SCARF GAMES Encourage the child to follow the movement of the scarf with his/her head and eyes. Try dropping the scarf and encourage the child to “catch” the scarf with his/her hand, head, elbow, foot, etc. Play video                   additional information   SPORTS SONG (Sing with the melody of “The Wheels on the Bus”) Encourage the child to perform the actions of the song. Use motions you have seen the child do spontaneously. See if they can be replicated on cue from the songs. Play video                   additional information   IF YOU'RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT Sing this well-known action song and encourage the child to perform the activities. Try replacing “clapping” with stomp your feet; rub your belly; shake your body; tap your head; etc. Play video                   additional information Observations and Tips Use high energy and enthusiasm to encourage participation in all the activities. Make note of the child's ability to remember lyrics, activities and/or body parts and reinforce those areas in other activities such as eating and dressing. Play video                     "I SPY WITH MY LITTLE EYE..." floor markers, bean bags A player calls out the name of an object that is visible and then everyone races to the object by walking, running crawling, etc. Progress the game by calling out a feature of an object (color, shape, etc). If it is a color, (e.g., blue) each player can go to a different object that is blue. Players can also go in pairs, if someone is challenged by colors or shapes. Play video                   additional information   OBSTACLE COURSE cones, floor markers, hoops, dowels Encourage verbal, color recognition, object recognition and counting development by calling out colors, names and numbers of objects used in each activity. Ask children to repeat the objects you reference, including their name, color and number. Set up cones, hoops, etc., and have the child play “follow the leader.” Sing or chant the activities you are doing, such as: over/under, around/between, on/off, slow/fast. Play video                   additional information Observations and Tips Make note of the concepts the child has mastered and those that are still developing (e.g., knows on/off, not up/down; identifies red, not blue). Incorporate concepts during play and other activities such as giving directions to moving around stationary objects like a couch or crawl under a table to retrieve a play toy. Play video                   INCHWORM WIGGLE Bend forward so that hands and feet are on the ground and encourage the child to move like an inchworm by walking the hands forward and then walking the feet up to the hands. Play video                   additional information   BUNNY HOP Bend forward so that hands and feet are on the ground and encourage the child to hop like a bunny by moving the hands forward and then hopping the feet up to the hands. Play video                   additional information   BRIDGES AND TUNNELS Tunnel: One player forms a tunnel by touching the ground with his/her feet and hands or by getting down onto hands and knees (all-fours). The other player crawls, scoots, walks or runs through the tunnel. Bridges: One player forms a bridge by sitting with his/her feet and hands flat on the ground and pushing his/her bottom up in the air. The other playe crawls, scoots, walks or runs under the bridge. Play video                   additional information Observations and Tips Make note of approximately how many times the child can perform the activity (inchworm wiggle, bunny hop) or how long the child can hold up the bridge or tunnel. Encourage more repetitions or more time over several weeks to develop muscular strength and endurance. Encourage bridges and tunnels to be rigid and strong while people and objects pass under and through.