Throwing Practice

What do you do on days that it is so cold and damp outside that you just can't bear the thought of bundling up to play?  We have had a few of those days lately, but Little Guy still needs a way to get out some energy and work on some large motor skills.  We recently practiced our throwing!

All you need is a collection of balls and/or beanbags and a laundry basket. 

 We have been talking a lot about taking turns lately, so Little Guy and I took turns choosing an object and throwing it into the basket!  We did this for at least 20 minutes, filling the basket 3 times!

Aiming for the basket...

...almost made it!

This activity took almost no time to set up and was fun for both us!  What large motor activities do you do in the winter?

The Color Game

Another way we have been practicing colors is with the color game.  This is a fun game that we started playing outside on our patio, and moved inside as the weather cooled off.

Materials needed:

• sidewalk chalk, 6 colors (if playing outside)
• different colors of construction paper, 6 colors, 2 sheets of each color (if playing inside)
• large die
• labels (to put on the die)
• packing tape (optional)

Set up:

• Using the sidewalk chalk, draw a circle on the sidewalk.  You will need 6 different colors, and 1 circle of each color for each person playing.  For example, I drew 2 pink circles, 2 blue circles, 2 green circles, 2 white circles, 2 orange circles, and 2 yellow circles.  For inside play, arrange your 6 colors of paper in a circle. 
• Using the labels, label each side of the die with one of the colors you used for the circles.  (Optional- put packing tape over the labels to ensure they do not fall off.)

To play:

• Roll the die.  Whatever color lands up, the player (preferable the toddler) must identify the color, then jump onto a corresponding circle.
• Repeat.
• Don't forget to giggle and have fun!

Get ready to jump....

Blue!

What ways do you incorporate learning into gross motor skills?

We linked up to No Time for Flash Cards Linky Party!

Color Practice: Throwing blocks

Little Guy is getting pretty good at recognizing different colors.  As a way to practice, I will have him identify colors of various things.  One thing that works well for this is a set of rubber blocks.  In the set, there are 2 blue, 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 green, and 2 orange.  In addition to practicing color recognition, we can use these blocks to work on some large motor skills; in this case, throwing.

I gave Little Guy the blocks and had him stand at the edge of the carpet.  (This provided a natural boundary that he did not cross and kept him from dropping the blocks into the basket.)  I set a laundry basket about 2-3 feet in front of him.  He had to identify the color of the block, then throw it into the laundry basket.  It turned out quite fun!

Thanks to No Time for Flash Cards for the inspiration for this activity!

How do you incorporate large motor skills into your other learning activities?