Warm Up Ball Golf

Equipment Required

Before the Lesson

Lay the buckets on their sides. Set up different holes throughout the classroom or space.

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for children to be active. Preschool children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity and 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity every day.

Overview

In this activity children will master manipulative skills using a ball and buckets.

How to Play

Give each child a ball and instruct them to do the following activities:

  • Have children roll their ball towards the open bucket. If a child misses, instruct him or her to try again, rolling the ball from the spot that it landed.
  • Let children practice in small groups and then play a game of ball golf. Ask children to “golf” all of the holes you created.
  • For an added challenge, set up barriers or obstacles that the children will have to “golf” around, under, through, etc, such as a chair’s legs or a homemade tunnel.

Activity 1 Going Fishing

Equipment Required

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for children to be active. Preschool children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity and 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity every day.

Overview

In this activity children will play cooperatively using a parachute.

How to play

Instruct children to sit on the floor in a circle holding the parachute stretched out with their legs underneath it.

Instruct children to imagine that the parachute is the sea/ocean and the children are fishing. The children’s toes are fish food. Create ripple or wave effects by shaking the edge of the parachute.

Once the waves are going well, select someone to be a fish. The fish must go underneath the parachute. The fish moves around underneath and because of the waves it will be difficult to see.

The fish is to select a child and touch him on his toes. The selected child can then go underneath the chute and is now the fish. The original fish switches position with the person he tagged.

Some children may have never seen the ocean or have been to a beach. Instead of basing the game on the ocean, pretend the parachute is a lake. Choose a lake that is close by.

Have the children switch positions and repeat the game.

Activity 2 Parachute Tag

Equipment Required

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is for children to be active. Preschool children should accumulate at least 60 minutes of structured physical activity and 60 minutes of unstructured physical activity every day.

Overview

In this activity children will play cooperatively using a parachute.

How to play

Instruct children to spread out around parachute standing up. Instruct children to lift the parachute high overhead. Call one child’s name and have him/her run (skip, hop, twirl or crawl) to the other side before the parachute comes down and tags him/her.

Cool-Down/Wrap-Up Rainbow Clouds

Equipment

How to play

Spread the parachute out on floor. Instruct children to lie down on the parachute.

Tell children that you are a magic fairy and that when you touch them on the shoulder they will instantly close their eyes and imagine that they are floating on a giant rainbow-colored cloud.

Tell children to imagine that they are floating on the cloud as they float over their neighborhood, bringing color to all the houses, animals and people as they go.

End the story by bringing children back down to earth safely.

Ask children to move to the edge of the parachute and instruct them in folding the parachute in to a small bundle. Encourage children to help you carry the parachute and put it away in the appropriate place.

Enrichment

Read The Busy Body Book, by Lizzy Rockwell. Discuss with children their favorite activities that keep their bodies busy!

Attention Teachers!

Following this activity, please fill out the teacher’s weekly log form for this lesson.

Weekly Log

Attention Teachers!

Following this activity, please fill out the teacher’s weekly log form for this lesson.