These holiday gross motor activities for kids are perfect for a classroom holiday party or just to keep kids moving inside on a cold, snowy day!
It’s time for Santa to get his crew all geared up for that grueling Christmas Eve delivery schedule!
The elves are lifting weights and running on their treadmills to gain the endurance and strength they need to move presents, Santa is doing plenty of planks and sit-ups to strengthen his core so he can tuck in his belly after eating all of those cookies and the reindeer are completely engrossed in a daily boot camp!
We thought it would be fun to give kids a sneak peek at what Rudolph and his crew of 8 sidekicks have been up to as they get themselves ready for Christmas! Try this activity along with our Silly Santa Gross Motor Activities for Kids (free printable included)! And don’t miss the rest of these fun Christmas printables for fine motor and gross motor skills!
What You’ll Need:
-Balance beam (a piece of tape on the floor works, too!)
-Cones
-Hurdles
-A scooter
-A rope
-A bucket
-Bean bags
What to Do:
Have kids move through the following Reindeer training activities to get ready for Christmas day!
1 || UP ON THE ROOFTOP: Balance is tricky when you’re high in the sky! Try to cross the balance beam without falling off, reindeer style! Cross the balance beam with hands and feet on the beam in a bear crawl pattern.
2 || OBSTACLE WEAVE: Try to gallop in and out of the Christmas trees (cones). Being agile is a very important skill when you’re a reindeer!
3 || LEAPING: Reindeer have to leap onto the rooftops and over trees. Trying leaping over the balance beam and progress to jumping over the higher cones or pillows on the floor if you can!
4 || SLED PULL: Using the rope and a scooter, stack a few books (or a friend) on the scooter and pull it across the room! Pulling Santa’s sleigh is HARD work and reindeer must be strong! Remember not to go too fast or too slow so the presents don’t topple out of the sleigh!
5 || CHIMNEY TOSS: Sometimes Santa needs a little help to move things along. Dasher, Dancer and friends may be called upon to toss some presents down the chimney. They must be ready!! Using the beanbags, practice tossing over and underhand into a bucket from varying distances.
6 || REINDEER TROT: Practice galloping around the room for a few minutes. Concentrate on getting those knees high and your strides long! Progress to skipping if you can!
How to Change it Up:
-Be creative with your props. Use a laundry basket for the sled, rolled up socks as presents to toss, a sheet for the rope. You don’t have to have the recommended pieces of equipment to be a reindeer in training!
-Make this a daily routine through the holidays to encourage strengthening, balance, coordination, agility and endurance.
For Virtual Sessions:
Simplify and minimize the supplies needed for each activity. Use tape to create a “balance beam”. Use pillows or stuffed animals to create obstacles. Have kids pull toys around on a blanket to create “Santa’s sled”. Then, read the instructions and demonstrate the movements for each activity, with the child following along.
[…] Reindeer Bootcamp, By The Inspired Treehouse – Here you’ll find over 6 creative gross motor games taken from Santa’s Official Reindeer Training Guide! […]