Physical

Articles~

• Movement and Breathing Breaks Helps Students Stay Focused on Learning

Fine Motor Play:

• Cutting Straws and Play Dough

• Early Motor Skills May Affect Language Development

• Homemade Tinker Toys

• How to Teach Handwriting Skills In Preschool

• Losing our grip: More students entering school without fine motor skills

• Motor Skills And More! Working on a Vertical Surface

• Pincer Grasp activities

• Playdough Task Cards (I Can statements)

• Understanding Motor Development in Children: Hand Dominance

Gross Motor Play:

• 7 Super Brain Building Gross Motor Activities

• Brain and Body: Gross Motor Skills

• Crossing the Bodies Mid-line

• Crossing the Midline: Learning Delays when Your Child can’t Cross the Midline

• Games and Activities and Strengthen Gross Motor Skills

• Indoor Gross Motor Play Ideas

• Indoor Recess Games and Activities for Preschoolers

• Obstacle Course

• Standing Pool Noodle Game

• Why Crossing the Midline Activities Helped this Child Listen to his Teacher

Quick and easy FREE PLAY Indoor Recess station ideas:

Indoor Recess submitted by Michele Mattachini

• BLOCK INTEREST AREA: Bean bag toss

• LARGE GROUP INTEREST AREA: Obstacle Course: Walk the line (tape on the floor), crawl through the tunnel, jump over the brook (jump rope/piece of cloth), step in the hoola hoops (football drill)

• DRAMATIC PLAY INTEREST AREA: Dance Party

• ENTRY DOOR AREA: Nerf BasketBall hoop (tally each time a shot is made)

All About the ECERS-R: A detailed guide in words & pictures to be used with the ECERS-R

#7 Space for Gross Motor Play, pg. 57

• Both indoor and outdoor spaces are acceptable for gross motor play, but outdoor space usually allows more freedom of movement and provides the fresh air that is absent in indoor spaces. (pg. 57)

• ...a block area used for dancing every afternoon would be evaluated as an indoor gross motor space. (pg. 58)

• ...all should have the opportunity to freely use the space for at least 1 hour a day...The 1 hour a day does not have to be provided all at one time (pg. 64)

• Classroom or hallway space can count as "some indoor space" if the space is reasonably large and open (through moving furniture if necessary). (pg. 64)

• Both indoor and outdoor spaces do not have to be used on the same day, but both must be available for use when needed.

• ...variety of surfaces, determine whether the surfaces in the outdoor space(s) enable children to successfully participate in different types of active play. (pg. 65)

#8 Gross Motor Equipment, pg. 69

• Gross motor equipment includes anything provided for or regularly permitted by the staff to be used for stimulating gross motor activity. (pg.69)

• This amount of time [1 hour] can include access to gross motor equipment indoors, outdoors, or a combination of both. (pg. 73)

• In the case when there is inclement weather, and children are unable to go outside, then some gross motor equipment should be provided indoors. For example, beanbags for tossing into boxes, parachutes for lifting, mats for tumbling, or soft foam balls for passing games. (pg. 73)

• Note that there is an expectation that the skills being encouraged would be developmentally challenging for the children in the group being observed. (pg. 75)

• ...might include pulling/pushing, pullin up by arms, swinging, jumping, hopping, using a jump rope, using a hula hoop, tossing, catching, throwing, or kicking balls. (pg. 75)

All About ECERS-R (spiral book)

#7 Space for Gross Motor Play, pg. 57

• At least one hard and one soft play surface large enough to permit a type of play must be accessible daily outdoors. (pg. 19)

#8 Gross Motor Equipment, pg. 69

• ...portable equipment such as balls, and sports equipment, wheel toys, tumbling mats, jump ropes, bean bags, and ring toss game. (pg. 21)

• To meet the requirement for a 'variety of skills," the equipment children can use should stimulate the development of 7-9 different skills. (balancing, climbing, ball play, steering and pedaling wheel toys, pulling/pushing, hanging by arms, swinging, jumping, hopping, using a jump rope, operating a hula hoop, tossing things into containers, catching, throwing, or kicking. (pg. 20-21)