The stars and stripes — the perfect symbol of freedom and the object of adoration for the 4th of July. Teaching your children all about the flag and what it represents is such an important part of being an American.
This is a fun gross motor activity that does just that as children race to build their own flag!
What You’ll Need:
-A red, disposable table cloth,
-A roll of white crepe paper
-4 sheets of blue construction paper
-White chalk.
What to do:
Explain to the children that they will be building the American Flag. If you want to provide a little background and some fun facts about the flag, this is a great link from FUN FACTS.
In this game, it is not important that they get all 13 of the stripes or all 50 of the stars, we are just looking for the general idea of how the colors are arranged on the flag.
Place all of the materials in one spot and instruct the children to stand near them. The red tablecloth will be the base of the flag. The white crepe paper will be torn into streamers for the stripes. The blue paper is for the top left corner where the stars will be and the white chalk will be used to draw stars.
Decide where you want the flag to be constructed. You can utilize a vertical surface with tape (e.g. a garage door) or just play on the grass, driveway, or other flat surface — just be aware of the wind, it is not a friend when working with crepe paper and plastic table cloths :).
Give instructions for gross motor activities for the children to perform to get from the supply area to the place where the flag will be made. For instance, if they are bringing a stripe (white crepe paper streamer) to put on the flag, they have to skip. If they are bringing the red tablecloth — the base of the flag — they have to run.
Get the idea? The relay continues until the flag is finished!
How to Change it Up:
-This activity can be done with a lot of kids in a relay race style or with just one child! Same rules, same result!
-If your child cannot draw stars, it’s okay….any little mark will do! In our pictures, we used cotton balls!! Again, we are going for the concept, not perfection
-If it’s too hard for kids to remember which action is assigned to each piece of the flag, call out a gross motor movement each time they take a piece!
Skill Areas Addressed:
Gross motor skills, coordination, motor control, balance, cognitive skills, fine motor skills, grasp, visual motor integration
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GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES: BUILD A FLAG RELAY RACE – The Inspired Treehouse