Thursday, December 9, 2021

More Motor Planning Activities for Kids!

In my last post, I shared about motor planning, which is the ability to plan, organize, sequence, and carry out actions. Below you will find some more kid-friendly motor planning activities!

 

Kick Ball: You and your child get in a crab walking position facing each other with a balloon in the middle. Kick the balloon up in the air with one foot and take turns trying to keep the ball in the air by kicking it.

 

Bean Bag Toss: Tape different shapes on the floor and give the child several beanbags. Tell the child to toss a bag on the square first, then on the circle, then on the triangle. If you have various colors, say “toss the blue bag inside the green square, etc.”  Increase the complexity of the directions as needed.

 

Cereal Stacking: Stick a toothpick into a piece of foam or a small ball of clay/putty and have child place fruit loops or cheerios on the toothpick using the tongs. If they squeeze to hard, they’ll crush the cereal, so this is great for increasing control and dexterity.

 

Sticky Note Targets: Write letters or draw shapes on yellow sticky notes and stick them to the wall. Give the child a small ball (ping pong or Nerf ball and have them throw it at the target “letter or shape” that you call out.

 

Net Toss: Get a net (butterfly) from the dollar store and have the child catch a nerf ball with the net when you throw it to different sides of his body.