| Gross Motor Equipment and Materials | ||
|---|---|---|
| Skills | Equipment | Uses |
| Coordination | Playground balls
Sport balls (football, soccer, basketball, tennis available in foam) Large floor balls Whiffle balls Basket/hoop Goal/net Hula hoops Bean bags, ring toss Foam “noodles” or bats Horseshoes (foam or rubber) Bowling pins (plastic) Ball catcher cups Frisbees Streamers/scarves |
Throwing, catching, rolling,
Kicking, foot/hand dribbling, striking, throwing Rolling, pushing, stretching Throwing, catching, striking Aiming, tossing Aiming (kicking/throwing) Twisting, rotating, spinning Aiming, tossing Striking, “fencing” Aiming, tossing Aiming, rolling Tossing, catching Tossing, catching Twirling, back-forth, up-down |
| Balance | Ball hopper (large ball with handle)
Beam Rubber floor spots Cup stilts |
Bouncing
Balancing while moving Controlled stepping/jumping Controlled stepping |
| Agility | Jump ropes
Mesh ladder (laid on ground) Collapsible crawling tunnel Cones (like small traffic cones) Bases Parachute Scooter/roller boards Tumbling mats Jumping sacks |
Twirling, jumping in rhythm
Stepping Crawling Navigating obstacles Landing, stopping Running under, stopping/starting Stopping/starting, turning Rolling, creeping, crawling Hopping |
| Power | Rubber activity bands
Tricycles Wagon Jump-off board (can be anything) |
Stretching, pulling
Pedaling, turning, starting, stopping Pulling, pushing Long jumping |
| Speed | Batons/sticks | Relays |
While older children might enjoy more complicated physical games with teams or a specified number of players and rule structures, such as soccer, children younger than age 6 don’t have a fully developed sense of the abstract concept of “rules.” Thus, games for children in preschool tend to be simple and require teacher guidance and modeling. Children under the age of 5 or those who have not yet acquired an understanding of rules are not yet psychologically prepared to be highly competitive (Gartrell, 2007). Young children play games for the sake of playing, such as those that involve running or skipping and those that include role-playing (i.e., pretending to be an animal, airplane, etc.). Modifying games to reduce competition and make sure everyone gets a turn to lead or follow nurtures a sense that all children “win” through successful participation. Table 8.4 describes familiar games or variations you might use that promote gross motor skills.
Parachute Games
Visions of America / Superstock
A particularly useful piece of equipment for the development of gross motor skills is the parachute, which is commercially available in different sizes for use with children of varying ages. The parachute is made of very lightweight fabric and circular, sewn together in wedges so that it will easily billow and move evenly when manipulated in different ways. If no parachute is available, a bed sheet can be modified to circular shape or used as is, but it will not react to the motions children apply to it in exactly the same way.
Working with a parachute requires coordination, as children must observe what everyone else is doing and time their actions simultaneously. It also develops agility, as parachute activities involve a range of motions with the entire body. Following is a short description of the use of a parachute with young children (adapted from the website for Hummingbird Educational Resources).
Getting started: When you are introducing the parachute, space children evenly around the outside edge and tell them to hold onto it with both hands. Have them carefully step backward until the parachute is taut. Then they must lower it to the ground. At your signal (choose a word the children will remember, like mushroom), have all the children pull the chute upward simultaneously. The chute will fill with air and rise up to form a dome. Practice this before moving on to other games.
Variations:
- Running together under the chute
- Letting go entirely and watching the chute rise
- Putting a ball on top of the chute and coordinating different kinds of motions to move it around the chute
- Having the children all go underneath chute and creep/crawl together to move the chute, making “waves” by moving chute up and down together, varying speed and range of motion
- Operating the chute while all are sitting on the ground
- Pulling the chute back and forth
- Calling out one or more children at a time to run under the chute and back out before it falls
- Having each child hold the chute with one hand and walk it around in a circle