Taking a child to an amusement park can be a lot of fun—and also a lot of money, time and energy that a parent might not have. Just looking at the cost of theme park tickets these days is enough to make a parent rethink such an outing, especially with young children who may only get a couple of hours of enjoyment out of it before exhausting themselves (or their caretakers). There are also other obstacles, from distance to mobility to sensory issues, that might make a trip to the thrill rides not possible or ideal.
But that doesn’t mean that parents can’t give young kids a taste of a wild roller coaster ride in other ways. In fact, as one mom demonstrates, it’s fairly simple to create a thrilling simulation right in the comfort of your own home.
A video of a woman using a couple of simple household props and a POV video to create a fun experience for her little girl has people praising her joyful ingenuity—as well as her muscle endurance.
The video shared by Daiana Valadares on TikTok shows her sitting on the end of a bed, setting her young daughter on an upside down chair on her lap with a cushion in the bottom of the seat. The chair legs stick up from her lap, and the little girl grabs hold of the front legs like handle bars. Once she’s situated, Valadares turns on a video showing a roller coaster ride from a first-person point-of-view.
Once the “ride” begins, Valadares uses the back two chair legs and her own body to create vibration and steer along with with the video, giving her daughter the sensation of actually riding the coaster. Valadares is exceptionally good at creating the simulation, and they both seem like they’re having an absolute blast.
Watch:
@daianavaladares Criando memórias afetivas. Amo nós duas juntas! #crianca #diversaotiktok #diversao #memoriasafetivas #menina #meninaemaistranquila #vaiprofy
“Not only is the idea amazing, the execution of it is equally brilliant. This is one of the cleverest ways to have fun with your kids I’ve ever seen,” wrote one commenter on Reddit.
“I adore that she did the vibrations too lol. That’s so on point,” wrote another.
“I was terrified of rollercoasters when I was little (love them now). I wonder if this would have desensitized me and let me enjoy them sooner. Regardless, super idea by mom!” shared another.
“I used to do this with my kids. We would watch the Olympics and then they’d get in a laundry basket for the ‘bobsled run’. Kids are so fun!” added another.
As the video shows, it doesn’t take a lot of money to make fun memories for kids—just a few household props and some creativity (and maybe some leg strength). Some people pointed out that you can do something similar with a laundry basket instead of a chair, and while there is a game on Steam called Planet Coaster for the simulation, there are free POV roller coaster videos on YouTube you can use as well.
Here’s to parents figuring out fun, inventive ways to build memories with their children without breaking the bank. You can follow Daiana Valadares on TikTok.