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Do you have a very active preschool boy or girl that would rather dance, play, and sing than draw and color on paper? So do I! Are you looking for ways to enrich your preschooler's everyday experiences. So am I, and I hope to share some of my enrichment ideas with you!
This guide is the second part in a two-part series on Preschool Enrichment. Please see the first part Preschool Enrichment for Active Boys and Girls for additional and background information.
The best thing about some of these activities is that they can be performed with simple products that can be found at home or on eBay!
OVERVIEW
This guide will focus on body activity in young children for the sake of developing fine and gross motor skills.
Some preschoolers have a need to move their body almost constantly and there are developmental reasons for this. At this age, they are still developing gross (or large muscle) motor skills and are also developing fine (or small muscle) motor skills. They love to hop and run and wiggle (gross motor). They also love to smoosh things with their hands and cut paper (fine motor) and manipulate objects (laces, dolls, puzzles, etc.).
GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES
The following activities are aimed at the development of large muscle motor skills. Some activities are best suited for the outdoors, but I have included some indoor activities as well. These activities are also great for intellectual stimulation. Remember, when your body is active...your mind is active, too.
Outdoor Activities
Any activity that allows a wide range of motion for a child is helpful in developing gross motor skills. The outdoors (with its many healthful benefits of fresh air and sunshine) is the most desirable place for gross motor play. The following activities are just a tiny sampling of the gross motor benefits that the outdoors has to offer:
Laundry Day Maze
Do you have a clothes line or a series of trees in your yard? If so, hang up some sheets to allow your youngster to play within the flowing "walls". The photo above is of a maze exhibit at a local garden. My son and friend played there for almost an hour running here and there and playing hide-and-seek and tag.
Playground Free Play
When I mention "Free Play" in this guide, I am referring to the child's opportunity to be active any way that the child desires (within limits) and outside of a structured activity like sports. Modern playgrounds with climbing structures and swings are probably the most effective "toys" for motor development. A large playground with a diverse set of equipment focusing on diverse muscle groups is most desirable. However, I enjoy taking my child to several different playgrounds with different activities each week. We both enjoy the change in scenery!!!!
Our favorite park offers some very diverse activities that involve the brain, arm muscles and leg muscles:
- Rope net bridge (only about 4-inches off of the ground)
- Bridge with movable foot holds requiring arm, leg, foot, and hand coordination. (It sounds tough, but is a favorite for preschoolers!)
- Climbable plastic dinosaur statues.
- Walking platforms
- Stairs
- Climbing tubes
- Ladders
- Large area for running
You may find that your child will always gravitate toward a particular play structure. It's great to encourage your child to try new activities, but do not force them if you feel they are not getting a well rounded play session. There will be other opportunities for development!
Walking, Running, Biking
Lucky for us, our town and surrounding area is chock full of walking and biking trails and biological parks. Besides the opportunity for good, old-fashioned cardio-pulmonary exercise there is also the potential here for gross motor development. My son loves the outdoors and especially loves the chance to explore the "forest".
Besides motor development, there is a lot that can be learned on a nature walk. Preschool encounters with flora and fauna are great opportunities for biology and spiritual lessons. Bring along a book such as "The Very Hungry Catapiller" or "Read With Me Bible" (with a good Creation Story) to enhance your discussions or your rest time.
More to come!
Indoor Activities
Sometimes outdoor play is impossible or undesirable. If that is the case, try some of the activities below for safe, indoor gross motor exercise.
Simon Says
Activities (such as Simon Says) that encourage children to perform a variety of movements is very stimulating and can be a great confidence builder if handled correctly. Allow your child to both follow and lead the play and by all means, do not OVER challenge them. If they are confronted with a movement that is impossible for them to conquer, they may quickly abandon the activity.
Action Books
My son's favorite Alphabet Book is Grover's Own Alphabet which is part of the Big Bird's Favorite Board Books series and is also in Little Golden Book format. This book shows the fuzzy and blue Grover making the alphabet with his body and some props. Although some of these alphabet letters require a contortionist to perform, this book has encouraged my son to make letters with his body in a similar way that the Village People's song "YMCA" encourages us to model the letters "YMCA" with our arms. As we read the book, he will simply pick and choose the letters he wishes to "perform". It's great fun for the whole family!
Videos
On another Sesame Street note, Grover has an excessive video called "Happy Healthy Monsters". My son LOVES it and asks to view it OFTEN. The video focus's on three healthful areas: Exercise, Nutrition, and Relaxation. Although the exercise portions are cardio-based (mostly jumping), the video encourages kids to move with the characters. Hey, it's good for Mommy, too!
Another activity that we have started is using large exercise balls (or balance balls) while viewing an exercise ball video. My son loves the variation of exercising while on a ball or he can just play with it while I continue my exercise. This also promotes good listening skills while he has to follow the instructor's lead.
Dance To The Music
My son LOVES hispanic dance music. Whenever I get out a CD of "Sing and Play Ole" (our newest Vacation Bible School CD) he dances up a tornado. The activity of dancing to music can be used for exercise, entertainment, listening, and learning (if you have some groovy educational songs).
Another CD that we really like to move to is Veggie Tales Campfire Songs. The song "Going On A Bear Hunt" is great for listening exercises and role playing.
Bowling For Numbers
Sports games (such as bowling) can be used for motor development and counting exercises once play has begun. Start with all of the bowling pins in proper formation and then count the lucky survivors after each ball is rolled. As your child becomes familiar with this process, you can start adding phrases such as "6 minus 4 = 2".
Get Out To a "Different Indoors"
Many of us live in areas that are full of museums, libraries and other places chock-full of enriching activities and experiences for our preschoolers. When I'm feeling down or in a rut with the at-home grind, I often try to get out of the house with my son and enjoy something indoors that our house doesn't offer.
My son loves hand-on adventures at the local children's museums. There are many things to experience and explore like digging up your own Egyptian artifacts and pretending they are dinosaur bones!
Don't forget to get the little tykes with others their age at the mall play area or at a friend's house. Kids need the chance to socialize and learn people skills.
FINE MOTOR SKILL ACTIVITIES
The following activities are aimed at the development of small muscle motor skills in the hands. Most activities are equally suited for the indoors or outdoors. Use your best judgement with messy materials (such as finger paints and sand) whether or not they are best used outdoors or indoors. These activities are also great for intellectual stimulation and can often be used in conjunction with other academic lessons such as: art, language, math, logic, etc.
Puzzles
Completing puzzles with small or large pieces are a great way for children to practice small hand movements and dexterity in the fingers. Many different types of puzzles are available with many different recommended age ranges. I've found, however, that sometimes the manufacturer's recommended ages are much younger than practical. Give your child several different types of puzzles including:
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Spiritual Puzzles
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Large Floor Puzzles
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Character Puzzles (such as Thomas The Tank Engine)
Different topics allow for a variety of conversation and interest development. My son and I enjoy large floor puzzles that depict bible stories (as shown in the photo below):
Puppets
Hand puppets are a great tool for language development and fine motor development. Small children tend to have more success with puppets that allow for a minimum of finger dexterity (such as a puppet with a moving mouth rather than a moving head and arms). There is an eBay seller that provides popular Oobi Eyes for you and your child's enjoyment. My son is practicing and learning how to move his fingers in the proper way to create Oobi. This is a perfect exercise, because he can see his fingers and how they move as he tries to accomplish his goal.
Playdough and Clay
Playdough and clay are great mediums for creativity and fine motor activities. It's a favorite at our house and with boys and girls alike. I recommend soft playdough (either purchased or homemade) rather than clay for preschoolers because of its flexibility and ease of manipulation.
Hi! Ho! Cherry-O!
Hi! Ho! Cherry-O! is a great game to encourage small children to pick up small objects. A child can either pick up the cherries by the stem or the larger fruit area in order to move them from the tree to the bucket. Add to the challenge by giving your child a pair of plastic tweezers and encouraging them to pick up the cherries with that.
Lacing and Beading Activities
Lacing activities and beading activities are a great way for children to develop fine motor skills. The act of picking up and holding small bead and laces develops a pincer grasp. Actually threading the laces through the button or board hole or bead hole helps develop coordination. These activities are exciting for children and can be found in kit form or even book form.
Scissors
Safe scissor activities are highly recommended for preschoolers for hand motor development. Introduce this activity to your child with a blunt pair of child's scissors and a blank sheet of paper or even scraps of yarn. After your child has mastered the cutting exercise safely. You can move onto sheets of paper with pictures of simple, large shapes such circles or squares. As you add to the complexity of the shape, you add to the challenge of the cutting. There are books available with cutting exercises for children, or you can create your own.
Spice up your scissor activities by adding a holiday theme, such as a Funky Pumpkin.
Drawing and Painting
If your child likes to draw and paint, use these activities also to develop fine motor skills. Children love to create with colors on a blank sheet of paper or with instructions to meet a particular goal such as in creating a special wall decoration for their room. See my example of a World wall craft below.
Writing and Tracing
Writing and tracing letters or numbers on paper is another way for children to develop fine motor skills, but some preschoolers are not ready or willing to do this. Unless they are very interested in this activity, do not force them to participate. This activity is not really developmentally appropriate for the normal 3-year old.
RESOURCES
I recommend the following awesome books for additional ideas and information on preschool gross and fine motor development
Make Your Own Preschool Games by Sally Goldberg
Rainy Day Activities by Dr. Jean Feldman
I'll be back with more content. I have to attend to my preschooler! Have a great day!
Copyright 2006 Angela Vawter (hugawayfromhome)
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