Making sure the home is a center for fun and relaxation is priority number one for many homeowners. And this makes a lot of sense. We want the home to be a place where we can get the respite we need—either from the busy back and forth of life or from doing things that are the opposite of fun, like work, running errands, and picking up the pieces of the family. All it takes is a little outside the box thinking to completely transform your home and how it feels to live in it. The boundaries we put around what’s possible in our homes are often the biggest barriers to attaining a truly comfortable home. A gymnastics crash mat is a great way to add a whole new dimension to a home. Gymnastic crash mats and crash mats in general come with a ton of possibilities for interesting, inventive, and just plain fun uses. Here are some ideas to get you started.

Setting Up a Room for a Child with Autism

According to the CDC, around one out of every 59 children receives a diagnosis of being on the autism spectrum. If your child is on the spectrum, that doesn’t mean they have any less of a desire to have a great time than other children. In fact, setting up a home that allows them to take physical “risks” can give them a whole new sense of enjoyment, particularly given the limits they will be under all day at school or daycare. A gymnastics crash mat is a great solution for making the walls and floor of your autistic child’s room a safe place. If the bedroom is not your favorite place to have your kid literally bouncing off the walls, a play area can be set up that gives him or her the freedom to ricochet all day long without getting hurt. If you place a gymnastics crash mat or two on each wall, you can then use interlocking floor mats or tumbling mats to make the floor a softer, safer place to have a good time.

Also, everyone like to fall without getting hurt, so your child will likely have friends that are more than willing to come over and roll around in a room where they finally feel indestructible. Care still needs to be taken, of course, but much of the risk is eliminated if you use a gymnastics crash mat.

Setting Up a Modular Play Area

Crash mats are also a great way to add some fun to a previously boring room. Because the mats can be relatively light weight and easy to move, you will have the ability to shift them around in order to custom design your own play space. Each kid has different needs when it comes to how they romp and throw themselves around. You can move the mats in a way that allows a very young child to have a good time or an older one to do the same—without having to build another room. Also, if your kids have friends that are slightly older or younger, you will want to have as much versatility as possible in their play areas. Using gymnastics mats opens of wide worlds of possibility.

Giving Your Kids the Gift of Gymnastics

Even if you aren’t a gymnastics coach, you may still want to give your kids the chance to try out their skills while in the safety of your home. These days, most kids do their favorite learning on the internet. They find tutorials and YouTube videos that teach them whatever they want. Gymnastics learning is no different. With the right mats in the home, a child can learn at his or her own pace and do so in a safer manner. Trusting regular carpeting is a risky choice. Most don’t provide enough cushion to support even a moderate fall, never mind a head over heels tumble. So if your child may be into gymnastics in the near future, setting up a home practice area is a great way to help them get started.

Gymnastics mats aren’t just for seasoned gymnasts. They are a great addition to your home to make it a safer place for the young ones you cherish the most.