Indoor
Gross Motor Fun
By Sandy Fleming
In many parts of the country, winter weather makes for fewer
opportunities for outdoor play. The temperature in some areas
is downright frigid, and damp or snowy weather is in the forecast
more often. But no matter what the weather, kids need opportunities
to exercise those big muscles each and every day.
Everyone needs a balance of mental and physical activity to
stay healthy. Children can concentrate on learning and focus
on lessons best when they have an outlet for excess energy. But
how can you provide this without sacrificing safety or the well-being
of your furniture??
One answer is to create
an indoor obstacle course. If you are homeschooling, you can
even make this activity into an academic
learning experience! Choose a theme for your course, such as
an historical event or Bible story, and name the obstacles
to reinforce the ideas you wish to teach. For example, a child
studying famous explorers might climb mountains, cross oceans,
or crawl through caves. A study of the digestive tract may
lead to obstacles, such as sliding down the esophagus or inching
through the intestines. Challenge older students to generate
creative names connected with a theme to add another dimension
to learning. You will find that this sort of reinforcement
will help prod memories of kinesthetic learners as well.
Be creative with furniture
and space to set up your course. Try to include as many methods of locomotion as you can. Don't make
the mistake of limiting your course to walking or running! You
can include rolling, sliding, crawling, army crawling, somersaulting,
and even crab walking or bear crawling. Tap into reading skills
and map skills by making and/or using signs, direction sheets
and course maps.
Use furniture and household items to add interest to your course.
Children can move around, under, over, and through obstacles.
Tables are great for crawling under. Add a blanket to make a
cave. Send children up and over stools or small step-ladders,
around chairs or other objects, and over pillows or cushions.
Use sections of newspapers as stepping stones. Stairs can become
mountains, and players can crawl, scoot, or slide on them. A
darkened room can simulate nighttime and add a touch of excitement.
Young children will enjoy tactile obstacles, such as areas of
crumpled newspapers or soft tissue, to crawl or roll through.
In short, your choices for obstacles are only limited by your
imagination. All that remains is planning a course through your
creation. Older children may enjoy the added excitement of timing
their own performances. Some may like a sense of competition
with others and some may prefer to compete with themselves. However
you choose to set it up, allow your children to experience the
fun on your next indoor play day.
Sandy Fleming
is an educator, author and workshop facilitator. She resides
in southern Michigan with her husband and three daughters.
Sandy leads workshops for daycare providers and parents
in the region, tutors students, volunteers for Girl Scouts
and her church, and teaches online classes for adults and
children. She loves to make new friends, so please drop
her an e-mail at kids@busyparentsonline.com
