Activity of the Week
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Okay, make that activities of the week, since two games have been high on my list lately.
The first is Line Tag. It works when there are 4 or more kids and an outdoor space. The kids all hold hands or link arms, someone on one end is "it" and they have to tag the person on the other end. Everyone has to keep holding the others' hands the entire time. This builds strength and endurance, coordination, the sense of touch and body position in space (proprioception), cooperation, problem solving and teamwork. That's a lot of benefit from a simple game!
The second is "Hangman". For some people the theme is a bit gruesome, (and why do kids draw a smiley face on the figure being "hung"?), if necessary just change the theme to draw a person without the gallows. For younger children, use familiar words and/or tell them what the category is, such as animals, dinosaurs, etc. This game practices writing, spelling and drawing skills, and executive functioning skills. Kids need to hold in their mind the word or phrase, the letters, how many spaces are needed for each, they need to draw the correct number of letter spaces, write the letters, decide how many body parts to draw (does the stick figure get ears? hands? feet?), and take turns.
The best part about games such as these is that they are easily adapted for children of all levels of ability. This way each child can have success, which in turn motivates them to try other things.
Now go play!
The first is Line Tag. It works when there are 4 or more kids and an outdoor space. The kids all hold hands or link arms, someone on one end is "it" and they have to tag the person on the other end. Everyone has to keep holding the others' hands the entire time. This builds strength and endurance, coordination, the sense of touch and body position in space (proprioception), cooperation, problem solving and teamwork. That's a lot of benefit from a simple game!
The second is "Hangman". For some people the theme is a bit gruesome, (and why do kids draw a smiley face on the figure being "hung"?), if necessary just change the theme to draw a person without the gallows. For younger children, use familiar words and/or tell them what the category is, such as animals, dinosaurs, etc. This game practices writing, spelling and drawing skills, and executive functioning skills. Kids need to hold in their mind the word or phrase, the letters, how many spaces are needed for each, they need to draw the correct number of letter spaces, write the letters, decide how many body parts to draw (does the stick figure get ears? hands? feet?), and take turns.
The best part about games such as these is that they are easily adapted for children of all levels of ability. This way each child can have success, which in turn motivates them to try other things.
Now go play!
