Just like reading and writing and math, physical education must be taught and encouraged too!
Childhood Obesity is becoming a huge problem in our children. As parents, we all want the same thing for our children, for them to to be happy and healthy! We don’t always need to sign our children up for organized sports in order to help them stay healthy and fit. There are simple activities that we can encourage them to engage in right at home on a daily basis!
Here is one activity that is easy to set up and super fun…it’s called…
Materials: Large sheet or tarp, duct tape, eight beanbags or frisbees –need four of each of two colors
Instructions: On a flat surface, adhere strips of duct tape to a shower curtain liner: two horizontal strips and two vertical strips to create nine equal squares.
Use more tape to make Xs on four flying disks or heavyweight plastic plates and four more disks or plates for Os. Set up a throw line, then follow the rules of the common game, Tic-Tac-Toe. If disk lands off the board, in an already-claimed square, or centered on a line, have child throw it again. For older kids use frisbees, don’t give allowance to throw again, etc.
Benefits: This activity develops coordination of arms and torso, fine motor control, and the ability to “read” distances. These skills transfer to sports and activities that involve throwing an object accurately over a perceived distance (e.g., balls, javelins, frisbees, ribbons, sticks, batons)
Not that we need to evaluate our children, because as long as they are engaging in physical activity, that is all that counts, however, below is an idea for the different skill levels that a child will progress through when engaging in this activity.
Evaluation:
Beginning: Child needs 5 or more tosses to complete a hole. Child does not step forward with opposite leg when throwing – child does not rotate trunk when arm comes over shoulder and releases
Emerging: Child needs 3-4 tosses to complete a hole. Child steps forward with opposite leg when throwing, but does not rotate trunk when arm comes over shoulder and releases Advanced: Child needs only 1-2 tosses to complete a hole. Child steps forward with opposite leg when throwing – child rotates trunk when arm comes over the shoulder and releases
Advanced: Child needs only 1-2 tosses to complete a hole. Child steps forward with opposite leg when throwing – child rotates trunk when arm comes over the shoulder and releases
About Active for Life
Active for Life is a leading promoter of children’s physical literacy to help parents raise active and healthy kids. In response to increased rates of child obesity and sedentary behaviour, Active for Life was launched in June 2012 to give parents the tools to help their children develop skills and habits for lifelong physical activity. At the core of this initiative is the idea that every child deserves to be physically literate. Active for Life is a social enterprise of B2ten, a Canadian charitable organization formed to promote sport and athlete development in Canada.
For more information and some GREAT ideas for keeping your children active, please visit www.activeforlife.ca.
I’ve never heard of Active for Life; I think I’ve been living under a rock! I love your Giant Tic Tac Toss!
Thanks for sharing, we really need to encourage our young folk to exercise on a regular basis!
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What a fun-looking game! All four of my kids would enjoy playing this and I am always looking for different ways of keeping them all active!
What a fun article, thanks for the idea.
That’s so much more fun then Tic Tac Toe on paper. Active games are great.
This looks like so much more fun than when I played as a child. Creating activities for the children that help to improve their level of activity is a huge plus. They will be having so much fun, they won’t realize that jumping and stretching is actually good for them. Thanks for this post…well done on you!! 🙂
I can see this being fun