Ways to keep a child active in an apartment?

[LubyLu2000]

Now that we're into winter my 7yo DS gets home from school when it's already dark and cold (we're not in the UK). They don't really get out during school time so I really see that he needs to let off steam and be physically active when he gets home. We can't go to organised activities every night of the week so I'm desperately trying to think of ways he can be active inside without our neighbours thinking the ceiling's coming down on them!

Would any lovely mners have some brilliant ideas?

Exercise DVDs are really good, my children are younger and love mine, air cycling makes us giggle, lay on your back and peddle in the air, we even have different speeds, slow, fast and as fast as you can.

We play hide and seek and my dc also get involved in housework (more hindrance than help but they're not sat on their bottom watching tv). Also we have some mini cones and a football and practise dribbling the football.

Oh, and ds has a very small basketball hoop in his room with a ball the same size as a tennis ball.

We're not in a flat so are not too worried about neighbours. One neighbour is in hospital and the other side is empty and up for sale so we are taking advantage of the situation with star jumps etc.

Better to put his hat and coat on and go out for a "dark walk". We take torches and sometimes just go round the streets or sometimes to a field or a park for a torchlight runaround. The other thing we do is swimming. I don't know if there is anything suitable near you. We swim for an hour the I shower ds3 and put his pj's and onsie on to come home, then it's just something to eat, homework and a story - bed!

I would be totally stuck if we couldn't get out.

Thanks for the replies. I'll have to check out some of my exercise DVDs and see which ones are the least "jumpy"! Our floor reverberates pretty badly so our neighbours would think it was an earthquake if we all start jumping (we live in an earthquake risk area so could make them pretty nervous!!).

Reason for not going out too much is that I also have a 9 month old and the timing is not great for him going out in the evening. Also, our local pool is closed at the moment. Organised sports are quite pricey too hence the need to do stuff in the house.

I think I may be looking for the impossible though - getting him to be active without his feet actually leaving the floor!!

Agree, it's not easy. I have two teenagers as well (16&18) so they can take a turn of the "dark walking" and I would be stuck without the pool. It wouldn't be as easy with a baby.