Home Work: Large Motor Skills
Here are some large motor activities are included to try at home. Living in Erie may mean we spend more time indoors, but children need daily physical activity, and they have an innate love of movement for its own sake. Due to the differences in growth and development among preschoolers and Kindergartners, physical activities are usually viewed as individually appropriate. You will know as you observe your child what s/he is capable of performing. Although we do not have a gym at South Hills, we certainly meet the needs of young children when it comes to this important area. Children actually do not need a lot of space, just some imagination and a few basic pieces of equipment will work! You can turn your own family room or basement into a temporary space to enjoy some physical activity with your preschooler until spring arrives. Here are a few suggestions of activities we enjoy at South Hills:
Move to music! Put on some rock and roll or other lively music and dance! Use some scarves to keep up the movement! The children love to use scarves to music and ‘paint the wall, up and down’, ‘sweep the floor’, move like a windshield wiper’, ‘hop like a kangaroo’, ‘blow in the wind’, ‘draw a rainbow’, etc.
Play music and have your child follow your lead to hop, jump, skip, spin, turn around, touch the floor, bend side to side, twist, etc.
Place objects on the floor (plastic cups upside down, for example) and make a maze to crawl around, or hop around, or jump around, etc)
Place a strip of tape on the floor. See if your child can walk along it, jump over it, walk while straddling it.
Place a piece of tape on the floor for a boundary. Have your child stand behind the ‘line’ and toss a foam ball or a bean bag into a laundry basket.
Have a snowball fight indoors! (The children at South Hills LOVE this!). Give everyone a piece of newspaper to roll up into a ball. Everyone should make several ‘snowballs’. Then, on cue, start tossing ‘snowballs’ around the room!
Plastic and foam bowling sets, ring toss, foam balls, beach balls, Velcro balls with scoops, wall targets and foam balls, and plastic or foam horseshoes provide exercise without breakage concerns.
Basketballs can still be used if you have room in the basement. Preschoolers love to practice dribbling, rolling, bouncing, and catching.
Yarn balls can be tossed in the air, to a friend, or against a wall. If you have a cat,
be sure to include him/her in this lively game!
Move to music! Put on some rock and roll or other lively music and dance! Use some scarves to keep up the movement! The children love to use scarves to music and ‘paint the wall, up and down’, ‘sweep the floor’, move like a windshield wiper’, ‘hop like a kangaroo’, ‘blow in the wind’, ‘draw a rainbow’, etc.
Play music and have your child follow your lead to hop, jump, skip, spin, turn around, touch the floor, bend side to side, twist, etc.
Place objects on the floor (plastic cups upside down, for example) and make a maze to crawl around, or hop around, or jump around, etc)
Place a strip of tape on the floor. See if your child can walk along it, jump over it, walk while straddling it.
Place a piece of tape on the floor for a boundary. Have your child stand behind the ‘line’ and toss a foam ball or a bean bag into a laundry basket.
Have a snowball fight indoors! (The children at South Hills LOVE this!). Give everyone a piece of newspaper to roll up into a ball. Everyone should make several ‘snowballs’. Then, on cue, start tossing ‘snowballs’ around the room!
Plastic and foam bowling sets, ring toss, foam balls, beach balls, Velcro balls with scoops, wall targets and foam balls, and plastic or foam horseshoes provide exercise without breakage concerns.
Basketballs can still be used if you have room in the basement. Preschoolers love to practice dribbling, rolling, bouncing, and catching.
Yarn balls can be tossed in the air, to a friend, or against a wall. If you have a cat,
be sure to include him/her in this lively game!