These activities provide preschoolers with daily opportunities for growth and development. One way to support physical advancement in preschoolers is through dance and movement by offering children different colorful scarves, and while listening to music, the educator encourages the children to pretend to be an eagle soaring high in the sky or a fleeting butterfly. This activity strengthens large gross and fine motor development and to encourage physical development progress this educator praise the children for their efforts, while allowing this age group to explore autonomy and learn self-regulation, (Morrison, 2015, Ch. 10).
Preschool: Physical Development – Age-appropriate Activities
I. Fine motor: Another Set of Hands?
Materials: scarves, bucket
Procedure:
1. The children use their toes to pick up scarves and put them in a bucket.
2. Another option: have child close their eyes/blind-fold one child at a time, and as they reach into the bucket to grab the scarf, ask what color is the scarf? The other children encourage if the child is getting warmer (red, orange colors) or colder (blue colors).
2. Afterwards teacher can encourage children to each get a scarf and pretend to be eagles soaring while dancing to diverse, rhythmic music.
*Development Bonus: is Coordination, social interaction and small/fine …show more content…
Place masking tape on the floor to create a pathway.
2. The children attempt to follow the path while balancing a beanbag on their head, then on their shoulder, elbow, and knee.
3. 3 they can use the. Same pathway for hopping with the beanbag on one knee or and the toes of one foot.
*Developmental Bonus: Coordination; Balance larger gross motor development.
III. Art: Textured Hands and Feet.
Materials: texture paper (wallpaper sampled), markers, and scissors.
Procedure:
1. The children trace around their hands and feet on textured paper (wallpaper is great).
2. Cut them out. Younger children and children with disabilities may need help cutting out their hands and feet.
3. Use later for bulletin boards or to create a mural or collage.
Things to talk about:
1. Have the children to observe and notice the difference in body parts? Hair - colors, texture, lengths?
*Developmental Bonus: body awareness, fine motor skills, social skills
IV. Science: Sound Canisters Marching Band
Materials: several coffee canisters, or potato chip cans with lids, dried rice, dried beans, dried corn, salt, colored tape or dot stickers.
Procedure:
1. Fill two cans one-half full with corn, two with beans, two with rice and two with