated LCD screen for hours on end!   If you’re in the same boat, have you considered buying some kids balance beams or other gym equipment for a game room or even to use in the back yard, under a shady tree?

You might be surprised at how much fun your kids will spend practicing handstands or other, simple maneuvers on their very own, foam balance beams, which aren’t nearly as dangerous to fall on, as traditional, wood beams. These lower, softer, lightweight beams are highly portable in that they are foldable, plus they’re lots of fun—and great exercise—for kids of pretty much all ages.

Check out what other gymnastics equipment you can add to your home game room or even school gym to encourage more physical activity for your kids!

When I was a boy, pretty much only girls even wanted to learn how to do a cartwheel; and there surely were no such things as cartwheel mats, like the one you see here!   But then again, when I was a kid, there weren’t much in the way of children’s play mats or tumbling mats of any kind.

But take a look at the mats pictured here.   You can clearly see the pink mat has a diagram for where a kid (or even adult, when your kids aren’t looking) should place his or her feet to successfully complete a cartwheel.   The blue side of the mat has a stripe the exact size of a balance beam, so as to practice those cartwheels or back hand springs in preparation to execute such maneuvers on a real balance beam [which should be done only over large gymnastics mats stacked together, along with a spotter!

The mats are 2 feet wide and 6 feet long, weigh about 10 pounds, are easy to clean, and are made with 5/8” crosslink foam filler, not low-density, soft, sponge foam, and are available in pink, blue, or red, all with white markings.

Do you have an NHL fanatic in your family? NHL logo rugs always make great gifts for birthdays, holidays, or even when a favorite team wins big. These authentic looking logo sports rugs aren’t like your ordinary children’s play mats, in that the depth of quality is much more professional, with the colors running through the depth of the fabric, not just on the top of it!

They’re 100% colorfast, and are perfect for bedrooms, family or game rooms, entry ways to homes or just about anywhere…or even for sports bars, if you own one or need to add some pizzazz to your establishment. They also resist mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria, while resisting fading from sunlight, due to UV stabilization manufactured into the fibers. And if you do happen to own a sports or workout facility, or are at least responsible for outfitting one, you might want to look into interlocking gym flooring tiles, which come in a wide variety of colors, styles, and applications.

What kind of kids play mats are you looking for? There’s perhaps not a kindergarten or pre-school class that would be complete without kids foam puzzle mats of one style or another. What a great way for your little ones—whether your own or those you care for daily—to learn their ABC’s, to develop finger dexterity, all the while playing (somewhat) quietly and safely! Buy two or three, and see what words kids can come up with, too!

The large, foam, tiles pictured here are brightly colored, and what’s more, are non-toxic, contain no PVC or latex, and are easily washable—and durable—for years of clean, quiet, safe fun for little children…and adults! The tiles, after complete assemblage, make about a 6 foot square mat kids can continue to play on, perhaps with colorful, carpeted play mats with maps or other pictures on them.

As you’re outfitting your daycare, pre-school, or pre-K classrooms with various daycare supplies, don’t forget to get plenty of nap blankets (shown) to keep on hand for nap time. Normally, a couple a dozen nap blankets is recommended for most classroom situations, as you’ll want a few more than you have students, just in case some of them need to be laundered; you don’t want to be caught short. Having uniform nap blankets will also help teachers avoid quarrels over “favorite” blankets.

Nap blankets are great for kids to not only keep warm while napping on a sleeping cots, but children will sleep better and feel more secure if they’re covered with even a light nap blanket. It’s not practical for kids to bring their own blankets from home, and most likely school policies will discourage keeping them stored in classroom closets.

If you can’t afford the space or expense of purchasing daycare or pre-school type rest mats or sleeping cots, another option you might want to consider are kids large body pillows like the ones pictured here. Kids simply love these huggable, cuddly, body pillows that are great not only for napping with—they can “hug” them for security—but they’re also fantastic to have at home when your kids are lounging on the couch or in a large, easy chair, and eventually fall off to sleep!

These body pillows are hypoallergenic, fire proof, fluid proof, and easily cleaned up. The pillows eventually will conform to your kids’ bodies, and are so comfortable; you might want to grab a couple for mom and dad! Another great idea to go along with these kids body pillows are kids bean bag chairs, which are always a popular choice for kids to relax in to play video games, read a book, or watch TV.

You gotta love portable play mats as an alternative to regular children’s play mats.  One of the greatest inventions for people with kids or places to go who need a way to allow their kids to sit or lie on the ground or floor without worrying about getting dirty or dusty is the ever-popular Tote-N-MatTM.  These highly portable, convenient mats are durable, easy to clean, lightweight, and very affordable.

You might have purchased different kinds of kids play mats, such as kids play rugs, either with play scenery or even maps and the like for educational purposes, such as for a pre-K classroom setting or even daycare, but those kinds of mats are so practical to “tote” around, if you’re a mom or family on the go.

For the major league baseball, NBA, NHL, or NFL sports enthusiast in your life, there are few gifts more greatly appreciated than high quality sports rugs and sports mats. These league quality, area sports rugs go way beyond posters, pennants, and comforters for making a statement of team loyalty; these sports rugs and mats look as though they were stolen from the corporate offices where the owners of the various teams meet.

Seriously, the quality of these rugs simply has to be experienced to be fully appreciated. These aren’t like children’s play rugs with pictures of fire trucks, roads, and maps even though those are great for small children.

The sports rugs we’re talking about, here, like the one pictured here, aren’t merely silk-screened on the surface of the carpet fibers, no sir, no ma’am! These pristine rugs carry the colors of the various logos deep down to the fiber base, and when you get your rug(s) you’ll be awe-struck at just how sharp they look, and you’ll truly be proud to place one even in your living room, let alone at the foot of your bed!

You’d just better hope your spouse doesn’t like an opposing team!

NFL Logo rugs are in another “league” than children’s play mats, and perhaps shouldn’t be mentioned in the same sentence, in some enthusiasts’ minds, but when you break it down; grown men, older teens, and even some women have their grown up “toys” and love their favorite NFL team with every bit as much zeal as an elementary school student loves his or her favorite animated movie!

In fact, in some cases, the only difference in displayed exuberance between the men and the boys, or the women and the girls, is the pitch of their voices! And while the “big boys or girls” fancy themselves so much cooler and “more mature” sitting or lounging on their logo rugs, while the [legal aged] children play on kids play rugs, we can all just smile inwardly…knowing NFL logo rugs are really more elaborate, somewhat more expensive–renditions of children’s play mats, right?

Children love to sit—and sometimes even nap in—bean bag chairs.  Some pre-schools do have bean bag chairs along with children’s play mats, making for yet one more way to keep kids settled and quiet when it’s often [usually] difficult to do so!  Experience shows many such items go a long way in keeping kids occupied and satisfied.

When it’s naptime, you can either opt for mini cots or if you home school, and don’t want to send your kids to their beds for naptime, then a few kids body pillows either thrown on the couch, or on their folding rest mats really helps out when you need for them to settle down and take their naps; body pillows are great because kids—much like adults—like to have something to hug or snuggle when their trying to take a nap.  All of these things will really prove to be big helps for classroom or even play room settings at home.