Family Sports Day
What you need
- a big spoon and a small potato for each racer
- a pillowcase for each racer
- a bean bag or a pair of rolled-up socks
- two cushions to mark the start and the finish
How to do it
- Mark a start and a finish a short run apart on the grass, and tell your child the family is having a sports day.
- Run the races one at a time: a running race, a potato-and-spoon race, a hopping race and a jumping race in pillowcases.
- Let your child call "Ready, steady, go!" for at least one race, and take turns being the starter.
- Finish with a slow walking race with a bean bag on everyone's head, and cheer every racer over the line.
Why it matters
Every race comes with its own rule to remember, and racing the family, then cheering them in, gives winning and losing a safe place to happen.
What they're learning
- Hopping and jumping
- On one foot, then two feet in a pillowcase.
- Following the rule
- No hands on the potato.
- Winning and losing
- Cheering for whoever finishes.
What to look for
Notice them reminding someone else of a race's rule.
A tip
Pillowcase jumps trip easily, so keep that race short and on soft grass.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: run just two races, and hold hands with them for the last one
Harder: let them invent a new race with its own rule that everyone has to try
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Gross motor activities · Toddler activities with a spoon · Toddler activities with socks