Preschool/KG
From200 Essential Preschool Activities,
Julienne M. Olson
What to have
MATERIALS
- Large blankets
What to do
GAME SETUP
This is an obstacle game in which everyone
can participate. The children will be learning about positional and special concepts while they travel through the obstacles. Set up four stations, as described below, with blankets at each station.
HOW TO PLAY
At the first station, four children hold the
corners of a blanket while the other children crawl under it. They lift the blanket high and low to see if their friends can walk under it or need to crawl on their bellies. At the second station, children take turns lying on the edge of a blanket. They grab the side and roll themselves up like hot dogs. Their friends can come over and pat on toppings like mustard, cheese, and onions. (Some children may not want to roll themselves up in the blanket, so allow them an extra turn at putting on toppings.)
The third station includes several sizes of
blankets. Ask children to guess how many
friends can fit on or under a blanket. They
should practice counting while they test their predictions. The sides of a large blanket can be sewn together to explore how many children can fit inside. The fourth station requires two adults. Ask them to hold the corners of the blanket
while a child lies in the middle. They pick up the corners so the child is above the floor and can be gently swung in the blanket. The rest of the children can sing “Rock-a-bye [child’s name].” The adults let the blanket down softly at the end of the song so the child can roll out.
Why
WHAT ARE CHILDREN LEARNING?
Children are learning spatial concepts such
as high, low, on, and under. They are making predictions and experimenting with their ideas when they count how many friends fit on the blankets. They are learning about sizes when they figure out that the big blankets hold more children than the small ones. They are singing songs and working together to hold the corners of the blanket and add toppings on their hot dog friends.
For more activities check out
200 Essential Preschool Activities:
By Julienne M. Olson Copyright 2012 Preschool/KG