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Skills to Pratice this Month
- See that your child has opportunities for rigorous physical activity, outside when possible, everyday.
- Your child should be able to run, jump, climb, swing, and know how to use balls.
Activities
Play ball! A large rubber ball is great for encouraging physical activity. Play with your child and encourage him to kick, throw, catch and run after the ball. Talk about the concepts of over, under, and through by asking your child to throw the ball over the flowers, roll the ball under the chair, toss the ball through his legs. Bounce the ball to each other and count the number of bounces together. Can he catch in one bounce, two bounces, or three bounces?
Set up a mini obstacle course outside using common items like a lawn chair, a trashcan, outdoor toys, etc. Place items for your child to jump into, crawl under, run around, and climb over. You and your child could pretend you are on the moon and these items are a spaceship, an astronaut, and a moon crater. Or ask him to pretend he is in the jungle or other exciting location.
Ask your child to pretend to be animals: hop like a frog, run like a puppy, fly like a bird, swim like a fish, and crawl like a bug.
Teach your child some of the outdoor games you may have played as a child: Mother May I?, Simon Says, Red Light-Green Light, Hopscotch, and Jump Rope games to encourage outdoor play and rigorous physical activity.
Useful Websites
- American Academy of Pediatrics
This page of the American Academy of Pediatrics web site provides information about promoting physical activity among youth.
- PBS Teacher Source
This site provides lessons, activities, and links to PBS shows related to health and fitness.
- The President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
This site is the health, physical activity, fitness and sports information website of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports. You can find out about the Council and its work, view publications, and link to the resources of other government agencies as well as to health and fitness organizations.
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