Activities for Busy Bodies

CCCC

Activities for Busy Bodies
INFANT

Baby Push-Ups Lie on your back and place the baby on his belly against your chest. Or place him on his belly on a bed with his face near the edge, then crouch on the floor at face level with him. These positions help him grow comfortable being on his belly (since he sleeps on his back) and raising his head.
Batting Time When a baby is about two months old, hold a toy about six inches from her eyes and let her swipe or bat at it with her hand.
Getting a Kick Gently guide a baby's feet in a cycling motion. Soon she'll be doing it on her own, joyfully! It's a natural exercise in gaining muscle strength and control.
Chest Stretch Put the baby flat on back on the carpet or a covered pad on a table. Place your forefingers in the baby's hand to encourage a grip. If the baby does not grip, hold his/her forearms. Slowly stretch open the arms sidewards and gently close arms across the chest. At the same time, give a "snug hug."
Kick Back While your baby is lying on his back or sitting in an infant seat, place some gentle pressure against the soles of his feet: He'll love pushing against that pressure and exercising his newly developed strength.
Roll Around Place your baby tummy down on top of a big beach ball and slowly roll it back and forth and from side to side. This will help her develop balance and gain a new sense of space as she gets different views on her ride.
Crawling Challenge As a baby begins to master her crawling technique, create an obstacle course for her by stacking pillows on the floor so that she has to crawl over them or through a hoop, cardboard box tunnel. Challenge the child to crawl zigzag, straight, in circles, slowly, quickly, forward and backward.
Monkey Do Once your baby starts crawling or rolling across the floor, get on the floor and do it with him. He'll get a kick out of this, and it'll encourage him to work on these skills even more. Plus you'll be able to see just how hard he's working.
Peek and Seek Once your baby is mobile, let her see you hide around a corner, then come and find you.
Roll, Baby, Roll Sit on the floor a few feet away and roll a ball to your baby. Then try to get her to roll it back. Babies love rolling balls, in part because they go across the floor just as your baby wants to.
Ball Play Inflate a beach ball and let your baby push against it or hold on to it as she moves. For added fun, let her roll over the top of the ball (keeping a hand on her, of course!) and support herself with her hands on the floor.
Swing and Sway Sit on carpeted or padded surface facing the child, feet crossed in front of you. Grasp the child's hands and gently push and pull, swing and sway. Repeat the same action as both of you tug on opposite ends of a hand towel, rope, or hoop.
TODDLER

Blowin' in the Wind Send a feather or two along a breeze or blow bubbles. Children will love the thrill of the chase and capture!
Shake, Rattle, and Roll Put on the music you love and hop, jump, and dance along with a child. Movement to music helps a child to learn how to balance and shift his weight. It can help give a child the confidence he needs to move from a waddle to more mature walking.
Go and Stop Sing this simple command to a child (you make up the tune) while you model the appropriate action: "Spinning, spinning, spinning, everybody's spinning; spinning, spinning, spinning, and now it's time to stop!" Continue with clapping, hopping, and other motions a child enjoys. You are practicing fun physical skills, helping a child put names to the motions, and reinforcing the notions of starting and stopping.
Ring Around the Rosie This one little nursery rhyme offers multiple fun—the child gets to move himself around in a circle and practice falling down and getting back up again. It's an activity that supports the child's new physical sense of himself. It's also a delightful social activity, a great way to support language skills, and a cognitive exercise (learning to follow commands). "Hop (or jump) around the rosie" makes a nice change of pace.
Balance Beam Use a natural line in a home, such as a floorboard or even a long strip of masking tape on a rug, to practice walking a straight line. Try not to fall off!
Swing City Swinging helps to stimulate a child's vestibular system (the system that's in charge of keeping you upright and balanced). Assuming a child is in an infant or "bucket" swing, you can add a challenge. Give a child a beanbag to throw to you as he gently sways back and forth. By swinging and throwing, a child learns how to organize himself while moving. (If a child is unwilling or uncomfortable with letting go of the swing for this activity, that's fine. Don't force it.)
Drop and Pick Up Encourage the child to drop and pick up different objects such as a ball, feather, bib, or can. Also encourage your child to pick up an object such as a small toy using another object, like a large spoon. Demonstrate several times. Praise any action attempted and generously acknowledge accomplishment.
Over and Under Explore "over" and "under" by providing equipment - ropes, poles, hoops, climbing apparatus - that the child can walk, run, climb and jump "over" and "under".
Jack in the Box Show the child how to curl up into a tiny ball in an imaginary box and then to spring up when the lid is lifted. This can be accompanied by singing. This game is exciting and helps the child develop leg strength, balance, and spatial awareness.
PRESCHOOL

Broad Jump Although skills vary widely, children like to see how far they can jump. You may want to mark varying widths to represent a river. For additional safety, children can jump over mats.
Jump Bump The child tries to bump a hanging object, such as a beach or foam ball, suspended from a low ceiling. Ask the child to bump the object with a different body part each time.
Jack Be Nimble Jumps Preschool children enjoy the chance to act out stories. Ask each child to jump over “candlesticks” without knocking them down. As each child jumps, sing the rhyme and insert his or her name.
A Balance Act Here’s a plan for six balancing stations that can be set up in a large room or backyard. A teacher or aide can stand near the stations to help.
Station 1: Walking Cans - The child walks on stilts made from coffee cans.
Station 2: Balance Boards - The child uses both feet on a balance board suited to his or her skill level. Boards may have rounded bases, small bases, or wide bases. Ask a child to be:
an airplane - Child stands on one leg, arms out to sides. Have her raise back leg up as high as she can without leaning forward, keeping her head up.
a stork - Child stands on one leg, sideways on the beam and bends the other leg so that the sole of his foot touches inside of knee of the standing leg. Use arms for balance
Station 3: Balance Blocks - The child walks on 4X4-inch and 2X2-inch wooden blocks.
Station 4: Beam - The child walks across low, then higher, balance beams. Have your child walk, jog, skip, and hop along the beam. Emphasize good posture and confidence.
Station 5: Hoop on Beam - The child steps over a hoop laid flat on a low beam, then through a hoop held vertically on the beam.
Station 6: Pathways - The child balances bean bags on different parts of the body while walking along pathways taped in straight, zigzag, and circular lines.

Zoo Loo Have the children move their bodies to imitate animals' movements. Music or use percussion instruments to encourage the children to:
slither along the ground like a snake;
stomp along like a big black bear;
hop like a kangaroo that never stops;
crawl along like a slow old turtle carrying his heavy house on his back;
fly like a bird so high in the sky;
climb like a monkey up in a tree;
gallop like a horse crossing in a field.

Caterpillar Have the children lie stomach down on the floor, body extended, hands and feet stretched out. Ask the children: "If you walk all stretched out on the floor with your arms and legs, what bug are you?" (a caterpillar); "Can you walk without bending your arms and legs?... moving hands only?... then moving feet only?"; "Now, pretend you've climbed up onto a leaf.”

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