Activities and Resources

Ages 5 to 8: Activities and Resources

These activities will help develop your child's motor skills, hand-eye coordination, lateral balance and stimulate his or her brain while having fun! These activities are perfect for a rainy day, but you can try them any time!

10 Activities for School-age Children
(Courtesy of "Rainy Day Activities" by Jean Feldman)

Paddle Ball
Benefit: Hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills
With crayons, decorate two paper plates. Cut a small curve out of one plate (for wrist), and staple the plates together. Do not staple the curved area. Wad up a piece of paper and wrap with masking tape. Insert hand in the paper plates and bat back and forth.

Space Ball
Benefit: Hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills
Cut off one leg of pantyhose from the knee down. Stuff the remaining leg into the toe of the leg you cut off. Tie a knot around the ball you've made at the toe, and toss the ball around the room. Use a laundry basket or box as targets for the space balls.

Can Catch
Benefit: Hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills
Bounce a tennis ball and catch it in a can.

Balance Beam
Benefit: Lateral balance
Place ten feet of masking tape on the floor. Line up and pretend tape is a tightrope wire in a circus. Walk backwards, hop, walk tiptoe, keep hands at sides, etc.

Cross-Over Movement
Benefit: Brain stimulation, cross lateral movement
Tear an 18-24 inch strip of toilet paper. Make a safe space by spreading arms and turning around in a circle. Put on some music and play follow-the-leader, such as switching hands and making figure-8s. Take turns being the leader, and play different types of music.

Juggling
Benefit: Hand-eye coordination, gross motor skills
Buy 1/2 hands of nylon netting in different colors, and cut into 12 inch squares. Place squares in a basket. Pass out squares to each person, and challenge them to toss their squares in to the air and catch them. Put on slow, classical music and practice. The add another colored square and do the same with two squares as you did with one square. After practicing with two squares, add the third.

Cloud Ride
Benefit: Imagination, relaxation
Play a CD of soft music, and everyone close their eyes. The adult lowers voice and slowly says the following:

We're going to take a cloud ride

Hop on a white, fluffy cloud

Here we go up in the blue sky.

Do you feel the wind in your face? (Allow them to tell you how it feels.)

It's so peaceful up here.

Let your cloud take you to a place where you are happy.

Imagine where you are. (Let them share their feelings with you.)

Think about who is with you. (Ask them who?)

Tighten/Relax
Benefit: Relaxation, learning different body parts
Lie on your backs with your eyes closed, turn off the lights and play music. Work through the following activities:
Wiggle your toes, tighten them up very tight. Tighter!
Now let them relax.
Wiggle your feet, tighten them very tight. Tighter!
Now let them relax.
Wiggle your legs…………
Wiggle your hands……….
Wiggle your arms…………
Wiggle your neck…………
Wiggle your head…………
Your whole body now feels warm and relaxed.

Homemade Silly-Putty
Ingredients: 1/2 cup school glue in a small bowl, add food coloring.
Begin pouring liquid laundry starch into the glue. Stir with your hands, then knead until it is no longer sticky. Pour off excess starch. Store silly putty in a Ziploc bag.

Glarch
Combine 1/8 cup school glue with 1/8 cup liquid laundry starch. Use small amounts and keep adding until desired consistency. It's best to use a plastic container for this sensory, touchy-feely experience!