Active Play!

1. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children

2. Get ready for fun! Here comes Dr. Craft’s Active Play! Craft, D., Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008. Special thanks to Dr. Diane Craft for her help in accessing these materials and for her generous permission to use them with participants in the National Early Care and Education Learning Collaboratives Project.

3. What is Active Play!? • An amazing resource for early care and education providers to get children moving, learning and having fun! • Fun game ideas and information to help teachers make physical activity a vital part of their daily routine. • An easy to read, Question & Answer format for busy teachers gets quickly to common concerns. • An activity book with a DVD showing 30 of the 52 activities in action! DVD can be played with optional voiceover to hear Dr. Craft’s thinking about her planning. • Ideas for newsletters and activities to engage families.

4. Key Messages • Physical activity is important to developing a happy, healthy child. • If physical activity is fun, children will want to participate. • We can thoughtfully involve children of all ages and abilities. • Children can learn cognitive concepts as well as basic movement skills through games. • Through play and movement, children learn about their bodies, as well as their feelings, taking turns, and sharing. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

5. Let’s look closer at Active Play! • Game Finder: p. vi-viii. • Importance of Physical Activity Q and A: pp 2-7 • Learning through Physical Activity Q and A: pp. 10-18 • Leading Physical Activities Q and A: pp. 20-32 • Physical Activities for Young Children: pp. 34-96 • Physical Activities for Infants and Toddlers: pp. 98-102 • Physical Activities for Families: pp. 110-114 • 20-Week Physical Activity Curriculum: pp. 116-120 Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

6. Alligator Pit p. 35 and Family Handout on p. 111 • Children will cross an imaginary alligator pit on a “balance beam” while carrying an object to put into the designated basket on the other side. • The adult or teacher pretends to be the alligator by moving their straight arms open and closed in front of them. • The teacher assures the children that the alligator will not come close to them unless they step off the “balance beam” or drop their object into the pit. • Vary the difficulty by how many objects they carry, how they carry the objects, or how they move across the “balance beam”. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

7. Clean Out the Backyard – Throwing pp. 38-39 • Divide a large area inside or outside with a barrier about 3’ high. • Place a variety of objects for throwing on both sides of the barrier: soft balls, nerf balls or rolled socks, at least 5 per child. • Begin with an equal number of children on each side of the barrier. • The goal is to throw all of the objects to the other side. Encourage the children to throw all the balls or socks on their side over the barrier to the other side. • Learning to throw is more important than accuracy. • Use verbal cues to help children develop throwing skills while having fun. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

8. Bubble Wrap Jumping p. 36. Children will want to jump again and again, when you tape a 10-12’ long strip of bubble wrap to the floor! Set up so the children move in only one direction to jump the length of the bubble wrap. Show the children how to jump with more power, bending their knees and lifting their arms. You may want to play lively music to encourage the children to jump to the beat of the music. Children will build skills and increase their cardiovascular strength and endurance. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

9. Running with Streamers p. 85 On a windy day, show children how to run with the wind! Tear off a 6’ length of crepe paper streamer, hold it in your hand and run with the streamer blowing behind you. Show the children the area where it is safe to run. You may need to put out cones for boundaries. Give each child a streamer and let them run with the wind. You can vary the activity by giving children two streamers, one for each hand. Or you could suggest the children run in different patterns: a big circle, figure eight or zig-zag. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

10. Musical Hoops p. 70 Begin this cooperative game with a hula hoop for each child. Place the hoops on the floor or open space outside, with plenty of room to walk around outside the hoops. Have each child stand inside a hoop. Use music as the cue to start moving around the area outside the hoops. When the music stops, each child finds a hoop and stands inside it. Each time the music stops, the teacher will take away one hoop, and encourage the children to share their hoop with a friend in need. Eventually the game ends with everyone in one hoop! Vary this game by changing the way the children move around the hoops each time. Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

11. Welcome Back fromActive Play! How did it go? What were your favorite activities? Refer back to the Choosy Kids Chart, I am learning to be Choosy. What words from the Movement Awareness Vocabulary relate to these activities? What Early Learning Standards do these activities support? What are some ways you think your staff could use these activities in their lesson plans? How could you involve families in these activities?

12. Family Physical Activity Pages pp 109-114 Give families fun activity ideas! Alligator Pit and Bubble Wrap Jumping are in your binder as handouts for you to share with families. Help families understand and support the LMCC guidelines for physical activity. Playing games together makes it fun for the whole family! Dr. Craft’s family activity pages are available at an additional cost or make up your own, based on what works in your center. Plan physical activity when parents pick up their children so they can see a game in action! Send home a handout so families can play at home. Families count on you as a resource! Craft, D.,Smith, C. Active Play! Fun Physical Activities for Young Children. Cortland, New York: Active Play Books; 2008.

13. Let’s Explore theActive Play! DVD… • All Stop and Go (Section 1 of DVD or p. 34 in book) • What are ways that this activity works on listening skills and impulse control? • Obstacle Course - Outdoor (Section 4 of DVD or p. 75 in book) • How could you do variations of this activity in your program? • Push and Pull Baskets (Section 4 of DVD or p. 82 in book) • What are the motor skills being developed in this activity?

14. Food for Thought… From all the activities done today, which ones would be the most fun to be sure to use in your program? Would they need more materials or resources to implement? How could you involve families?