Day 20: Large Motor Play

Getting your child physically active is so important and so much fun!  Large motor (or gross motor) skills are skills that use the large muscles in our bodies. Some examples of large motor activities are: running, jumping, chasing, dodging, crawling, kicking, rolling, hanging, stretching, throwing, hopping, balancing, turning, bending, skipping, etc.  Children LOVE to move, so let’s tap into that!

These skills are important for:

• body awareness
• timing and predicting
• problem solving
• coordination
• spatial awareness
• If playing in a group, large motor play enhances understanding of social rules, working with others, and compromising
• Enhances self esteem
• Helps understand physics by judging distance and speed
• Great for self-confidence, especially as gross motor skills improve

Most large motor activities are done outside, but it’s that time of year where it’s harder to get outside to play due to the shorter days and cold weather.  So, here are some great ways to do large motor play inside!

Spider Web Walking from No Time for Flash Cards

Spider Web and Ghosts

Feed the Monkey game I did with J where he had to throw “bananas” at a monkey picture.

Classic games (red light, green light, musical chairs, etc) from Peaceful Parenting

Activity #20:  Make an Indoor Obstacle Course

Use pillows, couch cushions, chairs, tables, rope or string, or tape and make an obstacle course for your kids.  Any child who’s old enough to crawl can do an obstacle course.

Ideas:

• Put out stuffed animals that they have to weave between them
• Have them crawl under chairs with a blanket draped over without pulling off the blanket
• Have them crawl over one chair and then under the next.
• Make a maze they have to crawl through using couch cushions
• Place pillows so they have to jump or crawl over them

Tomorrow: Fine Motor Skills