As the school year settles in and the days get a little cooler, we’ve introduced some exciting new active play activities to our classroom, both for small and large group sessions. These hands-on tools not only help with physical development, like gross and fine motor skills, but they also promote social and emotional growth through sharing, patience, and cooperation.

Mini Golf

The BuildIt Mini Golf Course Set was an instant favorite. It encouraged the children to work on their gross and fine motor skills (swinging the club correctly, picking up the golf balls, etc.). It also taught skills like patience, sharing, and persistence. They really enjoyed this activity, and kept lining up to golf the next hole as soon as they finished the first one. The first time we tried it, we placed three different holes on each mat, without any obstacles. The next day we did only two holes and started using the blocks to make obstacles to putt the ball around. The children had fun creating the obstacles and enjoyed finding new ways to make things trickier.

Into the Jungle Beanbag Toss Set

Into the Jungle Beanbag Toss Set was also a big success in class! The kiddos really liked the feel of the rubber-like bean bags and the bright colors of the animals on the mats. As a teacher, I appreciated how easy the bean bags were to wipe down and clean after use (goodbye germs!) The mats rolled up nicely for storage purposes, too. The game was simple and to the point, aim for the animal’s mouth, score points!  For older children, this could be used as a math game, to help with basic addition.  Even at the preschool level, some of the more advanced children were able to add up their scores on their own.

Another hit was the Little Movers Throw and Roll Dice, perfect for downtime or when the class needs to get some extra wiggles out. My class formed a circle and each child took turns rolling one of the dice, and then we would do the corresponding activity a certain number of times (depending on the number on the dice). The children really liked taking turns rolling the dice, and were excited to do all of the different movements.

Chinese Checkers

Finally, the last activity we tried was the Jumbo SeaSpace Chinese Checkers. For the first couple times, I would have the children pair up with a buddy and take turns moving their fish. It took a few reminders of the instructions, but they were able to figure out the concept pretty quickly. They especially enjoyed it when they got to “jump” the other fish. We did this as a teacher-led activity for our preschool age children, but after more practice, it could be played on their own. It’s a great activity for all ages!

All four of these activities have become classroom staples, offering endless learning opportunities that incorporate academic, motor, and social skills. We can’t wait to bring them out again and continue exploring all the ways they help young learners grow and have fun!