Here are even more suggestions on how to change up your field day activities to keep them fun and engaging, even if you are using common field day equipment!
Mini Kanga Sacks
Mini Kanga Sacks also provide a great opportunity to feed the proprioceptive system because a potato sack means a race that requires jumping. Here is the other cool thing about jumping: jumping requires us to do a specific series of movements in a precise order to be successful. This helps our brains internalize patterns, sequences, and timing which are needed for reading, writing, math, language, and problem-solving.
What did we do with the Mini Kanga Sacks?
Groceries, ages 3-year-old – K’s
This relay game was designed to help kids build strength, particularly grip, upper body, and core. It is also a good opportunity to challenge the proprioceptive system due to the pressure this game will put on their arms and hands.
Children are divided into teams, each with a Mini Manga Sack. We then scattered our Rainbow Spot Markers as far away as possible. Each team was to try and see how many “groceries” (spots) they could collect in their “grocery bag ” (Kanga Sack.) Player 1 would take the empty sack, run to the spots, and place one spot inside the sack. He would then bring the bag with the spot in it to Player 2 who would take the sack back to the spots and put another spot inside, each player adding spots to the bag, never emptying the bag until there were no spots left to collect. We told the younger children to drag the bags as they got heavier.
Ball Catching, ages 1st-3rd
This is a good teamwork game that helps kids practice eye-hand coordination. Strong eye-hand coordination makes learning to write easier.
We divided children into teams with one small ball, like the Rainbow Classic Coat balls, one Mini Kanga Sack, and two Rainbow Spot Markers. We created two parallel lines with the spots, about 4 feet apart. Player 1 on each team stood on one of the spots with the sack, while Player 2 stood across from him on the other spot with the ball. Player 2 would toss the ball to Player 1 who would try to catch it in the sack. If successful, Player 1 would move the spot 1 foot farther away and give the sack to Player 2 who would go to the spot in its new position and attempt to catch the ball thrown by Player 3. If the Players weren’t successful, the spot wouldn’t move but the players still change.
Mini DuraHoops
Traditional hula hooping (we used Mini DuraHoops) builds core strength with the simple side-to-side motion of the hips. A strong core helps kids control their arms and legs for running and playing. But a strong core also helps children manipulate their arms and hands for writing.
Traditional hula hooping also raises the heart rate and gets the blood pumping. This kind of aerobic activity releases a chemical in the brain that acts like fertilizer making brain cells more receptive to new connections, helping the brain grow, so learning, attending, and behavior are more readily available.
What did we do with the Mini Durahoops?
Ring Toss, Pre-k-3rd
This game builds eye-hand coordination, upper body, grip, and core strength.
We created a line of spots with the Rainbow Spot Markers and placed 18” Rainbow Flexible Vinyl Cones about 3 feet away and parallel to the line of spots. Then we placed the mini hoops on the other side of the line of spots. Children were on the spots and had to keep one foot on a spot while they threw a hoop sideways, almost like a frisbee, to ring a cone.
Moving Quidditch, ages 1st-3rd
This game requires teamwork and communication and helps kids get aerobic while practicing eye-hand coordination.
A twist on a magical game! We grouped Coat, all over the play space. Each pair of children held one side of the hoop with one hand while running around the play space attempting to throw balls through the other team’s hoops with their other hand. We let them decide whether or not they would use their spare hands to block incoming balls. Then we asked them to come up with other ways to “protect” their goals without using their spare hands. Each “goal” was worth a point.
Overall, field day is a great opportunity to get creative – there are so many ways you can use even one or two pieces of equipment to create multiple different activities. The most important thing is that the kids are active and outside!
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