Movement Activities
Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? This activity gets children moving while also inviting them to use symbolism through drawings and/or early writing (e.g., scribbling) to convey a kind message to someone. What are the types of things that brighten up someone’s day? It could be a compliment, a gift, a little note of love. […]
Run, run, as fast as you can! The Gingerbread Man is a delicious fairy tale that invites us to move our bodies as we run to catch the Gingerbread Man! We invite you to act out the steps of the story with real materials and then with your bodies! Check out the directions to the […]
This activity is simple, but sometimes a little prop (binoculars, whistles, puppets) can transform children’s play when we invite them to explore the prop in new environments. When we do this activity inside, children may play with their puppets to explore light and shadow. If we play with them outside, it can become an activity […]
This week we are thinking about all the ways that we can bring the outdoors to the indoors. One way is to play island hopping! This is fun way to get moving, work on listening, recall and gross motor skills! While we show this indoors, children can also do this outdoors. We encourage you to […]
A beloved winter sport for those who are experienced or beginners: Ice Skating! It’s super fun but gets even more fun when enjoyed together with family. Have you ever tried ice skating? Even if you do not have access to an indoor or outdoor ice skating rink, or if children are not quite old enough, […]
This is a great activity to do both inside and outside, and a great use of recycled materials to get children moving their bodies. Additionally, bowling is a fantastic way to naturally integrate math into your everyday play as we will count how many cans we were able to knock down! Set up Time: 20 […]
One thing that is great about early childhood and working with loose parts, is that we can use them in so many different ways. Indeed, there are probably a million different ways to use pom poms. We love this as a sensory material as they are soft, quiet, and can be so many different sizes […]
Throughout time, children have played with sticks. And why not? Sticks can transform into whatever we want it to! They are usually available in abundance and they can transform before our eyes. This is perfect for farm or harvest themed play as children giddy up and ride around your backyard! This activity is more work […]
We hope that every good party has some music! There are lots of great dance songs for a party: children’s songs on Youtube, songs from your culture, or even children’s favorite hits from the radio (if appropriate!). In the United States, there’s a very catchy old fashioned tune called “It’s My Party”, originally sung by […]
What teams can achieve together is amazing! Even when it doesn’t look like it, working with other people to achieve a common goal takes a lot of hard work, skill and communication but it’s all worth it when you are successful as a team. Set up Time: 5 minutes Directions Tips For young children, use […]
A fun way to get moving, work on listening, recall and gross motor skills! Set up Time: 5 minutes Directions Tips Challenge Ideas: Materials 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 […]
