Go to the Playground

Visit your local playground. Many public schools have available playgrounds after school. Have your children shoot some hoops or kick a soccer ball around. If you have enough children involved try to organize a quick game. It’s important to teach young children the value of competition and how to be a good sport- whether they win or lose.

Racing Day

Supplies:
Masking Tape

Directions:
Create an obstacle course with masking tape on the floor around various things inside your house. For example, you can have your kids crawl through big cardboard boxes, climb onto the couch, crawl to the end of the couch and then jump down onto a stack of pillows, then race over to a spot for stacking a set of blocks into a tower, a summersault, hop-skip-and jump, and so on.

Bowling

Supplies:
10 empty plastic liter bottles (preferably soft drink bottles)
A Ball

Directions:
Arrange the bottles in a triangle (try to mimic the standard bowling pin set up) and have the children stand behind a line and attempt to get as many “pins” down as they can.

Tennis

Supplies:
Balloons
Paint Stirrers
Paper Plates
Tape

Directions:
Tape a paint stirrer to a paper plate. This will be your racket. Blow up a balloon. This will be your tennis ball. Have fun hitting the balloon back and forth or challenge your children to keep the balloon off the floor using only their “rackets” for as long as they can.

Sports

*Suggested Reading*

Morgan Plays Soccer by Anne Rockwell
Curious George Plays Baseball by Margret Rey
Clifford's Sports Day by Norman Bridwell
The Berenstain Bears Get Their Kicks by Stan Berenstain
Let's Play Baseball: Super Sturdy Picture Books by Charles R. Smith

Items needed this week:

Masking Tape
Balloons
Paint Stirrers
Paper Plates
10 empty plastic liter bottles (preferably soft drink bottles)
A Ball
Soccer Ball
Football
Basket Ball



Snack Suggestion: Sports Candy

Ingredients:

One Apple
½ cup walnuts or pecans
½ tsp cinnamon
Multi grain crackers

Directions:

Cut up the apple and nuts into small pieces. Sprinkle the cinnamon into the mix. Put it on top of a cracker!