Pre-school and Pre-K Update

I am constantly receiving questions about what I possibly could be doing with the little ones. Don't they just run around and play? Well, no, not even close. In Health and PE at the PS/PK level students learn how to move their bodies safely and improve their gross motor function and balance.

Lately we have been working on positional words and movements, or the ability to move your body in a certain direction relative to an object. For example, stand in front, walk behind, jump to the side, stand next to a friend, stand behind the person in front of you in line etc. A simple skill that adults take for granted, but our little ones are still learning and practicing connecting their movements with their understanding of the definition of different words. If you are to ask a three year old, is the ball above or below the table, they could most likely tell you. However, asking them to put their body below the table is a totally different story.

We practice this using our spots. Put your body over your spot, next to your spot, above your spot, below your spot.

In addition to positional words, we practice expressing creative words with body movements. For example, what does it look like to be the word "push." We practice with a variety of words and ask the students to come up with some of their own. So of their favorites are: splash, pull, happy, love, hammer, and twist. Next time your cooking dinner and your child is waiting oh so patiently, ask them to match their body to new creative words that you come up with. While keeping them occupied, you are also practicing gross motor control, self expression, coordination, and their active!

And of course, we move like animals....Check out the "big green frogs" I found in the multipurpose room! (I Can Jump Like a Big Green Frog is one of our warm-up songs.)