40/40 with toddlers

There are many playground games that could be adapted for play at home.

'40/40 Save All' is a good one.

Pick a suitable 'home'. Assign someone as 'It'. Everyone finds a suitable hiding position.

A suitable position is one where 'Home' and 'It' can be seen by the player. The aim is to not be found by 'It' but also to return home while 'It' is away  from 'Home' searching for other players. ie. if Home is a tree, a suitable hiding spot could be simply on the other side of the tree.

'It' has to look for players and call out '40/40 I see John on the stairs' when players are spotted. 'It' also has to protect 'Home' and not let any players reach home while they are away - the consequence being another turn at being 'it'.

I played this recently with my little ones...an adapted version of course. I was 'It' and allowed my preschooler to reach 'Home', while I pretended to look for her. When she was 'It', I hid in places where it was easy for her to find me, or when I saw she was looking elsewhere, I would attempt to run 'home' but letting her reach home before I did. Lots of fun.

'What's the time Mr Wolf?'

Lunch time!!

Today, whilst on an excursion to the zoo, we stumbled upon a beautiful bit of outdoor space in our search for a spot to sit for lunch. A patch of grass, dappled shade, trees, shrubs - just perfect for a game of 'What's the time Mr Wolf".

My Preschooler had a turn at being the Wolf first. Counting is a really big 'thing' right now. 13 was the call - so she only had a couple of calls before I was right upon her. When I was close enough, I snatched the hat and ran back to base (which was the stroller). Not bad since I had my toddler in my arms.

When it was my turn (with the toddler still in my arms) I included my toddler into the game by holding up his fingers to represent the time ie. number of steps to be taken. Since the numbers we chose were small, we had several calls to make. At the call of lunchtime, we chased the Preschooler back to base - safe to play another time.
 
 It does not take long for the enthusiastic to learn the strategy and rules of the game. The wolf lures the participants close enough to him so that he can call out 'lunchtime' and catch someone. The participants tries to get as close to the wolf as possible to steal his 'treasure' (in my case, it was the hat - but a ball or scarf tucked into the pants would be safer) and return to the safety of the 'base' - usually a line (or in my case, the stroller).

Lots of fun.

This game is so perfect for Preschoolers as it involves few rules, counting, singing, estimating space, strategic thinking, anticipation, developing reaction time, agility - gleefulness. Having a turn at being the Wolf also builds self esteem.

I usually play this game with larger groups but as I found out today, it worked with just the three of us.

And now, it is bed time.

Running

Last Sunday I took the little ones to cheer their dadda towards the finish line in the Melbourne Marathon.
We were surrounded by lots of people who were running or supporters of running - and it was fantastic to be right in the thick of it at the MCG. People of all ages, shapes and sizes were involved in running various distances - all having a go and challenging themselves to just complete the distance or better their best times.

It was very inspiring. ".....Wow mumma...lots of people like to run!...."

While we were looking out for dadda to enter the stadium, we obeserved with great interest the running styles on display. It is not surprising that the early finishers in the Marathon had very efficient running styles - even right at the end when their energy levels were depleted.

Not everyone will aspire to be marathoners, but everyone should be able to experience the simple pure joy of running - and being able to run efficiently adds to that enjoyment whether by reducing injuries and/or running longer distances or shorter times.

Unlike walking, developing an efficient running style is no accident.

Look for and encourage the following in Preschoolers:
1. Eyes focused forward and head is steady
2. Elbows and knees are close to right angles
3. Arms swinging forward and backwards in opposition and parallel
4. High knee lifts at each running step
5. Soft shoulders

Well done, dadda!

Rock, Bridge, Tree Relay

Every PE teacher has a  few favourite games they revert to. I would like to share one of mine here -albeit modified for my little one and her friends. This game develops fitness, reinforces their understanding of position/direction words, improves teamwork, spatial awareness and coordination . It is also a lot of fun.

The actual game is a relay race - teams of four are spaced along a line. One member of the team is the Runner, one is a Rock, one is a Bridge, and one is the Tree. The runner sprints to and jumps over the Rock, crawls under the bridge and circles the Tree - sprinting in between. Then the members of the team change roles.

This is how I modified it for my Preschooler and her friends.

Practice the positions first; as well as transitioning form Rock to Bridge to Tree. Nominate a Preschooler to be a runner who stands with me at home base, while the other Preschooler is about 5m away in the shape of the Rock.

 On the word "Go", the runner runs to the Rock, jumps over it and runs back to me for a high five.

 

 Meanwhile the Rock turns into a Bridge. Immediately after the high five, the runner sprints to the Bridge, crawls under it and returns to me for another high five.

Meanwhile, the Bridge turns into a Tree. Immediately after the high five, the runner sprints back to the Tree and runs around it before returning home for the final high five.

 Swap roles.

Adjust the running distance to allow for the appropriate amount of time between the home base and the Rock, Bridge, Tree. Take the opportunity to emphasize the position/direction words written above in bold.

There will be huffing and puffing in amidst all the laughter.

Rebound ball fun

First day of Spring was marked with rain - lots of it. When it was not raining, it was too wet to be outside.

The garden got a good soak but needless to say, we experienced a bit of cabin fever.

Thankfully, I spotted our super bouncy rebound ball. It saved the afternoon. If you have (or know of) a recent walker and have yet to (re)discover this, I could not recommend it enough. Give it a gentle bounce down the hallway and watch the glee that results as it is chased, then searched for and returned to you for more.

This one is large so the concern regarding  toddlers mouthing it relates more to cleanliness (lack of it) than choking. Our Toddler here has yet to discover his own strength so there was no problem with him damaging anything.

Still...all breakables were safely tucked away.

Wide open spaces

We have quite a small backyard but it is adequate for many outdoor activities. Occasionally, though, one feels the need to have a good run around. And that is when we seek out wide open spaces. Kite Flying is a great way to enjoy this.

For both my Preschooler and Toddler, there was great joy to just simply run around - at full speed and in any direction. For me, it was comforting to know that they had the space to just run freely without concerns of collisions with objects and/or other people.

Preschoolers and indeed Toddlers benefit from activities that allow them to develop their peripheral vision whilst running at speed in a safe manner - without the 'swarm-like' running that some group activities and team sports typically create.




Thanks to my Kiteflying coach for the idea and tips on how to handle a kite.