December is one of my favorite months for motor planning. With the holidays upon us there are so many fun themed gross motor and fine motor activities that you can try! It’s a fun month to break down by themes. Check out these ideas for your December gross motor and fine motor planning!
Classroom yoga is known for all of it’s benefits including increased focus, concentration, and attention as well as promotion of thinking and memory to name a few. For those reasons alone, incorporating classroom yoga seems like a no-brainer! Yoga is really easy to incorporate into the classroom from the beginner to the experienced yogi. Here are …
We love when we can combine fine motor, gross motor, and fun all into one activity and we love stability ball activities. The stability ball sticker game is an awesome way to combine all of these in one really fun activity. It can be changed up for the seasons too by using different themed stickers …
Brain breaks for the classroom are an essential part today’s learning environments. Kids need physical activity for focus and learning. Incorporating brain breaks should be a fun and easy process. It is always a bonus when these brain breaks can be made part of the learning process. Check out all of the different themed, seasonal, …
Now that August is rolling in it’s time that many teachers are thinking about getting back in their classrooms, parents are setting routines, and school therapists are getting ready for the new school year. A huge part of learning is having kids who are ready to learn, which means incorporating lots of movement and physical …
It’s baseball season! When working with my kids during therapy sessions I try to find activities that interest them or catch their attention. I’ve found with my sports crazy kids, relating sports to any kind of strengthening, range of motion, cardiovascular exercise etc. to the task can make it a whole lot more fun. …
Are you looking for a great way to get your kids moving? A fun way to increase participation in the classroom, therapy, programming, or home? How about a great way to get the kids moving during your morning meeting? Then you’ve got to try weather themed yoga. No, you don’t need to be a yogi …
Most of us are aware that there is plenty of research that physical activity is needed in the classroom. There is also a lot happening with technology in the classroom. That being said, combining physical activity and technology could be useful to classroom teachers throughout the country. Here are some great ways to get …
Physical Activity For The Classroom – Using Technology Read More »
Are you looking for a fun game that also promotes balance? You need to try the bean bag balance game. It’s super simple and you probably have most things that you need around your home! The bean bag balance game would also work great in physical education or for gross motor stations.
One of my absolute favorite tools as a physical therapist and mom is sidewalk chalk. I love sidewalk chalk because I can create fun gross motor themed activities by simply drawing on the sidewalk! Summer is the perfect time to get out that sidewalk chalk and give your kids a little challenge. Here are some …
What exactly is crossing the midline? I’ve learned a lot about this from my Occupational Therapy colleagues. Think of the midline as an imaginary line that runs down the middle part of the body that divides the body into the right and left sides. Crossing the midline means that a child is able to reach across …
I’ve decided to try out something new! Interactive Brain Breaks and Physical Activity! I’ve always been a big proponent of stepping away from technology and taking a “brain break”. Don’t get me wrong, I love technology, I just believe A LOT of our time is spent on it, and a break can do some good. …
One obstacle I often run into working in the schools is a space to work in. In these cases one of my favorite therapy tools happens to be a hill or incline. It’s amazing how many great strength and balance exercises you can do with a simple hill or incline. I especially love to get …
Are you looking for a fun way to work on single leg balance? I call this next activity a single leg balance exercise, but in reality it’s more fun and play! This activity can be done most anywhere and you only need bubbles to practice these single leg balance exercises. So here is how …
Do you have that kiddo that just can’t quite jump? Maybe they get the concept but need a little something extra to get over the hump? Have you ever thought of using a scooter board to help with jumping? Just looking for something new to try out? Check out this fun jumping practice idea using …
I love coming up with different themed yoga pose ideas! I’m super excited about the Easter themed yoga poses because I’m giving away FREE Easter themed yoga cards today. Check out these fun yoga poses for kids. These poses are your traditional yoga poses with an Easter twist!
Spring is officially here! As a Minnesota resident I am much appreciative of this season as it means that the end of the bitter cold is upon us. To celebrate this start of Spring I’ve put together a huge list of fun Spring themed gross motor ideas and games!
Anyone else in the mood for Spring? I really can’t complain about how “nice” the winter has been this year in Minnesota! With the official start of Spring quickly approaching it’s time to start planning gross motor activities with a Spring theme. The Bumble Bee Relay is one fun way to get moving this Spring!
St. Patrick’s Day is a great day to incorporate fun gross motor games. As someone who is always searching for different ways to incorporate movement with different themes I’ve decided to put some of my favorites all in one place so they are easy to access and easy for others to find. Here is the …
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Besides Valentine’s Day boxes and Valentine’s what other plans do you have for your classroom, home or therapy? How about trying some Valentine’s Day Yoga? Even if you are new to yoga these fun Valentine’s Day themed poses work great for the beginner to the every day yogi!