We have super energetic kids here, so we’re always looking for ways for them to burn their energy off – particularly indoors when the weather is bad! (Tell me you live in Britain without telling me you live in Britain, right?!) Enter the Capikooa board – just right for hours of wobbly fun! This brilliant, curved plank of wood looks simple, but my kids have gone nuts for it!
Trying to balance your weight on it wobbly way up is the first challenge! Shifting your weight from side to side to make it rock smoothly is the next – trickier than it looks! I swear, my kids have wobbled on it in just about every position you can think of – sitting, sitting sideways, crouching, hands and knees, feet on the edges….. in fact, rocking while lying down has become something of a special trick around here!!! Who knew that was possible?!
Turn it upside down, and you’ve suddenly got a bridge or giant stepping stone. You can balance on the top to do yoga moves, or use it as a mini stage for crazy dances like Mr8! You can even run up and down it! (Its big enough!) Smaller kids could slide down, though my kids are a bit big for that now!!! All that moving in the vertical plane and shifting weight is great for providing sensory input – if you’ve got kids who are sensory seekers, or who need extra vestibular and proprioceptive input, you’re definitely going to be interested!!! The Capikooa board is also great for improving kids’ gross motor skills, and for finding and testing their physical limits. And of course, the most important thing of all – it’s fun!!!
Of course, you don’t have to use it just as an active toy – if you’re a wooden toy kind of family, there’s all sorts of building challenges and ball runs you could do incorporating it too! Not to mention den building…… and it’s the ultimate bridge for cars and trains!!!
The Capikooa Pioneer board is sturdy and well made, not to mention a pretty colour on one side! (Ours is orange, but they also come in yellow, green and grey!) And being the larger size, it’s the perfect balance board for older kids – it’s definitely suitable for tweens and teens. Even my 15 year old gets in on the action! The wood is super thick (the Capikooa website says the board is tested for up to 200kg of weight) and we’ve had all 3 kids on it at the same time with no damage! (Other than to my sanity!) It’s a fab bit of kit, and we wouldn’t be without it now. Definitely something to add to your playspace as soon as you can!
Capikooa boards can purchased directly from their website. Ours is the Pioneer size (for older children), but smaller ones are available.
Capikooa kindly gifted us our board for the purposes of this review. Thank you Capikooa!!!
A Different Way To Go 