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Archive for the 'Active Play' Category
While having fun playing with a play parachutes, parachute games encourage cooperative play, noncompetitive play, and reinforces sharing and taking-turns. Play parachute games also helps with strengthening upper body muscles, primarily the muscles in the shoulders, arms, and hands, and gross motor skills. When playing together, parachute games develop perceptual motor skills and a sense of rhythm. Language activities can also be incorporated into most parachute games.
See-Saw Pull: From a sitting position, pull the parachute back and forth in a see-sawing motion.
Make Waves: While gripping the parachute, everyone moves their arms up and down to make small and large waves.
Wave: Where one person puts hands up and person next to her follows action. (like the wave at a baseball game)
The Ocean: Pretend the parachute is the ocean. Try to let everyone who wants to have a turn ‘in the ocean’. Everyone is standing and one or two children (shoes off) go toward the center and lie down - then all make waves - it’s a neat sensation.
Mushroom: From a standing position, ask all the children to bend down and take hold of the parachute. When the leader calls “up”, all the children raise their arms lifting the parachute up as high as they can, then everyone takes 3-4 giant steps toward the center - making a mushroom shape, pulling the chute behind them and then they sit on the edge of the chute.
Ball Roll: Try to roll balls into the hole in the center of the parachute.
Popcorn: Start with everyone holding the chute stretched out. Place a number of small plastic balls, beanbags, or small stuffed animals on the chute. Shake the chute to make them rise like popcorn. See how quickly you can bounce them off without letting go of the parachute.
Poison Snake: Place four to six pieces of yarn or rope on the chute. By shaking the chute, try to make them hit the players on the other side. Keep track of who gets bitten.
Parachute games encourage cooperative group play that reinforces turn-taking and sharing and helps to build muscle tone. Parachute activities are usually quite physical. To avoid injuries and to maximize the fun, explain the terms and rules to your children before approaching the parachute.
Playing with a parachute will also help develop perceptual, cognitive, motor, and academic skills, that can be used in many aspects of a child’s life.
Terms:
Directionality - Forward, Backward, up, down, clockwise, counter-clockwise, right hand, left hand, high, low, and sideways.
Locomotor Skills - Skipping, hopping, walking, running, jumping, galloping, and leaping.
Movement Skills - Fast, slow, accelerating, decelerating, light, and heavy.
Ways to grip the parachute:
Rules & Safety:
Parachute games are for all ages; however, you may need to change each game for the age group that is involved. The nature of parachute games means that children are actively running around, pulling the chute, crawling around, and possibly climbing on other children. Playing with a play parachute is generally very safe; however, from time to time, an accident will happen.
To avoid injuries, explain the following rules:
Have the children remove their shoes before approaching the parachute.
Encourage the children to space themselves around the parachute so that there are no large gaps. If there is a large gap, roll up the parachute - making a smaller parachute.
Have the children hold the parachute with both hands at all times. Don’t allow the children to remove their hands in order to hit balls.
The children should take care of others: they should not kick under the parachute and they should watch their elbows, either of these can cause injuries.
If the parachute is used for trust exercises, i.e. walking on air - parachute game, use play mats under the play area.
If the parachute has a hole in the middle, please ensure that the children know it is dangerous to place their head through the center.
If these precautions are taken, your children will have an entertaining and educational experience with the play parachute.
It is important to keep your children safe when they are playing on their outdoor swing set. To promote safety during their active play, it is ALWAYS recommended to provide adult supervision and be actively involved. Stay alert, move around, and keep your kids in sights, especially your young ones.
1) Go over basic precautions with your children, such as, always taking turns and sliding down feet-first on the slide.
2) Refrain children from walking close to, in front of, behind or between moving play features.
3) Refrain children from twisting swing chains or ropes since this may reduce the strength of these items
4) Warn children to avoid swinging empty swing seats or gliders
5) Teach children to sit in center of swings with their full weight on the swing seats
6) Teach children to use the backyard playset in the intended manner.
7) Teach children not to get off play equipment while still in motion.
8) To avoid potential clothing hazards, while your children are using their backyard playsets, make sure they are wearing well-fit clothing and shoes.
(Avoid loose fit clothing or items with loose strings: drawstring pants, ponchos, halter-tops, scarves, or etc…)
9) Children should wear shoes at all times.
10) Allow your child to only play on equipment that is appropriate to his age.
11) Make sure the playground surface, underneath swings, climbers, and slide has the appropriate ground protection. (Standard lawn and grass areas are not considered as ground protection.)
12) Refrain children from climbing on playground structures when wet.
13) Bring a safety kit with you.
(This can be as simple as a zip-lock bag that contains some wet wipes, antibiotic cream and a few adhesive bandages.)
14) Make sure your child is wearing sunscreen and stays properly hydrated.
For more safety tips - view our other articles or visit our web-site: Playground Equipment Safety.
Information is supported by the National Program for Playground Safety
Do you want to provide your child with an interactive early childhood activity that doesn’t require batteries, fuel cells, or liquid fuel, and promotes physical activity that is safe, inexpensive, and quiet?
If the answer was YES, then check out this PlasmaCar by PlaSmart!
The PlasmaCar is a unique active ride-on toy that is sleek and aerodynamic, just like a race car, and is easy to operate on any smooth, flat surface.
It is also built to last because it is made of state-of-the-art, high-quality ABS plastics, rugged and durable for your child that is on the go. It features six wheels, a seat, footrests and a steering wheel. That is all it take to operate your PlasmaCar - other than your child. There are no pedals, no gears, and no batteries required.
The PlasmaCar is available in green, purple, blue, or red.
Your child will love how fast they can go on the PlasmaCar, and at the same time they will be physically active, increasing their coordination skills, and building upper-body muscle strength.
Here is how it works!
To propel the PlasmaCar, you rotate the steering wheel continuously from left to right. It also works in reverse. To zoom backwards, just switch the set of four front wheels around so that the larger ones are closest to the front of the car. To stop your PlasmaCar, just cease rotating the steering wheel and, when the car slows, put your feet on the ground to bring it to a full stop.
The PlasmaCar can go 2.8 meters per second - that’s over 10 km/h, yet be safe for your child. As with all bike activities, we also recommend the use of a child’s bike helmet.
The PlasmaCar is Pure Energy and Pure Fun!
Play Parachutes come with or without handles and a variety of different sizes.
We recommend that your play parachute has handles, because it is easy for kids to hold on to the handle as the parachute waves in the air.
To select the size of the play parachute depends on two factors:
1) What is the area that you have to use the play parachute?
2) What is quantity of people that you want to us the play parachute at a time?
The 6 foot play parachute has 8 handles that works great for 3 to 4 people at a time.
The 12 foot play parachute has 12 handles that will accomidate from 4 to 6 people.
The 20 foot play parachute will accomidate with its 16 handles - 6 to 8 people.
A 24 foot play parachute has 20 handles and is great for 8 to 10 people.
When selecting a play parachute, for durability purposes, select a high quality nylon parachute that is double stitched. We recommend that you always store your parachute in a carry/storage bag. (Never use the play parachute for a sunshade or exposed to the sunlight for an extend time period. Nylon detoriorates very quickly in direct sunlight.)
With the use of parachute games, through cooperative group play, a play parachute will help build upper-body strengthening and muscle tone. Parachute play also will help develop perceptual, cognitive, motor, social, and academic skills.
Young children enjoy rhythmical and musical activities; older people find it enjoyable and challenging by tossing a ball with the play parachute and moving as a team to catch it.
Parachute Games:
Wave: This is like the wave at a football stadium. One child starts out by raising his arms up or down in the air and the next child then follows the motion of the child before him.
Running by Numbers: Run underneath and switch places with the other playmates. Provide a number of the locations on the parachute, then call out the number. This parachute game is a pleasure for all ages.
Parachute Tag: Everyone lifts the parachute over their head. Call out the child’s name and they need to skip, hop, or crawl to the other side. The challenge is to make it to the other side before the parachute comes down and tags them.
Bouncing Balls: Hold the parachute tight at about chest level with 2 or 3 foam balls. Have 3 or 4 children get underneath the parachute and then they need to try to knock the balls off while the children holding the chute need to try to keep them on.
Get a play parachute and get the health benefits of play parachute games.
Children love to imagine owning their own home and making the rules.
Do you remember your old tree house, fort, or hide-out area? This was the one place where you could do imaginary active play activities, socialize with friends, or sit back in your quiet place and read a book.
Well, the Breckenridge Playhouse is a wonderful place for your children. Let them play house, camp-out, or perform their own imaginary active play activities.
It features:
1) Factory-stained and sealed wood that is resistant to rot, decay, and insect damage. No painting, staining, or roofing is required.
2) The window and door panes are made of polycarbonate and are completely functional.
3) The Breckenridge Playhouse also has a front porch area, a flower box, and gable exhaust vents that are screened.
This playhouse kit is panelized for quick assembly and comes with everything you need.
Your children will enjoy their Breckenridge Playhouse for years!
According to the Physical Activity Guidelines of Americans, your child should have 60 minutes (1 hour) or more of active play each day.
Active play is a vital part of your child’s early childhood development because it increases their heart rate(aerobics), builds their muscles, increases their balance, and strengthens their bones. Active play is any physical activity in which your child is actively moving at a moderate-intensity or vigorous-intensity rate. (For example, walking for a distance is moderate-intensity and playing chase is vigorous-intensity.)
Encourage your child to participate in active play activities that are enjoyable to them and offer variety. By investing in a wooden outdoor play structure, you would be providing your child with a place to enjoy many active play activities that would promote aerobic play, muscle strengthening, and bone strengthening. Your child can pretend that he is swinging from vine to vine, like Tarzan, as he swings on the swing, a mountain climber climbing up the rock wall, or an Olympian - climbing the ladder and sliding down the slide.
Make playing on your wooden outdoor play structure part of your child’s daily routine.
DID YOU KNOW:
Obesity in children has increased: Data from NHANES surveys (1976–1980 and 2003–2006) show that the prevalence of obesity has increased: for children aged 2–5 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 12.4%; for those aged 6–11 years, prevalence increased from 6.5% to 17.0%; and for those aged 12–19 years, prevalence increased from 5.0% to 17.6%.
For more information - look up obesity - at cdc.gov