The Pleasure of Healthy Play

Spring equals time for young children to get out there and play! Happy, healthful outdoor play is important for building muscular readiness… and that’s needed for all sorts of gross and fine motor skills used in academics.

Here are six easy suggestions for children to shake off those winter doldrums and get back to their “business” of play:

• Review rules before starting a game. For example, the “goal” is scored when the soccer ball is kicked between the two rocks in the yard.
• Have a quiet game follow an active one. Play “I Spy” after a rigorous game of tag.
• Sharpen eye-hand coordination. Toss a tennis ball for him to catch. Start about 3 feet apart. Then, as he gets good at catching, increase the distance by one or two feet at a time.
• Couple rhyming with coordination. Help her say poems while jumping rope…or make up rhymes as she jumps.
• Play hopscotch for balance and number recognition. For younger children go with the classic 1-8 hopscotch grid. For first or second graders put simple addition or subtraction in each box that must be solved before jumping.
• Play to strengthen social/emotional skills. Hide and seek is a great game for three or more children. Interacting with other children, problem-solving (Where did they go?) and the satisfaction of “finding” can help build confidence and friendships.

Take advantage of the nice weather and let your children be children and play their time away!

> Make Learning Fun With Classic Childhood Games

> Creative Play Leads to Learning