A fun way to get moving, work on listening, recall and gross motor skills!
Set up Time: 5 minutes
Directions
- Spread couch cushions across the floor, near enough to each other that children can jump from one to the other, but far enough away that it presents a challenge (note: place on a rug to prevent slipping)
- To prepare, tell the kids what tasks are and ask them to repeat them back to you.
- Play pirate music (there are many playlists available on YouTube, choose your favorite!)
- Play music, stop at random times and call out one of the challenges for the kids to do! (see Tips for suggestions)
Tips
Challenge Ideas:
- Swab The Deck: Children pretend to sweep or mop
- Person Overboard: Children jump off their island and swim to a new one
- Catch A Fish: Children pretend to cast a fishing line and reel in their fish. What kind of fish did they catch?
- Grab a Coconut: Children pretend to climb a tree, grab a coconut, crack it open and drink the water inside
- Palm Tree: Children stand on one foot with hands raised in the air
- Shark Bait: Children hold their hands over their heads like shark fins and swim to a new island
- Buried Treasure: Children pretend to dig a hold, bury a treasure chest and fill the hole back in
- Volcanic Eruption: Children crouch down low and then jump in the air, exploding like lava out of a volcano
- Parrots Everywhere: Children fly like a parrot to a new island
- Relax In The Sun: Children lay down, close their eyes and relax
Materials
- Couch cushions/ pillows
Materials Notes
Alternatively, use folded blankets or painter’s tape. If outside, chalk works great.
Learning Through Play
Physical: Gross Motor – The possibilities of movement are endless! As you can see in the Tips section, there are movements that can work every muscle in the body.
Cognitive: Memory – Start with just a few of the challenges in the Tips section. Can children remember? As they memorize the actions, add more slowly. Children are very kinesthetic learners, which means that they learn new things through movement, so this is a great way for caregivers to see how children process information.
School Readiness: Spatial Learning – Movement games are a great way to practice spatial learning. See the Tips section for challenge ideas and notice the plethora of spatial vocabulary: Crack open a coconut, drink the water inside, digging a hole, jump in the air, etc.
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app along with the other activities in the theme “Water Cycles”. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
