Exercise is an important part of maintaining health in children just as it is for adults. Regular physical activity in childhood has been found to help build stronger bones and muscles, contribute to better sleep, and even improve mental health (Gavin, 2018; The National Association of School Psychologists, 2017). For the majority of children, the best way to exercise is through regular physical play (Gavin, 2018). Recently, the COVID-19 pandemic has created some barriers to physical play. In accordance with social distancing laws, many parks, playgrounds, and YMCAs have been closed. This means that many children no longer have places to run around and engage in physical play. The good news is that there are exercise activities that children can do at home. The following game is designed to get children up and moving at home while having fun.
The Move Like an Animal Game
Goal: Children will engage in a number of exercise movements including, running, jumping, and crawling by pretending to be different animals.
Age: This activity was created with children 2- 4 years in mind. However, some older children may also like to join in.
Players: You can have as many or as few players as you want. You can play one on one with your child, or you can include other family members.
Materials:
- Animal cards (printable template below)
- Paper and drawing utensils.
To play the game, you will need a small pile of cards that each give a different animal movement direction. For example, one card might read hop like a bunny or walk like a crab. I have included a link to a pdf of animal cards that you can print and cut out.
Printable Cards Link
If you don’t have access to a printer, the cards are simple to make. All you will need are several small pieces of paper and any type of drawing utensil. On each piece of paper, write a different animal movement direction. If you want, you and your child can also draw animals on each piece of paper. You could also cut pictures of animals from magazines and glue them on the cards. This can be a fun opportunity for you and your child to make cards that are personalized with their artwork and include their favorite animals.
Game Directions:
To play the game, start by placing the cards in a stack. Next, have a player draw a card. Read the card together, and then everyone has to pretend to be the animal on the card. Then, proceed to the next player and repeat. Keep taking turns until you run out of cards, or you and/or your child start getting tired. To mix the game up you could try making animal noises while doing the movements or see who can be the fastest bunny, crab, horse, etc.
What children learn
Besides being a fun way to get kids moving and their hearts pumping, this activity helps children...
- Practice gross motor skills- Gross motor refers to the large muscles that help us do activities such as sit, move our arms, jump, bend, and walk. As children jump, crawl, and run they engage their large muscles and gain better control of them (The Early Childhood Advisory Council, 2012).
- Practice reading skills- As you play the game, read the cards with your child. Try pointing out the words as well as the pictures. Reading with children helps build important reading skills. For example, children learn that English print is read from left to right and that pictures can be used as symbols of words. Also, using written language during a game shows children that writing has many uses that expand beyond books (The Early Childhood Advisory Council, 2012).
References
The Early Childhood Advisory Council. (2012). New York State Early Learning Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.ccf.ny.gov/files/7813/8177/1285/ELG.pdf
Gavin, M. L. (2018). Kids and Exercise. Retrieved from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/exercise.html
The National Association of School Psychologists. (2017). Supporting Children’s Mental Health: Tips for Parents and Educators. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts /mental-health/prevention-and-wellness-promotion/supporting-children's-mental-health-tips-for-parents-and-educators
