Kindergarten Readiness: Halloween Learning & Movement Fun

boyrunningFor kids, what could be more fun than lots of moving, and moving is mandatory for brain development, early learning and kindergarten readiness.  A large part of learning for young children is exploring how the body moves and it’s position in space. With so many different possibilities to choose from Halloween is a great time for lots of moving fun.

Outside has more room, but with more time spent indoors in the fall, it’s helpful to have a space where kids can move around; sometimes the hallway is a pretty good choice because there is less to bump into. To give your child some physical activity, ask him/her to move like a ghost softly with no noise down a hall. How would a witch move flying on a broomstick, or a bat or big, swooping owl? Robots move very differently. Because kids can be anything for Halloween, there’s also moving like dinosaurs or butterflies, or bunnies or ladybugs.

If kids seem too wound up, suggest moving like something slow, for instance a turtle. Or using some magic words, you could put a spell on them and then they could only move in slow motion. Another idea is arms, hands, heads, hips and knees can move but feet are stuck in magic spot. If you need them to sit for a few minutes, they could be like a pumpkin. ladybug-dramaDo we see pumpkins moving? No, but maybe they do and it’s so small we just can’t see it. Have kids try making an action that’s so small you can’t tell. Kids need to learn to coordinate their bodies for big and small actions, they also need to learn how to control muscles so they do not move.

Moving is important for brain connections and healthy physical development. Kids need space and time to learn how to coordinate all their muscles and actions. Can you and your child have some Halloween inside or outside movement fun in your day?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.