GROSS MOTOR ACTIVITIES: GARDEN TAG

Coming up with gross motor activities to do in the garden should be simple, right?  But, for some reason, the only thing that was coming to mind was the song “Skip To My Lou”….I have NO idea why!  With the song stuck in my head, I was finally able to cook up this fun game – Garden Tag!  I tried it with the neighborhood kiddos today and it was a hit.

this …

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
-an object to act as “base”  (cone, chair, blanket, etc), 4 or more children

WHAT TO DO:
Designate one child as the GARDENER and one child as the BEE KEEPER.  The Gardener is in charge of telling all of his bees (all the other children) how to move around the garden — skip, hop, jump, gallop, walk, etc– to pollinate the flowers without being caught by the Bee Keeper.  The only safe place in the garden is on a flower (“base”).

The children are able to stay on the flower for a count of 10 before they have to move again!  If they are caught by the Bee Keeper, they must perform a specific exercise before they can be released back into the garden (jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, stand on one foot for 10 etc).

HOW TO CHANGE IT UP:
-As a child stands on base, address other academic skills too!  (saying ABCs, counting by 2’s to 10, counting backwards, etc)
-When a child is caught by the Bee Keeper, have him use other academic skills to get released (solve a math problem, write his name, spell a word correctly, etc)
-Talk about how bees pollinate the flowers and how important they are for keeping a garden healthy!

SKILL AREAS ADDRESSED:  Gross motor skills, motor control, coordination, balance, proprioception, endurance, strength

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Lauren Drobnjak

Lauren Drobnjak is co-author of The Inspired Treehouse blog and a pediatric physical therapist who currently practices in the educational environment. She has been a physical therapist for 18 years, with 17 of those years specifically in pediatrics. Her drive to make a difference in the lives of kids has led her entrepreneurial spirit in the direction of creating opportunities for play-based wellness and child development. She is a busy mama of 3 who thrives on chaos. To come down from the stress, Lauren enjoys exercising like she’s still 20, yoga, chocolate, a great book, browsing Pinterest, and anything crafty!

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