Acknowledgements - gapitc

Gross motor skills
Activities and Strategies
for Development
Up and Down, In and Out
On a rainy day, set up some movement activities in an open space in your home.
Start in the kitchen or dining area by pulling the chairs away from the table just
far enough so your child can crawl around the chairs and under the table.
Then place a low stool somewhere nearby to step up on and then jump down.
Next, set up a large box, open at both ends, to crawl through.
Finally, invite your child to climb up on a sofa, get back down and go back the
other way.
Use the objects to create an imaginary place such as a forest. For example, pretend
the chairs are trees, the table is a bridge, the stool is a big stump, the box is
a tunnel, and the sofa is a big rock.
Balancing Act
Cut strips about six inches wide from cardboard boxes. Tape them together to
make a “balance beam” about five feet long. Lay it on the floor.
Help your child pretend to be an acrobat in the circus and walk with one foot in
front of the other across the balance beam. Turn around and walk back the other
way.
Hold her hand if she needs help staying on the cardboard.
For a challenge, let her try walking backward. Then try walking on tiptoes.
Fold your “balance beam” up to use again and again!
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