5 fun activities to get your family moving

I am moving, I am learning!

Here is a series of 5 fun, easy-to-learn activities designed to get your family moving around, having fun, and building your child’s gross and fine motor skills.

Day 1: I SPY…WALK-RUN-SKIP!
Day 1 takes the timeless game “I spy” on the GO for this week’s theme “I am moving, I am learning!”
What To Do:
Take a family walk around the block or on a walking trail. Take turns finding items to “I spy.” Start out by walking together and have one family member pick the object to spy. Without telling the rest of the family what the item is, give a clue in the form of “I spy with my walking eyes_____.” Take turns guessing. When a person guesses the item correctly they get to run as fast as they can ahead of the rest of the group for the count of 10. 1…2…3…4….and so on. At 10 the “finder” stops and waits where they are while the rest of the group skips to meet them. Once in a group again have another member of the family pick an item to spy and repeat.

Day 2: BALANCE…FIND YOUR CENTER!
Day 2 is all about learning and practicing balance. Find a scarf, dog leash, rope or long piece of tape. Lay the item on the floor in either a straight line or a zigzag. Encourage your little one to balance while walking forward and backward on the item. Then ask them to try walking with their eyes open and shut.
This activity works best with bare or sock feet.

Day 3: BOX GAME!
Find a medium to large box from around your home. Cut a few holes in the box big enough for your child to crawl through. Encourage your little to crawl inside the box and see how small she can get inside of the box. She can curl into a ball, bend herself in half, or scrunch up like a frog. Have her practice getting very small inside of the box and then getting very long outside of the box.

Day 4: STEP GAME!
Your family can play this movement game indoors or outdoors. To prepare, find a deck of playing cards (or you can make your own cards). Take out all of the cards with the numbers 2 through 5. Place those cards in a cup or bucket. To play, everyone lines up side by side. Each person takes turns drawing their own cards. For every black numbered card, take that many steps forward. For every red numbered card, take that many steps backwards. Switch it up and try hops or slides instead of steps. Be creative and have fun!

Day 5: SOCK TOSS!
Day 5’s game will have you moving with just a few pairs of socks and a laundry basket!
Roll a few pairs of socks into a ball. If two people are playing, have one person take the light colored socks and the other person take the dark colored socks. Take turns throwing the socks into the basket from different locations in the room. Try to be creative in your throwing style!