Active Me

Activity: Sensory Walk

What to do? Encourage your child to walk with bare feet or crawl through different textures.

Textures you can use: Paints, sand, water, foam, cooked pasta, beans, spaghetti, flour, grass, mud, leaves etc.

Where Can you do this if you don’t have access to trays? Outside in the garden or on a hard floor (you can place clingfilm on the floor so its easy to clean away)

Once the walk is over your child can continue to play exploring all the different textures using their whole bodies.

Lets Get Physical

Animal Walk

Inside or out, encourage your child to slither like a snake, hop like a frog, gallop like a horse, or walk like a bear on all fours.

Skills developed: Hopping, Galloping

Wet Sponge Designs

On a hot, summer day, gather up lots of sponges, provide a tub of water for endless re-soaking, and have your kids throw their sponges on a wall or on the floor to make designs. Sponges can also be used to “paint” walls.

Skills developed: Throwing

Simon/Simone Says

While the rules are simple, the options for movement are endless. Simon can have kids jumping like a kangaroo, standing as tall as a house, making funny faces, standing on one foot, or waving their hands over their heads.

Skills developed: Multiple depending on the leader’s actions (Jumping, Balancing, Hopping, etc.)

Balance Beam

Using an actual gymnastics beam isn’t the only way for a child to learn balance skills. Indoors, use painters tape to make a straight line on the floor. Encourage your child to walk forwards, backwards, and sideways. Outdoors, use a plank of wood, a rope, or make a line with chalk for the same activity. When your child masters a straight line, add semi-circles or zigzags to add a bit more of a challenge.

Skills developed: Balancing

Dance Party

Indoors or outdoors, turn up the music, use lights or decorations for ambiance, and let your kids twist, macarena, floss, dance like their favourite animal, or freestyle their way to fun.

Skills developed: Agility, Balance, Coordination

Egg and Spoon

For this ultimate hand-eye coordination and balance game, give kids a spoon and have them balance a hard-boiled or plastic egg from one point to another either indoors or out. How quickly can they go? Can they dance as they move?

Skills developed: Balance, Coordination

Limbo

How low can you go? A fun game indoors or out, use your imagination when it comes to using objects under which your child must go under without their hands touching the floor. Objects could include a mop, a broom, a rope or Sellotape in the doorway. 

Skills developed: Balancing