Contact Lisa Barczyk at with Any Questions 2-16-16

Big Movement Activitie tend to use the whole body. These activities can be fun for the whole family! Activity Movement Other Skills Indoor Ice Skating Use paper plates to skate across the floor. Sometimes it’s important just to have fun as a Website reports it works on any type of floor, I family… but if you would like to work on other have used it successfully on carpeting. activities you can put the pieces of a puzzle on Variation: Put plates under hands and knees one side of the room and the puzzle board on and skate in this position. the other side and then skate across the room to get each piece to complete the puzzle. Use Put on music and have fun dancing and this same set up to match colors, shapes, moving around the house. If able to do so numbers, letters… safely, try ‘racing’ each other. http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/lets-go-skating/ ‘Snowball Fight’ I recommend using rolled up socks for this If you are using socks, you could have a activity because they are soft and everyone ‘snowball fight’ and then work together to has some. fold laundry. It is good for kids to help with Fun way to work on throwing/catching skills. these kinds of chores, it takes more strength, Encourage kids to squat down to pick up balls. coordination, and balance to fold laundry than If you have room you can crouch/squat behind most of us realize. furniture or crawl under table for ‘cover’. Build towers with blocks, or recycle containers (eg: cereal boxes Pringles containers), then http://www.repeatcrafterme.com/2012/03/indoor- throw balls to knock them down. (Could also snowball-fight.html be made into an Angry Birds game easily.) Snowball Roll Cut out the pieces to make a snowman (eg: Work on sequencing skills circles, scarf, hat…) and spread them on floor. Talk about the size and colors of items Sit on the floor with feet out in a wide V, This is a great activity to work on the very which helps to stretch leg muscles. important concept of body/face parts. Roll a ball over the piece that is needed next Could be done with any concept: shapes, (eg: first need the largest circle). letters, numbers Getting the ball to roll over the right piece works on eye-hand coordination. If it is too easy, move further away from the pieces. If it is too hard, move the pieces closer to the child. http://theinspiredtreehouse.com/snowball-roll/

Contact Lisa Barczyk at [email protected] with any questions 2-16-16 Activity Movement Other Skills Ball Toss Work on eye-hand coordination, and You can put items (eg: colors, shapes, letters, throw/catching skills, by tossing a ball into numbers) on each bucket and then talk about buckets. them when the ball goes in that bucket, or call Throwing can be very challenging for sitting out which one the child should aim for as he and standing balance, so this is a fun activity throws the ball. to challenge these skills. You could also put numbers on each bucket If your child is unable to throw the ball you (eg: 1-5) and then work on 1:1 could have them push it off their wheelchair correspondence by trying to get the right tray into a bucket. number of balls in each bucket (eg: three balls in the 3 bucket). Or work on simple adding/subtracting skills (1+3=4) http://catchmyparty.com/photos/1425658 Sticky Spider Web Use Painters Tape to make a spider web in a Just have fun! doorway. Rip up and crunch up old newspaper to toss onto the tape. Try to throw paper through the holes without getting stuck to the web.

http://handsonaswegrow.com/sticky-spider-web- activity-halloween/ Weaving Through A Rainbow String Crepe Paper around a room/hallway. You can use different colors and coordinate Have kids crawl under or step through the them so the kids have to start with a color and maze. then move to another color and talk about the colors and the sequence. If you would like to work on other academic concepts you could position one component at one end and the match or other component Big Movement Activitie tend to use the whole body. These activities can be fun for the whole family! at the other end and have the kids carry something through to complete the activity.

http://www.teachpreschool.org/2013/03/weaving- through-a-rainbow/

Activity Movement Other Skills Forts Kids love to help make forts. It is the perfect This quiet, ‘hidden’ place can be the perfect opportunity for kids to work on sitting skills. place to calm down when upset or hyper. It is Also, some kids can work on crawling in/out. also a great place to read books. Some kids can help build the fort by gathering and carrying blankets and pillows. This is the perfect place to read a book, do a puzzle, or play with matchbox cars while lying on tummy

Marshmallow Shooters They are fairly simple to make, the kids can try You could cut open a paper shopping bag and to help, although they will likely need help. draw items on it (eg: shapes, numbers, letters) For kids working on sitting balance this is a fun and then try to hit them with the distraction that is motivating to stay sitting up marshmallows. tall so you can see everything that’s happening. For kids working on strength and balance encourage them to squat down low and go up on tip toes, or stand on one leg to lean around a wall/furniture to look for http://thepictureblog.com/266/marshmallow-shooters others. It also works on upper body coordination, as you have to hold it still with one hand, pull back on the balloon with the other and aim at the same time!

Contact Lisa Barczyk at [email protected] with any questions 2-16-16 Balloon Rockets For kids who are not very mobile this can be Science: Set the string on an incline/decline set up so that they can reach it with a part of and talk about what may happen (will it go their body with which they have the most fast or slow?). Hypothesize how to make the control. For kids who are more mobile try balloon go faster (eg: increase the decline). setting the string up at varying heights and encouraging them to squat and/or move Be active and have fun!  between kneeling and standing. For kids who are working on increasing their stability while walking, you can run the string/yarn about 12-

18inches out from a length of open wall or counter, so that they can use the wall/counter http://discoverexplorelearn.com/balloon- for support as needed. rockets/