It’s weekend and children are at home. Why not take this time to get your child involve in a creative activity and then use the end product to play a game that able to nurture our child’s physical development?
What are the materials needed
- 2 empty used cardboard boxes
- Poster paints and sponges
- crayons
- magazines/greeting cards
- shape puncher
- glue
- scissors
- color paper stripes
What can I do with the materials
Get your child to decorate the sides of the boxes using the materials.
- Sponge your child’s favorite paint color on the boxes
- Draw some pictures with crayons
- Use scissors to cut the color paper stripes into smaller pieces and stick them randomly on the boxes
- Cut the favorite pictures from the magazine with scissors and paste them on the boxes
- Punch some shapes out from the color papers using the shape puncher, then stick them on the boxes
There are lots of ways to decorate the boxes depending on the materials that you have. Try to look for recycle materials. Before using any of them, clean them and make sure that they are safe to be used (e.g. no sharp edges, no torn surface that can cut the skin).
Always interact with your child. Ask his opinion on how to decorate the boxes. Spend some time together to work on the activity. Allow the child to freely express his creativity. Encourage him! Praise him for the good job!
Lets get physical
- Open both sides of the lids of the decorated boxes.
- Find a space in the house. Display the boxes on the floor.
- Put the boxes far from each other so that the child have more space to move from one box to another.
The child is given the opportunity to release his extra energy by :
- crawling through the boxes
- running from one box to the other box
- hoping from one side to the other
- duck walk from one side to the other
- others movements
The benefits of the physical play include :-
- Enable the child to express ideas and feelings by moving in different ways responding to their mood and imagination.
- Allow the child to explore his body. He becomes aware of his ability and skills.
- Enable the child to develop increasing control of gross motor movements. For example, the child discover that he has to lean his body to the floor, move his body forward by the support of his arms and legs, crawl through the box without bumping his head.
- Enable the child to develop balance and co-ordination of his body parts. He also learns to control his speed of his movements.
- Allow the child to develop social skills if playing alongside with others. He learns to take turn and also taking care of his partners.
When I introduced this game to a group of 2 years old in a child center. I remembered two boys are so frightened to crawl through the box. I have to get the braver one to demonstrate and let them observe that it is safe to crawl through it. After some effort, the two boys joined the others and enjoyed themselves very much. Some would put some model animals on the box or inside the box, involving in their imaginative play in their own way. This is how their cognitive/intelligence develop when they are given the opportunity to explore.
Lets get started! Play some music! Enjoy the fun of making the materials and turn it into another fun game for your child to nurture his development.
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