Health & Safety: Activity 2

Benefits for Your Child:

• Develops control and balance in movement
• Develops control of large muscles
• Develops control in movement through space (changing direction, stopping)

Children love to move. Physical development plays an important role in building children’s self-esteem, confidence, fitness, and well-being. Daily physical activity will develop habits that lead to better physical health.

Kindergarten Connection

Children will be involved in recess and in organized physical education activities where they will learn basic skills such as hopping, twirling, kicking, throwing, catching, skipping, and dancing.

Activity: Obstacle Course

Select an area with your child to create an obstacle course. Help your child plan a safe path and select obstacles. Have your child decide how he/she would like to move (walk, crawl, jump, run, roll, gallop, hop, spin) through the course. For example, “I will climb over the swing and then hop to the slide. I will climb up the ladder and slide down the slide.”

More Ideas:

• Let your child invite someone to complete the course with him/her.
• Time how long it takes your child to complete the course.
• Run the course in reverse.

Tips:

• If the weather is bad, or you do not have an outdoor area to play, build the obstacle course indoors. “I will climb over the chair and then hop to the table. I will walk around the table and crawl to the sofa.”
• It is typical for children to overestimate their abilities. Your child may want to do something that is beyond his/her abilities (“I am going to cross the monkey bars by myself”).