Movement Activities

Kindergarten & Pre-K Movement Activities for physical, social, and emotional development in early childhood. Fun for parents, educators & children.

Fall & Halloween: G is for Gross Motor Movement Fun

Fall and Halloween weather may mean some indoor days but there are still ways for young children to have some gross motor movement fun. Ways that are easy on furniture and bodies.

Gross motor means movement activities that use the large muscles of the body like running, skipping, hopping, running, rolling, slithering, and more running. Sometimes I think hallways in a house could more accurately be called runways. However kids move, they need physical activities not just for their bodies but their brains too. Movement wires the brain for math and language by creating neural pathways and connections.

Halloween movement funWhat are some ways that kids can move indoors? If kids have experienced strong winds outside that blow leaves all around, they can make the wind noise and swirl around in a hallway or other safe space. Parents and caregivers can add an occasional commentary such as, “The leaves are flying all around.” Make a few windy, gusty sounds too because it can be nice to have an appreciative audience. Kids tend to move in short, vigorous bursts so after a few minutes of this, they might need a quick break. Perhaps, the leaves could be resting on the ground.

Some other ideas for movement fun could be creeping around like a ghost that barely makes a sound, flying around like a witch on a broomstick, stomping like a monster (maybe that one is not so great for apartments and people below), whirring like a robot, using huge steps like a dinosaur, shaking like a skeleton, or swooping like an owl.

gross motor movement Halloween funBecause there are so many costumes, kids could also hop like bunnies, flit like butterflies, and crawl like ladybugs. Kids will have their own suggestions for how they want to move in a space. Save a few strategies such as being an old, slow turtle or sitting still like a pumpkin for moments when calm and quiet are needed.

Big muscle activities are vital for children’s development. Is there space and time in your child’s day for some gross motor movement fun?

March into Fun with Books, Stories, and Activities #15

Rapunzel Science Play-of-the-Day

The story of Rapunzel can inspire a science experiment with hair for a play-of-the-day. All of us can do magic with our very own hair.

Rapunzel Rapunzel is a beautiful baby stolen by a witch. In some versions she is a princess and her hair has magical properties. In others, her mother has become very ill and must eat some rapunzel from the witch’s garden; this is the German word for a plant like spinach or radish. The witch imprisions Rapunzel in a tower and her hair grows and grows. The only way into the tower is by climbing Rapunzel’s hair.

Rapunzel Really Needed A HaircutAlthough she is eventually freed by a prince and the witch is vanquished, Rapunzel then has to rescue him. You can either read this story to kids or tell your own version. In Rachel Isadora’s beautifully illustrated book, Rapunzel has dreadlocks and the prince rides a zebra. Jessica Gunderson writes Really, Rapunzel Needed A Haircut! and tells The Other Side of the Story.

Once you’ve shared the tale of Rapunzel, ask kids if their hair is magical. They might change their minds after this fun.

balloon-hair-scienceTo do this magic, blow up a balloon and then have your child stand in front of a mirror. Hold the balloon just slightly over your child’s head. Is anything happening?  Now, rub the balloon a few times on your child’s hair (or on a shirt) and try again. What does the hair do now? Can your child see and feel it?

hair-balloon-scienceThis works best on dry days rather than damp ones, but the static electricity that has built up on the surface of the balloon should lift the hair. Not only can kids see it, they can often feel it. Sometimes, the same thing happens when we take off a knitted hat, or pulling a sweater over the head.

science-balloon-hairWith a blown-up balloon ready to go, kids can launch it up into the air and tap it as it floats down. For this fun game, don’t let the balloon touch the ground or the floor. The balloon travels in unpredictable directions so playing this game takes lots of moving around to keep the balloon up in the air. This is best played in a space clear of obstacles because it’s hard to keep an eye on the balloon and not bump into things at the same time.

Rapunzel couldn’t play this game in a tower but can you imagine her hair sticking out all over? Or maybe having balloons stuck all over?

Dinosaur Dress-up and Big Body Play

Because dinosaurs were big creatures, they have big body actions. Big body movement and play is critically important for children’s healthy development–not just for bodies but for brains too.

dinosaur tissue box feetKids do not just like to move, they must have active play. Young children have to figure out how their body works and also how to create specific movements. This is a mental challenge as much as a physical one. Brains need to come up with a solution about how to move and coordinate the required actions. As kids move their brains are forming the pathways and links not just for actions but also for learning language and math.

dinosaur big body play activitiesKids can pretend they are dinosaurs with no more props than the words to suggest being a dinosaur. Some easy props are tissue (kleenex) boxes or big slippers to be dinosaur feet. A tail can be created with pieces of cardboard or fabric. This tail is a big triangle folded over, stitched, and stuffed. To make points that stood up instead of flopping over wasn’t as easy as it looked on various other blogs and websites, so this tail doesn’t have any at all. (Sigh, another “nailed it” project.) A length of elastic sewn to each side makes a circle that goes around a child’s waist. It’s flexible enough for different ages and sizes of kids. Stuffing the tail was a sneaky ‘no-guilt’ way to use up scraps of fabric too big to throw out and too small to save.

How do dinosaurs move? They take big steps and jumps. Some can fly or swim, but mostly they are slow and maybe…they only run in the house in slooow motion? How does your dinosaur move for big body play?

Young Children and the Controversy of Weapons Play

I just discovered this tremendous resource of videos about early childhood, done by Jeff A. Johnson at Explorations Early Learning, and listened to a recent discussion on children and Weapons Play. Like many, many people I feel really uncomfortable about this kind of play. Jeff suggested that it is okay to let kids know our … Continue reading Young Children and the Controversy of Weapons Play

What Makes Childhood Magical? Part 9: Active Play

The Magic of Active Play Abracadabra and Hocus Pocus might be magical words, and what words would be the opposite, especially to a child? I can think of two: Be still. The command to be still is not just unmagical, it’s practically torture. Did you know that kids need to move their bodies? That movement … Continue reading What Makes Childhood Magical? Part 9: Active Play

Christmas Active Play

Is your child getting enough big muscle activity? With much colder seasonal weather, there are more inside the house days than outside but young children need vigorous physical exercise and movement activities, for healthy bodies and brains. These are important not just for fun, but for learning and kindergarten readiness. The brain uses movement for … Continue reading Christmas Active Play

Kindergarten Readiness Connects to Bones

Do you remember that song about the leg bone connected to the knee bone? It’s inspired today’s post about how movement is another connection for kindergarten readiness. Movement activities are not just important for healthy development of children’s bodies, but also for brains. Moving is one of the strategies that the brain uses for creating … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness Connects to Bones

Pirate Fun Activities For Kids #12: Movement

For some pirate fun, learning and kindergarten readiness, today’s play of the day is to move like a pirate. Movement activities are important for children’s healthy development, both bodies and brains. Moving is one of the strategies that the brain uses for creating pathways that are used for learning. We all have an additional two … Continue reading Pirate Fun Activities For Kids #12: Movement

Kindergarten Readiness, Children’s Books, and Playgrounds

One of the most important activities that parents and caregivers can do to support children’s learning is to read books and share stories. Did you know that reading 3 or 4 a day, a few times a week adds up to about a thousand in just one year? That makes a tremendous number of brain … Continue reading Kindergarten Readiness, Children’s Books, and Playgrounds