Backpacks not only rock, they bubble and fly, too. Using imagination they can. For a physical development and readiness for kindergarten activity you and your child can pretend that you are moving with a backpack that’s filled with all different kinds of things.
Using imagination muscles as well as body ones, you and your child can pretend that the backpack is full of heavy, heavy rocks. Would your body move oh so slowly and only a very little bit? Change the load and fill it with feathers, light as can be. With feathers, you can fly–as long as there is enough room to be safe. Some other ideas are bubbles, marshmallows, and bouncy springs. How does your body move now? Try bricks or elephants! Maybe the backpack is part of a space suit for moving in outer space where there is no gravity. Or maybe it’s full of goldfish bowls and you will have to be very, very careful so as not to spill their water. What other things can your child suggest? After all that exercise, maybe the backpacks are full of soft blankets for taking a nap.
In only a few minutes, your child has had some practice coordinating different kinds of body movement, imagining, playing, using descriptive language and developing several other kindergarten readiness skills. Sometimes real backpacks have loads that are too heavy but these pretend ones are full of fun! What’s in your backpacks?