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Action Kids 500 - Example Activities

Action Kids 500 features 500"physical development with fun" activities for 2 - 5 year old children.

Below is a sample of the type of activities found in the manual. Simply click on the category of the acitivty below to take you straight to it.

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NB* Illustrations in the manual are in black and white

Warm Up

I touch my head, I touch my feet, I curl up very small. I shake my hands, I shake my feet, And stretch up very tall.

(children touch head) (children touch feet) (children curl up very small) (children shake their hands) (children shake their feet) (children stretch up very tall)

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Spatial Awareness Activities
Shapes

(As Explained at the beginning of this manual markers can come in all shapes, sizes and colours. For this game start with two different shapes e.g. 'hands' and 'spots')

Children stand on their own marker and draw around the shape of it with a finger to identify the shape they are standing on (e.g. hand or spot).

On a signal from the adult children move in and out of all the markers and each other in a way designated by the adult.

When the adult calls "Find your shape" the child stands on any marker which is the same shape as his/her own.

this could be developed by the adult holding up one shape and children stand by the same shape on the floor.

(This game could also be used to help children identify simple mathematical shapes e.g. circle, square, triangle.)

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Activities Leading to Gymnastics
Taking Photographs

Children walk (or run, bounce, gallop, skip, hop, slide etc.) in and out of the markers or the space and each other and on "stop" .........

1. Stretch up very tall pointing fingers to the ceiling or ...
2. Curl up very small like a ball (or a hedgehog!) or ...
3. Stretch out as wide as possible or ...
4. Lie down on the floor and stretch out long or ...
5. Lie down on the floor and stretch out wide or ...
6. As the children hold these positions the adult "takes a photograph" of the still position. Children must stay very still until the adult makes a clicking noise and "takes the photograph". When the photograph is taken the children can move again.
7. Children are asked to sometimes move into the shape quickly and sometimes move into
   slowly.

(This activity helps children to understand stretched high and low movements and curled up movements. They should not all be introduced at the same time but rather learn one then add a second later when they are ready. As soon as more than one position is learned the activity can become a game e.g. each time they stop call a different shape for them to take up.)

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Activities Leading to Games
Throwing and Catching

(When children are learning to catch there should be available a variety of balls. Balls of different sizes, weights and textures should be included and also, if possible. juggling scarves and balloons blown up in light plastic cases.)

Children select a piece of equipment which is suitable for their stage of development (i.e. larger lighter balls, juggling scarves, and balloons are easier to throw up into the air and take longer to come down so children have more time to prepare for catching them. Smaller, heavier balls are more suitable for children who can already catch reasonably efficiently.)

1. They should be given the chance to freely practise throwing the ball, balloon, scarf into the air and catching.
2. Children could practise keeping an encased balloon up in the air by patting it.
3. They could practise rolling or throwing a ball against a wall and catching the rebound.

(When catching a ball, children should stretch their arms and hands towards it. Initially they will catch the ball in a "basket" i.e. catching with their arms and immediately bending their elbows to secure it in the basket. You should encourage children to gradually catch by extending their aims and catching the ball in their hands.)

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Activities Leading to Dance
Painting

Ideally this session should closely follow a painting activity

Children can be encouraged to remember what they did when they were painting (e.g. dipping the brush, shaking or wriggling the brush to collect paint on the bristles).

Children should find a space and practise "jumping into the pot" then shake and wriggle. When they have had time to explore and practise the adult uses a tambourine to structure what they are doing. (Strong tambourine beat to jump into the pot then shake the tambourine to wriggle the brush.)

A pattern is established of jump and wriggle x3.

Children look at some paintings (or their own paintings) and talk about the patterns they can see. They then try to paint the pattern on the floor with their feet (this can involve walking, tip-toeing or controlled running without bumping into each other. Markers on the floor will help encourage safe moving).

Children practise joining the two sets of movement together i.e. jump and wriggle x3 and painting patterns on the floor with their feet.

They repeat the dip and shake x3 pattern (to change the colour of the paint) and then paint big curves in the air with their hands (sometimes high and sometimes low - stretch to make the shapes very large).

As children practise to the music they will gradually be able to perform and complete the dance. To enhance the imagination and create a starting and finishing position children should "stand tall and thin like a paintbrush" to start the dance and could finish by lying down long and thin "like a paintbrush we have put down."

Dance Framework

• stand tall and thin
• jump and shake x3
• paint a pattern on the floor with your feet
• jump and shake x3
• paint a pattern in the air with your hands
• lie down long and thin.

(Initially the two periods of "painting" could be the same e.g. painting patterns on the floor with their feet and then gradually be developed to the final framework.)

Accompaniment - Music from the "Dance" section, No 2 "Painting" (Click to Listen)

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Calming Down Activities

Everyone lies down on the floor very quietly in a space with their eyes closed.
The adult tip-toes around the room gently touching each child in turn on the foot to "wake them up."
When they have been touched they open their eyes and tip-toe quietly to sit in a pre-arranged spot. (e.g. a circle made up with markers on the floor) Can everyone be sitting down without a word being spoken?

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Planning

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