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A cardboard box became a rocket ship or part of a robot costume as you battled your siblings in the yard. Children are used to looking at objects for what they can be, instead of what they are at face value. As adults, as we experience more criticism and feedback, we become less open to playful and creative thinking. We get embarrassed more easily at our ideas. And, in turn, we lose our creative freedom.

As artists, however, we rely on our creativity to keep us pushing forward and feeling satisfied with our work.

Luckily, just like any skill, we can train our creativity and strengthen it through exercises.
We put together a few creativity exercises to get your imagination activated. Then, we challenged our co-founders, John Feustel and Justin Anthony to complete them. Let's see how they did.
A classic test of creativity, the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking was introduced by psychologist Ellis Paul Torrance in the sixties as a way to administer a more creatively inclined IQ test. Respondents were given images like the ones below and asked to finish the picture. Higher points were awarded for answers that included rich imagery, implied narrative, or used humor or fantasy.

But the thing is: you don't have to be part of a research group to gain the benefits of this thought experiment. We put Justin and John to the test in a battle of the creative wits and here is what they came up with (in two minutes). Here are the final results!
Pictured on the far right is the "wacky wavy inflatable balloon man" in front of a T-Mobile store. All points awarded to John.
Complete the Picture

This quick exercise dubbed " The Doodle Dandy," was found on How Design, and is similar to the Incomplete Figure Test, but has room for more variations. It's basically the same principle as the first exercise, except you get a stack of simple one-line scribbles and a stack of short phrases and you must create the phrase from one of the doodles.

Here is their sample phrase list, though they also encourage you to come up with your own.

"Happy as a clam"

"I can't get no satisfaction"

"Where in the world?"

"A hard day's night"

"Human nature"

"The art of noise"

and "Here comes trouble"

We gave Justin and John the phrase, " Here Comes Trouble" and this doodle. Considering the whole point of the exercise is not to create a masterpiece ... we think they did pretty well.
For some reason, both Justin and John went straight to Dragons for this one. Probably time to limit the Game of Thrones.

Look Away from What You Are Creating

We tried out this direct observation technique from marketing and creative coach Mark McGuinness. The goal of the exercise is to work on drawing what you really see, instead of what you think you see.

Here is the gist: grab a pencil, some paper and give yourself five minutes. However, instead of looking at the page while you are drawing, turn around, hold up your hand and look only at your hand while drawing, NOT the paper.

Your aim is to draw the creases, folds, and marks of your hand and not your entire hand. Oh, and you also can't pick up your pencil for the entire five minutes.

Even though it was a challenge not to peek the entire time, and everyone felt a little silly, it was a great exercise to loosen up and focus on process and seeing, instead of simply end results.
If you imagine the illustration on the left as a left hand with the palm up ... that's pretty good!

Turn Your World Upside-Down

One way to shake things up is to literally turn your world (or drawing) upside-down, suggests Lori McNee of Fine Art Tips.

Lori tasks you with finding a picture of a person's face, turning it upside-down, and then drawing it that way. She says to "forget that you are drawing a human face; instead concentrate on the shapes, lines, angles, and patches of light and dark."

Based on concepts from Betty Edward's book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain, this exercise is used to strip us of our conditioned perspective to look for recognizable features that make up the face. Instead of seeing, "oh this is where the nose is supposed to go, this is the place for the eyes," we begin to see the face for how it actually, and can begin to draw more realistically.

We didn't try this one, but if you give it a shot, post your photo in the comments!

Concentrate on Quantity

We recently wrote about Tim Brown's amazing 2008 TEDTalk Tales of Creativity in Play in which he talks about this next exercise. Created by Bob McKim of the Stanford Design Program, the 30 circles exercise is simple in practice and quick to complete.

Each participant is given a piece of paper with 30 blank circles on it, a pencil and 3 minutes on the clock. You are challenged to fill in as many circles as possible- with the aim being quantity, not quality. Maybe all your circles are variations on a theme, perhaps they are all emojis ... your one goal was to fill out as many as possible.

Then, after the exercise, share and reflect what similarities there were and encourage collaboration. The motive behind the 30 circles is to stop yourself from self-censoring. When you go for quantity, you don't have time to think your idea is bad, you can edit later. This is the stage where creativity flourishes.
This one is interesting because we are really asking for quantity. Justin crushed it with a clock type theme, while John channeled the Olympics.

Make Treasure out of Trash

John Ingledew's latest book, How to Have Great Ideas: A Guide to Creative Thinking, has a collection of over 50 strategies to get creatives back to being creative. FastCo Design picked out their favorites, and among the top, was this brilliant and hilarious exercise where you take all your junk mail and use it as your project materials.

As adults, we see objects for their intended purpose. We are past seeing the cardboard box like a rocket ship, but what if all those credit card offers, coupons, and junk mail could become something other than junk mail. What if instead of sitting there in a pile to be recycled, you asked, "What else can I do with this?"

Alternative Uses

Prior to Ingledew's junk mail project, there were other alternative use of creativity exercises. In 1967 J.P. Guilford developed the test that gave participants two minutes to think of as many possible uses for a common object. It's commonly referred to at the "paper-clip test." While participants don't actually have to construct different uses, some ideas are weighted more heavily than others.

Respondents are ranked according to the four categories in divergent thinking: fluency (how many you named), originality (how common the answers are), flexibility (how many unique subjects you cross), and elaboration (level of detailed response).

Here are some fun ones our team came up within two minutes: a zipper replacement, a heart-shaped earring, an ear-piercing device, a phone stand, a lock pick, a ring, a fish hook, a photo holder, a tool to reset the router, an "aggressive toothpick," a "thing to poke John with," nail cleaner, rubber band ammo, and a hairpin.

Try this one for yourself and let us know what you come up with. You have two minutes. Ready, set, go!

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7 Fun Exercises to Quickly Improve Creative Thinking

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A cardboard box became a rocket ship or part of a robot costume as you battled your siblings in the yard. Children are used to looking at objects for what they can be, instead of what they are at face value. As adults, as we experience more criticism and feedback, we become less open to playful and creative thinking.

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Sep 27, 2015 - art projects, creative prompts, painting techniques, inspiration for creative family life. See more ideas about Projects for kids, Art projects, Art for kids.

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Mindful Art Activities | Gratitude Feathers and Collaborative Art Projects

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Creativity Exercises and Practices That Will Help You Find Joy and Productivity

Some non-artists might think creativity begins and ends at the easel, but we know better. Yes, that is where plenty of artistic breakthroughs happen, but they are just as likely to occur when you are nowhere near paint or brush. You are a creative engine and you might get flickers of new ideas or solutions to problems when you least expect it. Also, that creative engine? It has a battery that needs recharging now and again. These creative exercises, several inspired by the work and words of Jane Dunnewold in her book Creative Strength Training, will hopefully help in both areas.

You will find a way to start anew or keep going on your creative journey, whether you are feeling rusty when it comes to creativity and looking for ideas, or you are seeking ways to think or see in a new way, which is what creativity is all about.

Non-Dominant Time

Spend 15 minutes sketching, painting, drawing or mark-making with your non-dominant hand. What are you going to notice? Everything. Using your non-dominate hand makes you so much more likely to focus, even if you are being critical of what you are doing (stop that), and will allow you to see shapes and forms in new ways.

You won't take anything for granted and you will find yourself understanding how layers and textures come into play. Two bits of advice: give yourself space to work twice as big as you usually do as non-dominant marks tend to be less
controlled. 2? Embrace the opportunity for happy accidents. Be ready to see something remarkable and you will!

Don't Watch the Clock

One enemy of creativity is too much stress. Feeling a bit of pressure to do or make is a good thing, but don't look over your shoulder as you create. And don't punish yourself by mourning the time that has gone by.

With any creative project or piece of art you set out to create, keep the clock out of it. Even if you are in a time crunch, set a timer but don't keep checking your phone or the clock.

Immerse yourself in your creativity completely during the time you can devote to it, whether that's 15 minutes or hours of the day.

Scavenger Hunt

This from Jane's book, Creative Strength Training:

I use the scavenger hunt approach whenever I get an idea for a new series. It always works! An idea occurs to me and sticks around long enough to gain traction. Consider the idea of "boundaries," the theme of a series I created. Free association allows me to delve deeper into the topic. It works like this:

1. Write a word (I chose boundaries) at the top of a page of paper.

2. Set the timer for two minutes.

3. Write down whatever words come to mind during that time. Do not edit. Just write.

This list making produces a wealth of raw material, words that are already visual images and words with potential to take content deeper. I move to the acquisition of images based on the free-association list.

"Boundaries" translates into maps, fences, birds on a wire, ﬁsh swimming in schools, migration patterns and military intervention. Where I take those associations is up to me, but the remarkable process of "mining for meaning" has begun.

Monochrome It

Take a color and make a list of objects, places, and people that fit under said color category. Scour the internet for inspirations in the color story of your choice and then, once you are filled to the brim with everything that blue-green-red-whatever embodies, make a painting with just that color and nothing else.

Include the objects you have listed or qualities of them, like their particular textures or outlines. Or you can simply paint a scene or object in monochrome. Make it a blue and only blue still life of a dish-filled sink or a red potted plant next to a red couch.

Make the color dimensional, play with pattern and marks and most definitely use several different brushes or size pens and markers to add even more variety. Not so one-note after all...!

Three Times the Charm

The saying is right when it comes to artfulness. Take an idea and sketch it three ways. Make the choice of a color more involved by trying three different hues out first. Paint a still life only after positioning and repositioning the objects differently three times or keep them where they are a paint the same composition differently - inspired by Cubism, Impressionism, and Abstract Expressionism for example.

What can become clear after awhile is that you don't have to stop at just three. So make it four, make it 10. Keep pushing your vision and it will rise to the occasion every time.

Mix Your Media

It is timeworn advice but it is true. The more you experiment, the more creative paths will open up for you. If you aren't sure where to start, start with paper. Collaged paper and paint go great together. Cut out words to include for a Pop Art punch. For more subtle, go tone on tone but use a lot of different texture.

But the best way is to use what you have at your fingertips and see what happens. Watercolor and pastel go great together and you might have both on hand. Don't always keep your creative pursuits siloed. Then they can never teach you something new.

Choose Your Favorite Skill

What is it about art that you love (most)? Make a list if you really want to get your thoughts in order. Is it mixing colors or using colors? Sewing? Using one particular pen or brush because it just feels good?

Pick one and strategize how you can do the thing you love and only that thing, or how you can learn more about it or more to do with it. Do that and just that-cutting out everything you don't like and soaking up your favorite parts of creativity.

Let Memory In

What is your first memory?
Your favorite place from childhood?
Your first memory of food? Of water? Of the color red?
What is your favorite memory?
Where did you meet your best friend or partner?

These questions are like unleashing a flash flood, right? Of sights and sounds, places and people ... that is how provocative memory can be. How about letting memory play a key role in your creativity?

These memories are likely as vivid to you as any painting and they are uniquely yours. Let them lead you to make art or creative projects that are more personal. You may find it freeing and, if you choose to share the work with others, allow others to relate to you in a richer way.

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Some non-artists might think creativity begins and ends at the easel, but we know better. Yes, that is where plenty of artistic breakthroughs happen, but they are just as likely to occur when you are nowhere near paint or brush.

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Today, I want to share my big list of 34 amazing art exercises, ideas, games, holiday drawings and school art projects for students.

I've taught art in classrooms for 25 years and know that teachers need fun, simple exercises, and art activities to get students going.

Don't forget that you can get my free Teacher Packs. You get super simple and intermediate classroom drawings sent to your inbox every holiday.

#1 Find the Monkey - a Simple Art Game

How many monkeys can you find? For adults, it's simple. But it's hard and fun if you are five, six, or seven years old!

How to play

Simply fill your page with Round and Round with a Dot in the middle. Once you get going, monkeys will start to appear. How many can you find? Use big Round and Rounds and smaller ones. Fill up that paper and start adding color to the ones you find. Leave the rest white. Did I find them all? There's always a monkey or two hiding somewhere!

#2 Bend Your Art Perception!

With my 6 universal lines of art, you can draw anything in the world. This fun art exercise helps your students develop control and variation.

How to play

Follow the sequence of drawings below and try to 'SEE' where it is going. This is a Level 1 Drawing Game that prepares the elementary student for seeing eventually in 3D. Let's create some art designs with this 'Perceptual' art game! Start the zig zag and wiggle lines and keep them moving right to the end. A line starts ... it flows ...and it ends.

Practice the above lines making sure you vary the amplitude from big to small ... variation is the spice of drawing.

#3 Zig Zag In Front and Behind

Begin with the red zig zag shape that is at the center and is out in front. Add the orange shape behind the bottom of the red shape then the light green shape that is behind the top of the red shape.

Now you have established one in front and two behind. Continue adding shapes in front and behind.

I have yet to find a beginner art student who used this principal. Most students who have been drawing up to grade 9 or 10 draw something and it stands alone without any artistic principals. We need to draw a story and create interest, drama, variation, and expression.

These exercises are the beginning of a creative journey for you and your students.

Keep your paper size small or at least keep your drawing small. The examples are done on 8.5 in by 11in. paper. Half sheets would be fine. Big areas take too much time to colour. If your students are doing a finished product that would be for display use card stock paper.

#4 Wiggle Puzzle

As things move away from us they appear smaller. Of course, there is nothing wrong with a full-size Mega Truck on a mountain that is twenty miles away across the lake. Kids do it all the time and it's refreshing for a while. It's not wrong. The re are no mistakes in art.

There are however artistic principals and concepts that young students are eager to adopt that will develop their imaginative renderings and eventually lead them into higher forms of expression.

The drawing below demonstrates a principal discovered during the Renaissance and recorded in a journal by none other than Leonardo the great Italian artist. I have given you the first part which is,"as things move away from us they appear smaller." The other part is that they also appear lighter and bluer.

For simplicity, I have just made the Wiggle Puzzle use the first part of the discovery. As you can see below the small blue wiggle puzzle piece at the bottom right appears to be farther away than the ones in front of it.

When you can grasp what this drawing is teaching you the next step would be to make each successive wiggle puzzle piece a lighter color which is the second part of the discovery. I use this principle all the time when painting landscapes. It is called Aerial Perspective.

#5 'Shish Kaballs'- How to move from 2-D into 3-D

A great intro to how simple it is to see 'DIMENSION'. How high, how wide, and how deep. This is a 'seeing' game suitable for all ages.

How to play

Draw two 'balls', one larger than the other, as demonstrated in the picture below. The top left shows a two-dimensional 'model'. Notice how the sticks do not 'penetrate' the balls but stop at the front edge and continue out the back.

This model on the left is perfect for K-2. Let them master it and then move on to the model on the right. Now take notice of the top right 'model' and see how the sticks do 'penetrate' the middle of each ball and continue out the back as they do in the 2-D model on the left. One little difference will put us into a 3-D perception ... The secret is 'PERCEPTION'. Don't just copy it, understand the principle and then apply it.

This model is perfect for Grades 3 to 6, providing you warm up with the 2-D model first. I played around with the 'Shish Kaballs' and then saw how they were starting to come out towards me and then dive back down away from me.

The idea of a 'spherical' shape underneath it all was added, making sure I hopped over all the lines 'in front'. Let's apply this idea to a mobile or with real objects that we can 'assemble' a piece of classroom sculpture and hang it from a wall or ceiling or a tree outside.

The French call this type of 'found objects art' - Assemblage. Look around the classroom, the schoolyard or a green space outdoors and make some assembled art using the 'Shish Kaball' 3D Developmental Exercise.

The 'Shish Kaballs' on the top left and middle left are 2-D. The ones on the right are 3-D. Study them and then teach both models.

#6 Cut Outs

Strong Shapes Make Captivating Cut Outs. They have been with us as far back as Byzantine days when tiles were cut and fashioned into artistic designs that are still marveled at today.

Matisse, one of our first 'modern artists' had to express his artistic impulses using paper and scissors since a physical infirmity prevented him from painting. Cut outs really make us think 'SHAPE.'

Crafting can be a very artistic activity in your classroom providing you use sound artistic principles. I spent several hours this summer researching crafts in the classroom and found some incredible sites that were highly creative and imaginative.I have included below, a cut out project from Crawford Bay School using little 'Heartwing' from my free Teacher Packs.

The simplicity of the characters used in The Artabet makes it easy to use them as cut outs. One BC school I regularly teach at called Winlaw Elementary made a 16-foot mural using Artabet cut outs. Get snipping!!!

#7 Artabet Color Experience

Color must be experienced. This is a very exciting classroom art activity. It requires some patience and a real concentrated focus with a beholding attitude.

How to play

You do nothing but concentrate on the small white circle inside the large colored circle. Focus all your attention on the small white circle, gaze at it for at least 10 seconds.

Don't let your eyes wander. Focus and then quickly shift your focus to the small colored circle adjacent to the large colored circle. Now, his is where it happens, you will have a color experience! You should start to see a glow around the small colored circle.

It won't be dark but it will definitely be visible like a halo of pastel colored light. If it doesn't happen, repeat the process until it works for you. This is a great way to teach color families.

The color you see will be a different color than the big colored circle, but it will be a color that goes very well with it. There is a name for it but I'll let you research that if you want. An easy and simple classroom project would be to make your own color experience cards with paint, colored pencils, or felts. It is an exciting discovery for students when they have a real color experience.

Let your students draw their own Color Circles with felts. It is easier to focus when there is one color circle on a page. Don't teach them color theory let them 'experience it.'

If you want to augment this game,t try looking at a RED object for ten seconds and then close your eyes and see what color you see. The after image behind your eyes will show up if you relax and it will have the same effect as the ARTABET COLOR EXPERIENCE. This Color Exercise is used by artists when painting. Green objects cast red hues in their shadows. Clouds have violet undertones from the yellow hues of the sun.

#8 Bending

Bending is a 3D trick that is simple and effective. It makes a simple drawing into a more exciting drawing. You will need an eraser to assist you with the bend. Watch the video below and then try these bends.

How to play

#9 Artabet Concept Game Symmetry

Symmetry is a fundamental ARTABET principle that cannot be ignored and must be developed.

I asked a class of 23 students between the ages of 5 and 13 at a Redfish Elementary School in British Columbia if anyone knew what symmetry meant. A bright little 5 year-old responded with an assurance beyond her tender age," Symmetry is even and balanced."

She accompanied her definition with a slow vertical passage of her hand down the center of her face as she spoke. Yes, Virgina, there's symmetry all around us. In nature, in everyday things, and most definitely in art. It is the first Artabet Concept that all young art students need to understand, and if a 5-year-old Artabet student has a grip on it let's get going and play the Symmetry Game.

How to play

Of course, young art students are going to draw a Sun. Since pencils were invented the sun has been immortalized by generations of beginner drawers.

It looks easy to draw, it's a simple drawing, and best of all they want to draw it. Let's not miss the opportunity to teach a fundamental artistic concept while their interest is engaged. The typical first attempts to draw the sun defy the laws of spectral light.

The light rays, symbolized by lines shooting outwards are anything but symmetrical as they head off in all directions. It takes an awareness of which muscles to use as you draw your Sun, pushing and pulling lines always from the center outwards. The following examples will get your students drawing with Symmetry.

We will start with "Owl O'clock and then move into our 'Draw the Sun' and finish with 'Bright spots'. Think even ... Think balance ... Think equal.

The symmetry drawings activate a mental awareness in the beginner art student. Through many repetitions, the student will gain a feeling for symmetry and muscle memory will take over and open the way to more skillful drawing.

I took this page right from the Artabet First Steps in Drawing. We have made 4 editions and I believe this is from the 2nd edition back in 2003. The students love to draw "Bright Spots". I have seen them turn it into creepy crawlies, flowers, and lots of imaginative applications. Understand it ... Master it ... Apply it.

#8 Drawing Pads and Overheads

There is a new horizon in the field of graphic design, fine art, engineering, architecture, music composition, invention and a host of other artistic disciplines. Where there is a creative need there always is a way available to express it.

A stone wall inside a cave is transformed with bits of charred sticks and ground earthy pigments. Pablo Picasso's Bull's Head is assemblage at it's most whimsical for it takes a bicycle seat and some handlebars and transforms them into a bull with horns.

As you can see even a very sparse technology can produce great art. How can we use cutting edge technology as a teaching tool in our elementary school classroom?

Here are a few art tips on using overheads 'tech pads',t ablets, and drawing boards. You can see in the picture below that the students are following an overhead image that shows the steps for drawing 'Beaker', an excitable little chicken from the Artabet 'First Steps in Drawing' ebook.

Project the image, give a few instructions, provide the traditional pencil and paper or pull out the tablets. A great technical resource is the free Artabet's 'Teacher's Pack'. It's free. so your students can download it and everyone is ready to go. Nothing to get ready, no mess to clean up and it's easy to follow.

If you want to provide some creative art instruction for your K to 6 students and feel that you really can't draw a straight line or that you are just a beginner drawer and would feel silly or embarrassed teaching art,'fear not', technology is here to buffer the storm until you gain some confidence.

Set up the overhead or use your 'smartboard', and follow the steps. I have put up an Artabet worksheet file on an overhead and simply said,'Draw what you see." They take the simple model from the Artabet and personalize and accessorize it to make it their own.

Get them started and then let them finish! Technology and art can be a great team as an indoor classroom activity. Next Holiday download one of the free 'Teacher's Holiday Packs' set it up an overhead or download it into your personal tablet, sit back and let art and technology do their magic in your classroom.
How to draw and paint on your iPad, Drawing Tablet
Technology is seriously involved with art. Here is an easy way to get some of your students up an drawing using the latest technology.
Setting Up your Tech / Art Workspace

Option #1 You can get free downloads for your students i Pad to be used as a drawing tablet. Recommended/ Draw Free for iPad or Drawing Box Free. Both are free versions of more complicated software computer drawing programs.

Option #2 You can download a program into some of the computers in your Lab. If you are using a PC, I would choose Paint.NET, which is simple and straightforward.

Option #3 Use an existing program that is already installed.

Getting Started / Method 1

There are 3 steps in this method.The goal is to produce a finished piece of Tech Art.

1. Take a piece of art by a student and scan it into your drawing program, or take a photo of the artwork and download into a thumb drive. Pop it into the computer.

2. Convert your file to TIFF or PNG. Don't leave it in JPEG. You start losing file memory every time you close and open a JPEG. Keep the files as TIFF's or PNG's as you work on them. Convert back to JPEG when a small file size is needed such as an email or Facebook post. Work at 300dpi as a resolution. These are basic operating procedures.

3. Bring image up into your program and start with some simple enhancements. When satisfied you can print it out.

Which Functions Should I Use First?

Learn how to make the image larger or sma ller

Learn how to crop the image

Learn how to shift or move the image

Learn how to flip and turn the image

Learn how to clean up the image from scan marks, smudges and little black marks.

Learn how to use the drawing and painting tools before exploring the effect tools.

Learn how to close, open and save files.

Especially learn how to see what you want and then make it happen!

#9 Dimensional Development Game - Linking Thinking!

Linking is when you draw shapes and patterns in repetitive sequence. One square joins another square, one triangle joins another triangle, one joins one and another joins two and very soon you have linked up a pattern, a design, an animal or something else.

How to play

What you need to see is Dimension. See through! See into! See under! See in front and See behind! Start at the top left of the picture and keep adding what you see.

There is no right or wrong sequence to drawing. Some would draw the end result and ignore the wisdom in the little steps. The breakdown of each step makes the concept easier to understand. Remember, Something is always In Front or Behind.

Here is another page of linking. The top left is a whimsical collection of shapes randomly linked. The other two are variations of 'lace linking'.

We have used this 'lace linking' trick for Fairy clothing, shoe or boot laces, hair adornments, and other creative accessorizing with ARTABET characters.

Once a student learns a concept and makes it their own you have given them a piece of the great artistic puzzle. The Artabet is all about giving young artists what they need to take their first step and keep on going.

#10 Warm Ups Using The Artabet's 6 Universal Lines

The very best activity to improve your DRAWINGS SKILLS

Easy,fun and fast-paced

'Repetition is Our Mission' when it comes to the 6 lines of the ARTABET.
Since we only need the 6 universal lines of the ARTABET to draw everything that we see, feel and know, it makes perfect sense to practice drawing these 6 lines.

You can do them individually or draw them all on one paper. I combine arm and body movements to demonstrate the direction of each line before we draw it. Remember it's an Artabet workout so use lots of energy and keep it moving.

With these 6 lines we have every movement in line described. In all the Universe there are only these 6 lines and an infinite number of variations.

This is the basic knowledge we start with and build upon. A number of Artabet students have gone on to forge careers in animation and design and they still report back to me with,'Hi Mr. Mulvey, we still do the Warm ups".

How do I hold my pencil or pen?

I have observed 3 ways that students hold a pencil or pen over the last 25 years. There are of course a few unorthodox ways to get the job done but we will consider only three.

#1 Index and middle fingers on the side of the pen. Thumb is extended and touching index finger.

#2 Index and thumb working together to create downward pressure while the middle finger is curled on the underside of the pen for balance.

#3 All three fingers and maybe even the fourth on the side of the pen with the thumb on top. This grip is used by the student so that they can see what they are drawing. Pressure directed downwards by the thumb.

Is one grip better than the other?

I would think that the middle grip is the most demonstrated model for young students. I will re-form a students grip when i feel that the middle grip would help the student draw with more facility than their present grip.

Think of the technique needed to glide a violin bow, execute a pirouette, cut a diamond, shoot par golf, garden and thousands of other endeavors.

The artist needs to make their mark and there are dozens of ways to make that mark just as there are many different ways to move the violin bow or swing a golf club so it is with the artist's tools.The pencil and pen should be used with strength, softness, vitality and energy.

Lines should have great crescendos and fading diminuendos with a smattering of staccato.We should be able to carve strong lines or suggest a flight of birds with the flick of the wrist.

If you start these Warm Ups and keep at them, you will develop a real facility for drawing. Combine them with the Artabet character drawings and Draw a Story and you will have a confidence that will release your creative imagination every time you draw.

#11 In Front and Behind - Depth Design Game

It's amazing how such a little idea can make such a profound difference.

Let's switch it up and have you look at the drawing below. Study it and find the principal that is being expressed. What's happening?

How to play

You can make your drawing simple and easy if you start with just two triangles. What is important is that you can see the application of this concept game.

I see forests and great shining pyramids with sailing boats all tangled together in an ancient harbor. Many things use the triangle for their basic shape.

Start with this simple art game and develop your own approach to it. Watch your students do it and you will see how many variations they can make.

#12 Paper Chase - Artabet Depth Game

Do one over and over and you will produce something different from one every time! One leaf in a tree is behind another is behind another, over and over the sequence is repeated until it forms a pattern.

The artist is aware of these patterns and knows the principles behind them. In front and behind is one of the Artabet principles. Let's draw 'Paper Chase'.

How to play

Draw one rectangle or square. Draw the next one behind the first one, being aware that part of it is hidden from sight.

Continue the pattern making them smaller and smaller. Understand the principle and then create your own variations.

Remember to walk around and see what your students are doing with this game ... I have got some of 'my' best ideas from students.

#13 Sevens, Seventy- Seven, and Seven Hundred and Seventy-Seven

You can find art, even in a seven. When you know a 'Drawing Principal' and learn how to apply it creatively, the world of the imagination is yours to discover in the most common places.

#14 Parallel - The first secret you need to know for drawing 3-D

Parallel is a key concept in the study of oblique linear perspective and parallel perspective.

The ARTABET games and exercises will develop an awareness of sound artistic principals that will provide a springboard for artistic expression.I never use big words or a long complicated 'how to' explanation. We just play a game or do an exercise ... the students love it!

#15 Simply Felting - A Crafty Idea for your classroom

The word craft has always implied well done and skilled. Expert craftsmanship and well crafted are accepted requirements for many trades and professions.

Yet we think of 'arts and crafts' as a simple minded activity to keep kids busy. Not so! I have met many skilled crafters that are dedicated and passionate about their particular discipline.

Let's take a look at a crafty idea for your classroom.Just admire the 'craftsmanship' as you look at Danielle Linn's felting. Danielle is our oldest daughter and lives in the West Kootenay area of BC. If you a teacher in that area and want to have her come and do some super felting with your elementary school students, just drop me an email at Ron.mulvey@yahoo.ca.

#16 Outdoor Art

I've taught art outside every summer. Here are the materials you need to keep students happy, safe, and creative.
Materials

One Tarp that serves as the 'outdoor classroom'.

One 10in. by 12in. rigid support for every student ( to serve as a drawing board ).

One # 9 synthetic round brush for each student.

One Black Sharpie fine point pen or other suitable permanent black pen.

One pencil ( I use the Dixon PrimaryDixon since it needs less sharpening.

Sketch book ( make your own or get pocket folders with paper.

Two half sheets of cardstock paper or similar sized 90lb watercolor paper for each student.

Azo or Hansa yellow acrylic paint / one tube / 90ml / 3 ounces.

Thalo blue acrylic paint / one tube / 90ml / 3 ounces.

Alizarin crimson acrylic paint / one tube / 90ml / 3 ounces

One Paint tray for every 4 students.

One large yogurt container for every 4 students.

One Paint rag for every 4 students.

One or two milk jugs of water.

How to Run Effective Outdoor Art Classes
Find your 'spot' and roll out the tarp. I immediately get everyone sitting around the tarp making sure the middle is left open so we can all see each other.

Think of it as an art picnic. Let's see what we all get. The picture below shows a single set up for painting. If there were four students on the edge of the tarp and you put the paint and rinse water in front of the two middle students, then all four could reach.

As you can see the paper is small. Small painting tools are great for painting outdoors as our time is limited and we want to get our drawing and painting finished.

Outdoor Mural Project

Here are a few outdoor murals I've helped students paint.

Nelson Christian Community School Mural 2012/13

The students below started out with very few painting skills. To develop the needed skills we explored different artistic techniques.

Some of those techniques included scumbling, dash and dab, controlled stroke, rapid back and forth strokes, glazing and veiling in white. Confidence was gained and a new language was put into practice. The colors and ideas from their preliminary efforts led us to establish a color dominance and style for the finished murals.

Below is one of our 'technique experiments'. This is a section of an 8ft. by 2ft. piece of 3/8th. good one side plyboard. As you can see we have a paint stroke pattern and a colour harmony of green, orange, warm pink and yellow.

Our rule was 'no strokes longer than a finger.' Although 20 students contributed to this experiment, the picture plane has the most important quality that a group art project should demonstrate and that is unity. All work as a team and follow the technical guidelines.

The Nelson Waldorf Mural 2013

An Outdoor Mural is not simply some house paint slapped onto a wall or some wood. It must be made with sound weather resistant products so that it will last. Water and sunlight will certainly damage an Outdoor Mural unless sound materials and protection are provided.

The picture below shows us a well protected north east exposure with roof overhang. It is visible from 300m and is the first thing you see as you enter this natural learning environment.

Take a close look at the 'POP' colors. Red, Yellow, and Blue. Why do they look so intensely pure and vibrant? Now take a close look at the background and you will notice that there are a lot of green grays and yellow grays and blue grays.

If you want your colors to 'POP' you need lots of neutral grays and that does not mean black and white. I love that 'zippy red'.

The Great Wall of St. Joseph Elementary

We call this an Acrylic Fresco as it simulates the Italian Fresco Technique as used by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.

This mural has withstood the howling winters, thousands of soccer balls, torrents of rain and a good blast of the south-west sunshine a few hours a day in the summer. Except for some fading and a few dings, it has kept its dignity and charm for 11 years. Good materials and sound painting principals will give your school mural a long fruitful life.

Apply UV protective coat each year and a few touch ups and it will last for centuries. Ignore it and you will lose it! Such a pity!

Painting on concrete is hard, of course. Here are a few things I've learned when creating murals with your student.s

1. Make sure the concrete is free off water drainage, check for moss, cracks and surface chipping. If your wall is in poor condition I would look for another site.

2. The wall is cleaned and then a coat of acrylic emulsion is mixed with a special coating product that is then trowelled onto the surface. If you would like to start an outdoor school project like this, email me at Ron.Mulvey@yahoo.ca

3. When the surface is cured it becomes very 'thirsty'. This is where the fresco feeling comes out for as soon as the paint meets the wall there is a big 'slurp' and the paint disappears.Many hands are needed for the initial paint skin. This is where the PAC comes to the rescue and lines up the 'Handy Dandy Helpers'. Community and parental support is number one for a Big Outdoor Mural Project like this one.

4. Each painting session builds layer upon layer and the fresco feeling disappears giving way to a slicker surface that starts to show a sheen with full-color saturation.

5. Big spaces need big tools. We used lots of donated rollers and large paint brushes to get the big areas filled with paint.

6. Use only acrylic art quality paints.When mixed with extenders and mediums you will get quality and economy.House paints are for houses! Employ a competent artist to facilitate, a volunteer tradesperson/contractor to estimate and a team leader to investigate.

7. Do it well ... enjoy it ... take care of it.

#17 Go on a Great Outdoor Adventure with Your Class

Bug, Bugs, Bugs, they certainly are our dear little friends. Some from a distance and some up close, we search and we find them and become engrossed.

Take a trip outside your classroom and study and draw some bugs. Gather your information and Draw a Story back in the classroom.

We have many flocks of Canada Geese in our area. The plan for me would be to study them in class make a few sketches with the students and then head down to Lakeside Park and start sketching them live.

Then we go back and maybe a few days later make a finished rendering of our flightworthy subject ...maybe even give it a name or Draw a Story.

#18 Tips for Drawing Things Outside

If you are in an urban landscape you will have countless things to draw: such as cars, digger machines, boats, planes, buildings, and bridges, take advantage of it and make a point of drawing what you see. A ten-minute sketch is just that. You can accomplish a lot in ten minutes. Keep your Artabet Tool Kit ready to go at any time and break out for a quick sketch in your schoolyard.

The sketch below is done with a black sharpie on card stock / full sheet. Identify the 6 Artabet lines. Observe how the lines are strong and bold, and how it looks effortless. Simple, done well, is great.

#19 Ribbon of Light and Dark - Shading Game

Shading is 'Light'. Shading is 'Dark. Shading is everything in between.

How to play

Start at the bottom and practice dark to light and then light to dark. More pencil pressure produces dark and less pressure produces light.

This is a muscle awareness game so the more times you do it the better you get. If you remember the ARTABET Warm Ups and practice them you will find this game to be an extension of Up and Down and Back and Forth.

You can see the Artabet principle of 'symmetry' at work in the flower shape. The principle of In Front and Behind is also evident. Learn the principles, develop muscle awareness, broaden your technique, add some artistic imagination and you have a recipe for a successful art class.

#20 Artabet Game - One Two Tree

Draw a tree the way it grows. Leading your students into inquiry will always produce an awareness of why and how we do something.

How To Play

Start with one line and then add the zig zag which is two lines. finish with the 'leader' to make three. Continue adding this growth pattern; 3, 9. 27 etc.

You can then use this for a model when drawing trees.Find specific trees that fit this model and add specific details that describe the type. Trees are all around us and yet we know so little about them. With One Two Tree that can change.

This page is from the Artabet's free Teacher Packs. This Pack gives you tons of Holiday drawing fun and lots of great ideas like the one above.

#21 Play the Cluster Game

Almost all the students I have taught are facing the same hurdles in getting to the next level.The principles and concepts are always missing.

That is why we have hungry artists. The Artabet is designed and built with solutions that have come from inquiry-based learning.

What do they need to know and how can we present it with engagement. Clustering is an easy way to feed them. Ask your class to draw some balloons. You will be surprised how few will be aware of the concept of clustering.

How To Play

Start with the example on the top left. Practice 5 or 6 and then move to some of the easier clusters. Now do the balloons. By this time they should be able to work on their own clusters.

#22 Clustering and Linking Get You Thinking

This is an IDEA PAGE. Simply put it up on an overhead and let your class run with it. I would suggest that you do the linking and clustering games first and then let them at this one. I have found that this mode of teaching really works well in the classroom.

Get them started and let them go!

#23 Dimensional Discovery Game - If You Can See It

It's not a matter of seeing it ... It's all about drawing it!

An artistic concept must be understood if it is to be utilized as a creative tool. We cannot just copy ... we must express!

How to Play

Three Dimensional Art is one step higher than Two-Dimensional Art. One very big step! Students who are well prepared in 2-D will take the next step with a confident 'jump'.

The preparatory 3-D exercises and games are essential for a confident entry into this type of drawing.Let's take a look at the 3-D drawing below and use some inquiry based learning to figure out how it creates its magic.

How does it look 'DEEP'?

Which lines are 'PARALLEL' to the edges of the paper?

Are there any 'PARALLEL' lines at all?

Where do some of the lines seem to be 'CONVERGING'?

Are all the lines 'CONVERGING' somewhere?

What is the 'BASIC SHAPE'?

Is there 'FORM'?

How are we going to draw this and where do we start?

Let's take a look at some drawings that will demonstrate what we are doing without knowing why. The head knowledge comes after we have mastered the games and exercises.

How to Play

Now that I have turned the image right side up you can see that it reads easier.We respond to right side up better than upside down.

As you can see there isn't a wrong way only different ways. Artists like to see different ways.

So game rule #1 - There are no mistakes in art. After you have drawn this image I would like you to turn it around and look at it from different viewpoints. It might look like a spacecraft or a tall building or perhaps an ocean liner. This is the next part of the game. Play with it and make it your own. There are no mistakes in art!

#24 THE GREAT NUMBER GAME

I chose the number eight since it is one of those special numbers for me.I was #8 when I played hockey as a kid and young teen. All the numbers will work for this game, although some may require a little more 'thinking' than others.

How to Play

This game uses clustering and some 3-D slanting. Think - top, sides, and bottom. Identify the tops. Identify the sides. Identify the bottoms. We call these planes in 3-D Drawing. As you look at the drawing you will notice that you really can't see the bottom. This is called your viewpoint. What do you see?

How many 8's can you see?

How many 8's have holes that you can see?

How many colors are there in the picture?

Are black and white colors? ( watch out when you answer this )

Which primary color is missing?

What is the color scheme?

If you remember the Wiggle Game a few posts back you will find this game to be one 'notch higher'. I find that students rise to the challenge of 'the next level', especially if they are confident with the first level. Here is the drawing order I use when playing The Great Number Game.

I have included some Warm up shapes in 3-D to help you get to the next level and give you some confidence when playing the game. Remember you can use an overhead and sit back and discover what to do with your students.

Level 1

Warm up with some wiggles from the six lines of the Artabet.

Draw a wiggle shape similar to the top one on the right.

Now you come to the 3-D part where you add the straight lines to the left bottom and top.

To finish add the curved lines on the left side.

Move to the bottom left for a more slanted line image. Draw the wiggle shape first.

Add the converging lines that slope downwards and upwards.

Last to draw is the actual 8 on the bottom right. Sides slope inwards and the bottom is rounded.

Level 2

Congrats!! You made It. Let the Great Number Game Begin!

Start with the top 8, add sides, add the rounded bottom and finish with the two elliptical shapes on the top.

There are two 8's under the first 8. Draw the one directly underneath the first one.

Now add the 8 on the 2nd row to the right. Notice that the back left side line is hidden from view.

Draw the 3rd level 8 on the right.

Finish with the bottom 8.

Make as many variations as you want. Finish up with shading.

Knowing how to 3-Dimensionalize shapes is a skill that many professions use to develop new products, design buildings, create fashions, and of course a host of 'tech' based inventions.

Drawing is the beginning stage of all we invent and imagine. Try this little 'Keychain' below and see if you can come up with your own design using what you learned from the Great Number Game.

#25 It's Spring Holidays - Let's Draw a Story

Set the scene and introduce the characters.

Flowers and bugs are a perfect team! Let's Draw a story about one lonely flower, a big, bright, blue sky, some spiky, green grass and of course 3 bright, red bugs. Ladybugs, friendly bugs, and most certainly helpful bugs.

Never think that something is too simple in art. Simple done well is extraordinary. Change your language when presenting simple material to older children but keep the drawing simple.

Let them accessorize and add detail. I have presented this simple flower model to Grade 9 students and they ran with it all the way. This is perfectly suited to younger Artabet students and my story changes every time I draw it!

Hop Over Horizon Line - Don't Leave Art Class Without It

This is the fundamental Artabet concept. To progress through the levels of artistic drawing in 2-D and then 3-D certain concepts must be brought forward that will liberate the creative impulse and keep students drawing. Let's discover how to use the Hop Over Horizon Line.

The Hop Over Horizon Line simply divides the picture plane into two sections. It is best to place it above center or below center.

Now we draw this reference line after we have drawn the flower and the ladybugs. As we are drawing the line we say stop and hop every time we come to some other drawn form. The grass introduces texture.

If this was for older students I would have flowers and bugs in front and behind, petals would use the bending principal, a storm would rise up from the West and an overblown drama of epic proportions would ensue.

Yet it would be simple to draw and extraordinary. Learn all the Artabet concepts and principles and you will be able to Draw a Story too.

This page is taken from my free Teacher Packs.

#26 Artabet Coordination Exercises

A Line begins, it flows, and it ends. Use strong, continuous lines when you draw. Think '8'. I always go around to each student to see if they are getting it. If a student is having trouble getting it I will demonstrate it slowly for them and encourage them to keep at it.

I have found that about 80% of the students get it right away and are eager to try the next level which is called Rock Snake Jake.

Rock Snake Jake: the ultimate coordination exercise!

Study the drawing below at the top left. It follows the first variation of round and round found in the Artabet First Steps In Drawing - we call this variation the C urly 'Q'.

Start at the middle and work your wiggle outwards. Continue around to the right side and then backtrack to where you started. This is a variation of a sine wave or curve that folds back on itself. What is the secret to this intriguing little puzzle is - once you start the line keep it moving until you get back to where you started.

The Artabet will give you the basic art concept and then it is up to us to find variations, creative applications, and personal discovery. There is a lot more to Jake than we can observe from this drawing. When you master this particular version you will be led to discover so much more.

Artabet Arithmetic - Random and Ordered Patterns

Our world is full of ordered and random patterns. What may look 'chaotic' is really what we now call a fractal pattern. What appears as ordered in nature is the demonstration of a Law of Nature.

The spectral light of the sun is ordered according to the nature of its light rays.This is why we use the principal of symmetry when drawing the sun. The rocks on a beach have an order that appears to be random and yet we feel it is right and it is because it has order ... random order. Art always uses random and ordered patterns.

You may do the exercise below as separate units or do them all on one page. Count 10 draw 10, count 9 draw nine etc. Do this with both patterns. Make up new patterns. Point out random and ordered patterns in the classroom and in nature. Become aware by observing and then drawing.

Kids always draw in Symbol at the beginning stages of drawing. The world of 3-D comes after the world of 2-D symbolic drawing has been expressed.

Below are some 'handy' symbolic designs that can be used for a variety purposes when drawing. The brick pattern at the bottom is the most challenging.

Notice the braids on the left use the coordination exercise you just completed. The ordered line pattern at the top right is great for a basket pattern. Remember repetition is our mission!

#27 Drawing With Shapes

The tear drop is a variation of one of the 6 universal lines of the Artabet. Which one? Round and round of course.

How to Play

The first drawing sequence below shows you how to draw a tear drop shape. The second line demonstrates how some of your younger art students may draw the tear drop shape. As you can see we start with the 6 shape and as we turn the line inwards it must change direction and begin to curve in the other direction back to where we started.

The younger student will stop at the point where the line direction changes and then shoot straight up to the starting point. The line flow has been interrupted and the fluid roundness of the shape has been lost. Encourage them to not stop the line once it starts.

Practice this shape from right to left and from left to right. Make them short and squat, long and lean, right side up and upside down.

Add the artistic concept of in front and behind and your tear drops will start to create patterns that will spark your artistic imagination.

I have found that the art games and exercises change the way elementary art students draw. We all know the little fish symbol that beginner art students draw.

Look at the fish below and you will see that an improved model has been adopted as a result of the tear drop shape development exercise. The viewpoint is now looking down instead of looking at.

The fish have two eyes showing instead of just one. The fish are interacting instead of just posing. Depth is evident simply by applying the artistic principal of in front and behind.

Line Ups Make Super Shapes

I found this work page in among hundreds of 'potential ideas' and tried it with some students at a nearby elementary school. They loved it and drew their own variations.

Look at the figure on the top right. Find the straight line in the middle. Notice that the lines above it curve downwards and the lines below it curve upwards. Now as you look all over this figure you will see that most all the lineups are curved. Straight lineups and curved lineups get us ready for 3-D drawing.

The Power of the 'S' Line

The gentle curve of the 'S' line has been recognized and used by countless artists over the centuries. Think of taking an 'S' and stretching it, pulling it from both ends and changing its profile or squishing it to accent its plumpness. Practice these 'S' lines and then start twisting and turning them. Use in front and behind to create drawing depth.

The Curly 'Q'

This is the very first line variation of round and round from the 6 universal lines of the Artabet. It's best to start at the middle and work your way outwards.

Try these open and closed Curly 'Q's.

#28 Imagination Exercise / Spark creativity with a 'model'

An ARTABET MODEL is a simple representation of something. A cat a dog a ship a ballerina a hockey player an anything. I am always amazed at how interested art students are in the classic drawings we all know and love.

The castle on the hill with a moat and a dragon, the shy ballerina and her kitten, the space ship or the puppy curled up on a rug by the fireplace ... so many endearing artistic icons of childhood. It is a rare occasion when a student asks me to draw a contemporary image from the media.The Artabet does not teach the student to copy ... it encourages the student to express their own ideas. The model drawings provide a springboard for their artistic creativity.

Below is a simple drawing of a little space cruiser. We used this for one of our Draw a Story projects in my free Teacher PacksWinter Holiday. If you look at the drawing by a student underneath the model drawing you will see how it has been personalized and accessorized. Even the Ladybug has been morphed into a flying machine. Curly 'Q's have assumed epic cosmic proportions with dark to light shading.

This is a perfectly proportioned image.Three Curly'Q's, one large one medium and one small.we call this Pappa bear, Momma bear, and Baby bear.The pink watercolor wash in the background is a graded wash meaning dark to light. Amazing and refreshing to see this happen so naturally and with only a little help from an Artabet Model.

#29 Four Art Classes You Can Do Anytime

Printing and writing are very good training activities for drawing. As a matter of fact, the 6 universal lines of the Artabet are present in our Alphabet and our Number system.

This short classroom activity combines the best of two creative activities - drawing and text. It would be an excellent introduction to our first Tech Art Activity. Draw and paint a picture, then scan or photograph it and send it to the computer drawing tablet. Insert the text and print it out on cardstock paper.

1. Text and Graphics

2. Baby Dino

Every Elementary and Middle School Art student loves Baby Dino. The image below was a black sharpie drawing that was computer enhanced with Paint.NET on my Wacom drawing pad. Lots of shading and highlights give it a glow and tangible roundness.

Practice the simple line drawing below this more advanced rendering and keep in mind that 'simple, done well, is great.

3. Go Go Ogo

Ogo, the Great Sea Creature that pops up once and a while to let us know that It's still around. Learn how to draw Ogo first and then take a look at what a 5-year-old can draw.

Always Draw a Story when time permits. We added the Castle and Sun with the mountain line and hop over horizon line. You can see the struggle with the Sun's symmetry. She has since moved into an understanding of symmetry.

I have to say it's so charming to see the Sun all askew and I would never mention anything or say anything that would lead the young student into thinking they are doing something wrong.

There are no mistakes in art! We just continue doing the art games, warm-ups, and exercises and everybody grows and changes as they move to the next level of discovery.

4. Monkey Mambo is Round Round and Round

Many of the art students I teach have their own copy of the Artabet: First Steps in Drawing. If I come to their Elementary School and say," What would you like to draw ?", someone will usually say, "The monkey the monkey."

So here it is. Lots of round and rounds, a few dot dot dots throw in a zig zag zig zag and you have it ... The Monkey!

This is Mambo Monkey holding a 'green banana' and swinging on some vines. Oh yes, there is also a very long snake moving closer.

Perhaps Mambo should have left the green banana alone. You can see the brush in the picture as it 'softly' washes some warm orange-brown over the monkey. The vines were done with colored sharpies. Picture size is about 6in. by 8in. on 90lb watercolor paper.

The green painter's tape is removed when the picture is finished.It leaves a crisp clean edge and is display ready. Work in progress below is a Kindergarten student.

#30 Three Lines That 'Draw a Story'

The most important step you can take with your students is to show them the secret of the THREE LINES.

Big broad washes with a swiping motion and a big brush.

As you look at these 'rough and ready' salty folk, you will see that all have the basic 3 line composition. Horizon line, Mountain line, and beach line are all there and yet they are all different.

The model of 'The Three Lines' gives a sense of place and depth to the young artist. It is one of the most important pictorial devices that we can use as beginning artists.

#31 Sketching With Kids and Teens

Do not start thinking that all these art games. exercises and warm-ups are just for Elementary School art students. I teach pre-teens and teens all the time and find that they are as eager to draw all the material you have seen on this blog as the younger students are. Of course, they eat it up so fast that you have to supplement their discovery with drawing and painting outside as well as in the classroom.

We had an outdoor art class from 2000 to 2006 in Nelson B.C. that was always keen to go painting and drawing outside. The ages were from 6 to 14 and everyone did the art games, exercises, and warm ups for twenty minutes every week. They were ready for anything.

This was one of our favorite spots since it was next to one of the original 1960's Dairy Queens. The heaving sidewalk, leaning sign, weathered bench and gesturing Maple tree were all there looking like they had all missed the bus.We had to draw them and take them back to the classroom and color them up.

#32 The Perfect Colour Game

My eyes were opened to color when I started teaching art to kids. Many young art students have a wonderful color sense. When you ask them why they used certain colors they always pipe up with a cheery,"I like that color."

Red, blue and green make for powerful allies when it comes to color harmony. The small acrylic sketch below was done quickly with a class of Gr.4 to Gr.6 down by the Kootenay Lake. Surrounded by so many color experts I exclaimed, " I see red!" and so I painted red.. very red ...and it was fun.

Take your students outside and find some color. Then exaggerate it. Give it a real presence. This does not mean slapping a whack of paint all over the place. Choose one part of the subject you are painting and make it shine as the star. I mean just look at that red cliff below. It's the star of the show.

#33 Visual Memory Game

How does the artist create from memory? How can an artist remember the shapes, colors, and lighting of the place where they experienced them. The answer is - develop a visual memory.

Being able to recall the memory of the 'feeling' you had is your starting point. Then all the observations of shape and form are called to memory. Last, is the dance and play of the light bouncing around and influencing perception. The point is this; it is through observation, study, and feeling that visual memory is developed.

A short story about Turner, a landscape painter of epic stature in the new age of the railroad and steam engines, will show you the impact and importance of visual memory.

Turner was aboard a floundering ship and all hopes were lost. He commanded the first mate to lash him to the mast and when asked why he replied, 'If I die so be it but if I live, what a picture I will paint!
He painted many thrilling seascapes after this experience. Turner would close his eyes, get the feeling and he was there. Visual memory - Don't paint without it.

The magic of light can always be brought forward in your memory once you have experienced it.The cool rich greens and warm soothing reds of this scene above can be called forward at any time that I need them for a studio painting.

I don't need a photograph or a video as a reference tool ... just the feeling of the place and the time. Encourage your students to work on an outdoor drawing in the classroom. Take the 'sketch' and build it up with what artists call sustained effort using their visual memory as a guiding principle.

We tend to think that making Elementary School Art is a twenty to thirty-minute activity that offers a creative break to the rigors and mental demands of other subjects. Not so, not so at all! The creative impulse lies dormant in many students until it is awakened by the 'sense of wonderment' that is brought forward by the artistic experience. Make time to engage your students in observation and follow it with an artistic interpretation of a drawing in the classroom or a sketch outside.

#34 Holiday Art

First up is that brave little Turkey who lives with a vegetarian farmer and is ever so helpful. Please meet 'Cranberry". The Artabet characters fill the pages of my free Teacher Packs so here are a few of their adventures through the Holidays. Just follow the step by step and enjoy your Holiday Art.

Thanksgiving

This benign little 'stuffy' below, was a real hit last Thanksgiving.

Hallowe'en

First up is an advanced and enhanced Paint.NET rendition of 'Our Pirate Kitty' and her first 'Trick or Treat'. You can see the picture that was scanned into mydrawing tablet after you practice drawing Pirate Kitty which is up next.

Here is the original ink and wash from a class at Blewett Elementary.The students were really excited when we all drew a Hallowe'en Adventure. Compare this with the digitally enhanced picture you saw up above.

This is another version done one year after the previous one. Variations on a theme are food for the young artist.

Create Variety With Crossover Themes

Here is the 'Little Guardian' turned 'Scarecrow'. The names I chose for these new characters were 'Straw Heart' and 'Grey Guardian.'

Encourage your students to name their characters and sign their picture on the front. A name on the back is fine for identification but real artists sign the front.It is saying,"I approve, I did my best".

Crossover with a new theme. Do not think that you need a new thing to draw every time you have an Artabet Drawing Class. Let the characters change roles.

A fairy in one scene becomes a little sister in another scene.The spaceship becomes Santa's sled. Change a few 'props' and it will be fresh and new for your students. When you hear, "We did this before", you know you need to crossover.

Winter Holiday

Title page from the Winter Holiday free Teacher Packs. The mighty 'Kane' is featured full center on this page with some of the Artabet Characters gathered around him. I spent quite a while on this installment and I know your students will love it. Lots for K-3 and some real challenges for Gr.4-6.

All the drawings are provided with step by step instructions. You can't fall down teaching art to elementary school or middle school students when you go step by step with the Artabet.

Valentine All the Time

Heart shaped trees, heart shaped sun, heart-shaped smoke, heart-shaped door ... Repetition is Our mission! Notice the orange walkway as it flares out at the bottom.

St. Patrick's Day

Spring Holidays

Everyone in a class of Gr.3-7 was given the 'Three Trees Model' and the 'Three Landscape Lines', to build their spring picture. All were different, all had depth all had artistic composition.

Below is a bunny based on 'Pouncer' the Artabet model for a 3-D crouching cat. As you can see at the top left we jump right into the drawing of 'Pouncers' head.

You can follow the complete drawing sequence, step by step, in a previous blog ...look for Learn to draw 'Pouncer'.

Mother's Day

Father's Day

BONUS MATERIALS

Paints, Brushes, Water and Paper / What you need to know about them.

This is an 'Acrylic Watercolour' done on 90lb paper with a 1inch flat brush and a medium Chinese brush. Notice one thing above everything else; the colors are clean and transparent. Watercolour is water plus color.A beginner artist should start painting on dry watercolor paper and use lots of water when mixing the paint.

Think of painting on butterfly wings ... nice and easy ... the soft touch ...flowing and floating across the rough dry paper and allowing it to drink deeply of the hues and water you are administering... maybe a little too much blarney but not so far from the truth... go easy!

Your brush is magic ... if you know it's secret!

The secret of your brush is your watercolor paper. Your brush is of no use to you if you are using inferior paper. Start with a small sized 90lb. watercolour paper / 6in.by 8in. Watercolor paper is readily available but watch which one you buy. You want a big pack with about 12 sheets that can be cut into lots of 6in. by 8in. pieces. Do not buy paper that has a mechanically pressed surface. Buy a real acid-free professional product. Good materials make 'Great Art'.

The pure watercolor below was completed with E.Whitney's words of wisdom,"Think more and paint less". This little gem was done on a 10in. / 12in./ 140lb. Acid-free watercolor paper with only 11 brushstrokes.

The paper was saturated with water and then the paint was loaded onto a medium Chinese brush and plunged into the wet paper.This wet technique is a matter of letting the water in the paper distribute the paint.

Time to go ... but not without a plan!

Painting in the classroom or outdoors in the school yard is an exciting art activity for young art students. Most Elementary school teachers do not have a great knowledge of how to set up for painting.

Well, good news is coming your way. The Artabet is going to be providing some step by step videos on how to set up and paint in the classroom and outside. I'm getting a new camera this week and there will be a bit of a learning curve, but I hope to have the first installment ready for you on this blog post soon. Feedback would be appreciated. What would you like to see? Thanks, Ron.
Super simple art lessons to use in your K-6 classroom
Enter your email below and I'll send you my free 2014 Classroom Content Packs. These are ready-to-use lesson plans that are sent every holiday in the school year.

Draw Lonely Gwen Some Friends!

You'll also get characters to draw like Gwen, the lost little penguin I created below. Each character includes step-by-step directions and is designed to get your students creating with my 6 universal lines.

Spam Free Zone. You never get more than 2 emails per month.

Email me at Ron.Mulvey@yahoo.ca if you have any questions.

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Today, I want to share my big list of 34 amazing art exercises, ideas, games, holiday drawings and school art projects for students. I've taught art in classrooms for 25 years and know that teachers need fun, simple exercises, and art activities to get students going.

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Print out Pictures of Children's body parts and they can make their own collage

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Print out Pictures of Children's body parts and they can make their own collage

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Free My Body, Health, and Nutrition Preschool and Kindergarten Activities, Lessons, and Crafts

Display a picture of a baby. Explain to children that all of us were once babies. Ask children who has a baby brother or sister. Discuss how we have changed since we were babies and what we needed to grow (food, water, sleep, love). Display baby-to-adult sequencing pictures and talk about them.

Twiggi Puppet: Introduce Twiggi and sing and move to the Healthy Twiggles song. Use the EarTwiggle puppet to stress the point that we need healthy foods, water, sleep, and exercise to grow up healthy and strong.

My Body, Health and Nutrition Crafts and Printables

Movement:
Have children stretch and make themselves tall and then small like a baby; walk around in grown-up steps and then in baby steps; crawl like a baby, make small toddler jumps, and finally jump like big kids.

Show a picture of a baby's and an adult's handprint. Have children compare them to their own hands. Use words like: "My hand is larger than the baby's hand. My hand is smaller than the adult's hand."
Rhyme:
Where Is Thumbkin?
(Start with hands behind back.)

Where is thumbkin? Where is thumbkin?
Here I am(Bring right hand to front, with thumb up.)
Here I am.(Bring left hand to front, with thumb up.)
How are you today sir?
Very well, I thank you. (Wiggle thumbs as if they're "talking" to each other.)
Run away(Hide right hand behind back.)
Run away.(Hide left hand behind back.)

Craft: Make a growing chart for each child. Place one leaf at birth height and a flower at child's current height. Tape a picture of the child inside the flower.
EarTwiggle Puppet Craft
Print EarTwiggle and Lily patterns and cut out. Use spray glue to attach to cardboard and cut out. To make the handle, cut a six and one-half inch by three fourths-inch long strip out of cardboard and attach to the back of puppet.

My Body Rhymes and Songs:
Book: Germs Are Not for Sharing (Board Book) (Best Behavior Series) Here Are My Fingers
Here are my fingers and here is my nose.
Here are my ears and here are my toes.
Here are my eyes that open wide.
Here is my mouth with my white teeth inside.
Here is my pink tongue that helps me speak.
Here are my shoulders and here is my cheek.
Here are my hands that help me play.
Here are my feet that go walking each day.
(Author Unknown)

My arms have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand
Shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand
Shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand
And this is how I move them.

My legs have parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Knee, ankle, heel, and foot
Knee, ankle, heel, and foot
Knee, ankle, heel, and foot
And this is how I move them!

My body has parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Neck, back, waist, and hips
Neck, back, waist, and hips
Neck, back, waist, and hips
And this is how I move them!

I'm made of parts that bend and move
Every time I use them.
Shoulder, elbow, wrist, and hand
Knee, ankle, heel, and foot
Neck, back, waist, and hips
And this is how I move them!
Author Unknown

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My Body, Health, and Nutrition Activities and Lessons

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Health and Nutrition Craft and My Body Preschool and Kindergarten Activities and Lessons. Children will have fun learning how to stay healthy from head to toe with the Twiggles, Lily and EarTwiggle. Young children are very curious and love to learn about their body and the foods they eat.

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Art activities get much more intricate and focused when toddlers become preschoolers. Check out these 10 fun creative art activities for preschoolers!

Its amazing what a year means in these young ages!

Since Henry has been a preschooler, he has become a little more focused (believe it or not...). Which means the art projects, as well as other creative activities, we do can also be a little more focused.

And George is right behind him. Almost in the preschoolers category himself, he'll be doing these art activities in no time!

Note: Big Art creative activities are great for toddlers and preschoolers that can't or don't want to sit still to create.

How is art different with a preschooler?

When they get a tad older, (think older preschooler age) everything changes. Fine motor skills improve, along with attention span and the ability to focus on the project at hand.

Of course, the age in which a child can do this will vary. So take a look at your toddler or preschooler and see where their own skills are at.

These are 10 activities that we've done that take just that tad bit more focus and understanding to do. I think they are perfect art activities for preschoolers.

Of course, there is usually a way to incorporate a toddler into the mix. I had both a preschooler (soon a kindergartner!) and a toddler myself.

Here's some of our art activities that are perfect for preschoolers:

1. Learn about mixing colors. Perfect for a hot day. Freeze some cubes of paint (in 2 or 3 of the primary colors) and take it outside in the sun to melt as they paint. When they run together see what colors it makes!

2. Copy a masterpiece. Print out a masterpiece (such as Starry Night) and set it beside them to try to draw themselves. It's quite impressive what they'll find in the piece of art as they study it themselves to draw.

3. Amp up tape resist art. Instead of just chunks of tape around on a piece of paper, or you doing it, have them tear a piece of tape to create a picture! Add details to the finished tape resist art.

4. Add sensory to art. We used sand, but really anything can be used in its place. Flour, salt, sugar, dirt, rice, tissue paper.

5. Try pulling string to create art. This one takes a little patience, understanding and coordination. But nothing preschoolers can't handle in art activities. Its kind of magical to see what designs will happen!

6. Rainbow sponge art. Yes, toddlers can do this. But preschoolers can take the care it needs to actually make this a rainbow!

7. Add special touches around the house. Preschoolers are just getting into drawing. So design or draw a wrapping for everyday items such as a tissue box. What else can your little preschoolers spruce up with these art activities?

8. Shave crayons and melt them! It's great for fine motor skills to make the crayon shavings. And the designs they make can be so cool (ahem, learn a little about color mixing in the process)!

9. Use multiple painting techniques together to create a piece of art. Preschoolers will have to follow directions to make it right. Along with having the patience to put it all together. But it's really simple!

10. Tie dye something together! A t-shirt, a pillowcase, a sheet! They'll love a special touch to wear or use that they can say they made! Try different tie-dye effects too. It's all about the rubber-bands!

10 Art Activities that are Perfect for Preschoolers:
What's your favorite art activity to do with your preschooler?

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10 Creative Art Activities for Preschoolers

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Art activities get much more intricate and focused when toddlers become preschoolers. Check out these 10 fun creative art activities for preschoolers! Its amazing what a year means in these young ages! Since Henry has been a preschooler, he has become a little more focused (believe it or not...).

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Different questions or activities to use for this study

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Different questions or activities to use for this study

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Preschool Science Worksheets & Free Printables (Page 2) | Education.com

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Preschool science worksheets help kids understand the world around them. Check out our preschool science printables and find a few for your budding scientist.

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Science Sunday: Learning about muscles by exercising

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We had fun learning about muscles together, our activity this time was exercising and discussing what muscles we used for each exercise.

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Balanced Diet | #aumsum #kids #science #education #children

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Thanksgiving activities and centers for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten (With images) | Healthy habits preschool, Creative curriculum preschool, Preschool science

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Nov 8, 2019 - Thanksgiving and turkey themed activities and centers for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. (math, literacy, fine motor, character, and more).

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This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Looking for simple gross motor activities you can do indoors? This is the mega list!

I know how the winter goes - whether you're experiencing it now, or you're in the southern hemisphere and looking forward to it in a few months. You need things for your learners to get those wiggles out, or you're going to go a little crazy!

Here's a list to keep on hand! These are perfect for both the home and the early childhood classroom.
1 - Toss bean bags into baskets
Provide laundry baskets. Then get your learners in several rows, and have them take turns tossing bean bags into the target.

2 - Move on paper plates

Buy some colored paper plates. Then get creative! Place them in a row (red, green, red, green) and have students step on just the red ones. Or have them get down on all fours and "skate" with a plate under each hand. Put the plates in a row to get your students moving around the classroom. Put the plates far apart for biiiig steps. Or put them close together for tiny steps.

3 - Learn with a ball toss

If your learners are able to catch a simple toss, put them in a circle. Then think of a way to incorporate learning with a ball toss. For example, you can throw a ball to a student and name a word. Then s/he names a rhyming word and tosses the ball back to you. Toss it to another student with a new word for him/her to rhyme.

4 - Play "f ind and tag it"

This is a versatile game that can be used to review many different skills. Just tell your learners to find something and tag it. For example, "Find and tag something blue." Or "Find and tag something that starts with /s/."

5 - Move like an animal

You'll need some open space, but this is a great way to get kids using new muscles. Here are some ideas:

Move like a bird (run with arms outstretched)

Move like a snake (wiggle on tummies on the floor)

Move like a bear (walk on all fours)

Move like a frog (get down on haunches and hop)

Move like a kangaroo (take big leaps with arms in front of chest)

Move like an elephant (with heavy stomping)

Move like a penguin (waddle with ankles close together and arms pinned to sides)

Need more ideas? Check out 15 animal walks for sensory input, from Lemon Lime Adventures

6 - Have f un with painter's tape

Painter's tape is one of the best inventions ever. It goes on (and comes off) easily - whether you've got a smooth floor or a carpeted one (but be sure to test it first just to be sure). And there's so much you can do with it! Put it on the floor like a ladder. Then have students see how many rungs they can jump. Can they jump farther with a running start?

See how many rungs they can stretch - or how far they can go on one foot. Need more ideas? Check out this post at Hands on As We Grow.

7 - Play indoor hopscotch

I really think painter's tape is the way to go on this one. Create a simple hopscotch board with numbers. Then have students toss a bean bag on a space and jump to get there. Another idea is to use cardboard squares that you can pull out at any time.

Tip: Change the skill that learners review with hopscotch; instead of putting numbers on the squares, consider letters, shapes, or sight words.

8 - Use balloons

Blow up enough balloons for each of your learners (plus extras, because you know you'll need them after the inevitable popping). Have them put a balloon between their knees and walk like a penguin. Or they can toss the balloon and catch it so that it never hits the floor.

Can they balance the balloon on a part of their body (like an outstretched arm) and walk a few steps - or across the room?

9 - Alphabet action cards

Print our free alphabet action cards - then get active while reviewing the alphabet one letter at a time.

10 - Copy me!

This is where you can get in your workout for the day. Simply do a series of exercises or silly actions, and have your students copy you. Jump like a kangaroo. Scratch like a monkey. Run in a place. (Whatever it takes to get that heart rate up!)

11 - Create a wiggle jar

Print action cards and place them in jar. When your students need a movement break, pull a few cards for everyone to do. Here are some ideas for a preschool wiggle jar:

Jog in place while you sing the alphabet.

Touch the sky and then your feet five times in a row.

Pretend you're playing the drums.

Fly around the room like a bird.

For wiggle jar ideas, visit Homeschool Share.

12 - Tape balance beam

This is ultra simple, but surprisingly fun! Grab several rolls of colorful painter's tape, and set it on the floor in different lines; make the lines zigzag, curvy, straight, or shaped like a circle, square, or other shape.Then challenge your learners to walk each colored line from beginning to end.

13 - Dance like this

If your learners like to dance, put on some music - but give them instructions to dance a particular way. They can dance slow, fast, in a circle, silly, etc.

14 - Roll and move

Grab a large soft die (like this one), and write a list of simple exercises on cards. Have one learner draw a card, and another roll the die. The die tells you how many times to do the exercise. Here are some ideas for the exercise cards:

Touch your toes

Do arm circles

Run across the room

Hop on one foot

Jump forward

Take big steps

Take tiny steps

15 - Be an athlete

Have your learners pretend to do one of these sports. Think of it as heart-pumping charades!

16 - Be the weather

Children can use their bodies to be different kinds of weather, such as:

17 - Learning scavenger hunt

Write things your students are learning on sticky notes - they may be letters, numbers, shapes, sight words, etc. Put the sticky notes in various places around the room (some hidden and some obvious), and see how many your learners can find and identify.

18 - Sing active songs

Sing one of these classic songs, and add some actions!

I'm a Little Teapot

If You're Happy and You Know It

The Hokey Pokey

Ring around the Rosie

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, Turn Around

Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush

19 - Do alphabet yoga

If you have nap mats or towels, pull them out and challenge your learners to do a yoga pose for various letters of the alphabet.

A - Airplane (hold still and move arms to the side)
B - Bicycle (lie on your back and pedal your feet)
C - Cat pose (get on all fours; then round your back while tucking in your chin; release)

For a list of yoga poses from A-Z (and how to do them!) visit Pink Oatmeal.

And for even more gross motor ideas, check out 3 Dinosaurs' gross motor printable list.

We hope this list gets your learners moving and saves your sanity at the same time!

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Indoor gross motor activities for preschool and kindergarten - The Measured Mom

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It's hard to know what to do with active kids on a rainy day! Thankfully, this post has a huge variety of indoor gross motor activities for preschool and kindergarten. No more crazies! #grossmotor #preschool #kindergarten #rainyday #largemotor

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This article provides home-based brain-building activities with resistance bands that can help your child with sensory integration, motor planning and other learning benefits. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center. As a reminder, ILS is not a health care provider and none of our materials or services provide a diagnosis or treatment of a specific condition or learning challenge you may see in your child or student. If you seek a diagnosis or treatment for your child or student, please contact a trained professional who can provide an evaluation of the child.
If you work with children who have learning challenges, attention and behavior issues, emotional and sensory overload, and poor motor skills, they may benefit from activities that build neural connections for higher learning. Some beneficial activities can provide a combination of heavy work, crossing the midline, core strengthening, sensory integration and motor planning. It's not always easy to find one item or toy to accomplish all of those learning benefits. However, there are some tools you can use on a daily basis that are very versatile and can be used for multiple purposes. Many of these items are simple, easy to use, compact, inexpensive and small so you can help your child in your home.

What's important to remember is that if your child only sees their Occupational Therapist or movement specialist two to three times a week they may need additional help from you at home to see greater strides in the classroom. Parents can do many activities during the other days of the week for greater progress when their child doesn't have therapy sessions.

Items parents can use to help their child at home include resistance bands or exercise bands. The wonderful thing about resistance bands is that they are mobile, small, easy to use, and they can provide many of the benefits discussed above for your child's sensory integration, motor planning, hand-eye coordination, proprioception and spatial awareness.

Benefits of Resistance Bands

Children with sensory needs often crave heavy work. Their bodies and their brain need the resistance and stretching to calm down so they can sit still in their chair. If your child doesn't crave that movement because we've already provided it to them, then they can openly engage in learning. Some parents can even send the resistance bands with their child to school and wrap it around the legs of their desk. This gives your child an opportunity to bounce their feet and legs while at their desk so they can fidget while not disrupting other students. It allows them to concentrate and focus on what the teacher is teaching and their instructions for homework. It even allows them to interact better with their peers and develop better social skills with others.

Another reason resistance bands are so important is to help your child's posture, hand strength, trunk and core strength. Many students who struggle in these areas have trouble copying notes from the chalkboard; they struggle with handwriting and fine motor, are often clumsy and lie on their desk as if they were too tired to actively learn in the classroom. Activities with resistance bands can strengthen those core muscles in the body, trunk, hands and neck to improve in each of these areas. It also helps children work their brains back to front, top to bottom and right to left, which helps your child's receptive and expressive language, emotional grounding, auditory processing, retention, reading and writing.

Resistance Band Activities

Resistance bands are versatile and can be used in many different ways. Here are a few exercises that may be beneficial for your child, however, there are many more you can try at home.

Stretching Arms and Legs

Start with some stretching exercises that get your child's arms and legs moving. First, have your child lay on their stomach with their legs bent, feet in the air. Put the resistance band over their feet and have them stretch the band outward with their feet.

For your child's legs, have them take the resistance band and put their foot in the middle of the band. With both hands, have them stretch it over their foot almost all the way up to their head. Switch feet after holding for a few seconds.

Another activity for the feet and legs is to tie the resistance band at the end so it makes a circle. Have your child put one foot in the band and tell them to use one hand to pull the band toward them. They can even lift their leg higher for a better stretch.

Back Band Exercises

For this activity, have your child lay flat on their back. Tell your child put their legs in the air and stretch the band over their feet with both hands. Pull the band with both hands toward their head. The tighter they pull on the band, the better the exercise. Have them hold for a few seconds before releasing.

Front and Back Arm Exercises

To strengthen your child's arms and to incorporate front to back activities for building your child's receptive and expressive language, you can try these two exercises with the resistance bands. First, have your child tie the band at the ends so it makes a circle. Then have your child stretch the resistance band widely as far as they can with their arms. They can be sitting or standing to complete this exercise. Try to have them put one arm in front of the other. Your child can first cross the band in front of their body and then stretch it over their head to stretch the band behind their head.

Leg Lift Resistance

Keep your child's resistance band tied together in a circle. While your child is standing, have them put one foot inside the band and stretch it to the floor. Have your child's hands pull the band as high as they can to their chest or toward their head. Then have them slowly lift their leg so their knee is bent. Repeat the exercise and have your child switch legs.

Balance and Coordination Stretch

To improve your child's balance and coordination, have them sit on an exercise ball if you have one. Then take your resistance band and have your child stretch it behind their head as widely as possible. This gives your child the opportunity to strengthen their core muscle and improve their balance as they stretch the band over their head.

Straight Leg Stretch

For this activity, have your child untie their band. Have them put one end of the band in one hand and the other in the opposite hand. Help them press the band to the floor with their feet while keeping the ends in their hands so it stretches to their hips. When they have that stretch, help them raise the band even higher close to their head to get an even wider stretch.

Crossing the Midline

To help your child cross the midline, have them stand in the same position as above, but bring the band closer to their hips. Then have them cross their arms over each other (right over left). Hold for a few seconds and then have them switch arms.

Stretching Lunge

While your child is standing on the band, have them keep their right leg on the band and move their left leg behind them, crouching into a lunge position. To include a midline stretch with this activity, have them move their left arm over their right arm (opposite feet with opposite arms). When they have held that position for a few seconds, have them switch both legs and arms.

Cool Down Stretches

When your child is ready to finish these activities, have them end with a few of these exercises. First, have them wrap the band over their foot and bend their leg behind them. To get a better stretch, have them bend their leg further behind them and switch legs after a few seconds.

Next, have your child stretch the resistance band over their head behind them as they stand. Lastly, have your child put their foot back in the band and lift their knee toward their chest, similar to the leg lift exercise above.

Additional Learning Ideas

To try more activities that may help your child with physical literacy, join our video membership. The video membership provides three of the following options:

1. Pick and choose which series works best for you for one price.

2. Sign-up for our monthly membership to gain access to each new series on a monthly basis.

3. Register for our annual membership to gain access to all the videos.

Depending on what option works best for you, each series is typically only $1 per video. Each video series allows you to track your progress and reach certain goals you set with your child. To join, click .

Related Products

Integrated Learning Strategies is a Utah-based center dedicated to helping mainstream children and children with learning challenges achieve academic success. Our services provide kids with non-traditional tutoring programs within the Davis County, Kaysville, Layton, Syracuse, Farmington, and Centerville areas. Areas to find Integrated Learning Strategies include: Reading tutors in Kaysville, Math tutors in Kaysville, Common Core Tutors in Kaysville, Tutors in Utah, Utah Tutoring Programs

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Resistance Bands: Brain-Building Stretchy Band Exercises for Sensory Integration, Motor Planning and Crossing the Midline

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Resistance Bands: Brain-Building Stretchy Band Exercises for Sensory Integration, Motor Planning and Crossing the Midline This article provides home-based brain-building activities with resistance bands that can help your child with sensory integration, motor planning and other learning benefits. Affiliate links are provided for your convenience. Integrated Learning Strategies (ILS) is a learning and academic center.

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You are here: Home / Activities / Fine Motor / Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities

Fine Motor
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Make fine motor activities easier and simpler to do with easy materials and activities to boost fine motor skills!

Fine motor activities have been put on a back burner in this house for a bit, about a year. Now we’re back on a big fine motor skills activity kick!

Which is probably a good thing.

Gross motor skills should come before fine motor skills.

Those big muscles help the little muscles!

But wow! What a difference a year makes!

You’ve got to try these cutting activities to build fine motor skills as well as learn to use scissors!

Last year, Henry wouldn’t sit still. He didn’t have any desire to do anything that didn’t involve a lot of running around.

We were really into activities that promoted his gross motor skills at that time.

But recently, Henry’s taken a turn and likes to focus on some of these littler things. He loves to cut especially.

Now that’s he’s interested in these fine motor activities, what can we do?

I’ve gathered up some inspiration.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But, first of all, what are fine motor skills?

According to Understood.org:

"We use fine motor skills to make small movements. These movements come so naturally to most people that we usually don’t think about them. Fine motor skills are complex, however. They involve the coordinated efforts of the brain and muscles, and they’re built on the gross motor skills that allow us to make bigger movements."

What are examples of fine motor skills and activities?

Fine motor skills can include small movements such as:

holding a pencil

maneuvering a pencil

scissor skills

pushing Lego blocks together (and pulling them apart)

manipulating play dough

getting dressed with belts, buttons, zippers and snaps

using silverware while eating

opening and closing latches

technology/mouse manipulation

Why are fine motor skills important for a preschooler?

As you can see, many of these skills are needed in a child’s (and adult’s) everyday tasks.

Without having gained strength in fine motor skills, a child can suffer moving forward. They may not have the ability to do these small tasks, but they also may lack the confidence to do more advanced tasks or projects because of this inability.

You can check out the chart of fine motor development on Kidsense.org.

Are you convinced now that fine motor skills are important to focus on just a bit?

Of course, I still recommend not going crazy about it. Don’t expect your kid to be able to make straight lines and hold their pencil correctly when they’re two years old.

Click here to Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

But if you notice they are lacking in their fine motor ability, there are tons of fun ways to help improve it.

The big question becomes…

“How can I improve my child’s fine motor skills?”

Let’s have fun with promoting their fine motor skills anytime! No need to wait until they’re behind, right?

These are some supply suggestions that naturally promote fine motor through activities for preschoolers.

Materials that promote fine motor skills… and click the link (or look below) to find fine motor activities to do with them!

By the way, these would be fantastic to put together in a “fine motor kit” to have on hand.

Pom Poms in general are small, needing small movements to grasp them, pick them up, and move them. They are fantastic material to work on hand eye coordination.

Buttons are also small items that work great in developing fine motor skills. Picking them up works those small muscles, But the true fine motor skills comes in the act of buttoning something up, that takes some amazing finger strength and hand eye coordination.

Paper Clips are great for finger movements and manipulation. Being able to slide the clip onto a piece of paper takes a lot of concentration for kids in preschool and kindergarten.

Clothespins are a fantastic material for building finger strength. We use them a lot in our learning activities that the kids absolutely love.

Rubber Bands also work on finger strength, but in the opposite way that most materials do. These are a fantastic addition to any fine motor activity!

Tweezers take a lot of hand eye coordination to be able to operate successfully and move an item from one place to another. Try it!

Pipe Cleaners can be used as a great tool for fine motor skills. They can be threaded and poked!

Straws can be used as beads, to thread onto something! But they also work great with play dough too.

Play Dough is fantastic for building those small muscles! Kneading, pushing and rolling the dough really helps! Find out how to make homemade playdough.

Knobs and Screws (or Nuts and Bolts), any real tool from Dad’s toolbox is a hit for my kids! These also take incredible hand eye coordination and concentration to be able to tighten and loosen.

Stickers are amazing! Have your child try to peel the stickers off the sticker sheet! If it’s tricky, you can remove the non-sticker part of the sheet and it’s still an amazing fine motor activity. And then placing the sticker on a paper also takes hand control.

Hole Punch are hard! Trust me, your child will need to work up to this amount of muscle strength in their hands before they’ll be able to successfully do this. So plan to help out, but give them the chance to try!

Syringes are so much fun for kids and have the added bonus of working those small muscles in their hands with control so they don’t squirt the liquid out too fast.

Eye Droppers are a fun way for kids to work on their pincer grasp. Suck it up and let it out!

Kitchen Tongs can be a great tool for working on hand strength and control. Bring them out during clean up time and I bet your child will be more willing to pick up their toys plus you get the added bonus of working on their fine motor skills.

Toothpicks are small and take a good pincer grasp to be able to hold it.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

Fine Motor Skills Activity Ideas

Now that you have some materials to grab and have on hand to work on fine motor skill, put them to use with some of the activities that promote them!

These activities can be done with a great variety of materials, so don’t just limit yourself to what’s above. Instead, use our suggestions as inspiration!

If you’re struggling for younger kids to work on their fine motor skills, you may want to look into our fine motor activities for toddlers suggestions.

Below are some great fine motor activities for preschoolers to get started with.

Sewing

Weaving

Lacing

Beading

Balancing

Spooning

Painting

Tracing

Pinching

Threading

Make things small

Cutting

Sorting

Poking

Buttoning

Get a quick print of these materials and what to do with them here, or click the image below. Put this printout in a fine motor kit to have on hand with the supplies listed to use and you’ll be set!

Check out our 32 activities that focus in on objects that help strengthen a child’s hand grip.

Like I said, stock up on these fine motor materials and keep them handy. Here are some handy affiliate links to get you started: Plastic Sewing Needles for Kids, Colorful Buttons, Eye Droppers, Fiskars Pointed Scissors, Marbles, Beads.

Download the Fine Motor Week of Activities

However, keep in mind that before really you really focus in on fine motor skills, kids need to get moving and using their gross motor skills first to build up their big muscles which in turn will help support the little muscles used in fine motor activities!

30 moving activities for excess energy

26 gross motor activities for preschoolers

20 physical activities for toddlers

32 scavenger hunts for kids

What are your best tips and tricks to make fine motor activities super fun?

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Improve Kids Fine Motor Skills with 30 Materials & Activities

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You’ll love working on fine motor skills with easy activities ideas, made simpler with materials you can keep on hand!

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of skills. They're creative, open-ended, appropriate and varied with ideas for practising motor skills through art, sensory play and simple manipulative games, and there are so many to choose from!

One of the most important ways we can help our children while playing with them at home or in a childcare/ classroom setting is through setting up simple activities that help to develop fine motor skills. Young children need to be able to hold and use scissors and pencils appropriately before using them in a classroom context. We cannot expect them to be able to write if they haven't yet developed the strength needed in their hands and fingers.

There are plenty of easy ways to strengthen these muscles, practise co-ordination and develop hand:eye co-ordination using simple, everyday materials and a bit of creative fun! Here are 40 that we have done over the past few years with babies to 5 year olds. There are a million variations you could make from each of these to cater for your own child's particular interests and learning dispositions. Use these as a springboard and pin it for future reference too!

[ Herbal play dough with natural materials to explore]

My personal favourite tool for developing all fine motor skills is the humble ball of homemade play dough. It can be used in SO many ways by adding other combinations of materials to it, and automatically strengthens little hands as they roll, squeeze, twist and build with it. Here is a whole post about the benefits of playing with play dough and a handy guide to starting out with building your own play dough tool kit. Of course, baking with real dough is another wonderful way to play and learn simultaneously!
The many benefits of play dough (and a tool kit)
Other activities we have loved have included exploring sensory play materials, transporting small parts, threading beads, hands-on art projects, cutting and sticking, tearing and scrunching papers, opening and closing fastenings and countless others. Here is a selection of some of those favourites, all of which can be adapted for different age groups and abilities.
Threading with beads onto pipe cleaners Threading, posting and slotting toys for babies and toddlers Poking straws into holes Pasta necklaces Monster play dough Weaving around cardboard Fairy sparkle playdough Pipe cleaners and colanders Beads on spaghetti Hair rollers sticky construction First sewing basket Edible fingerpainting Making marks in fairy dust Decorating play dough eggs Mark making and scooping in lavender sensory salt Building 3D models Sorting and pattern making with shells Patterning with lego Lid posting game Snipping and doodling sticky stained glass windows Whisking up coloured sensory soap Salt dough alphabet modelling Pebble sorting Stacking cups Play dough cupcakes Foam and water window art

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40 Fine Motor Skills Activities - The Imagination Tree

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Here is a collection of 40 fine motor skills activities for young children that are easy to set up and promote a whole range of basic learning skills.

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Recent research was conducted with neurotypical five-year-old children to determine how to improve fine motor skills using physical exercise.

As pediatric therapists, we all know the importance of fine motor skill development and school. Whether it is using manipulatives, school supplies, writing or zipping up a backpack, efficient fine motor skills are necessary.

This study examined the benefits of full-body exercises and coordination activities to improve fine motor skills in children.

Methodology of the Study on Improving Fine Motor Skills Using Physical Exercise

This study included 52 neurotypical, 5 year old children. Baseline testing was completed on all the participants. The testing included hand grip strength, placing pegs, turning buttons, lacing beads, curved track test, transferring beans and a speed tapping test.

After baseline testing, the children were randomly divided into an experimental group or a control group. The experimental group participated in 30 minute exercise session, 3x/week for 24 weeks. The control group continued with their normal physical activity routines.

The exercise sessions consisted of the following:

warm up period

10 meter running

crawling exercises

finger exercises

squeezing rubber rings

throwing bean bags

balance beam activities

pushing a tire

cool down period

Results of the Study on Improving Fine Motor Skills Using Physical Exercise

After statistical analysis the researchers reported the following:

no difference in baseline measurements between the two groups

hand dexterity improved significantly in the exercise session group

the exercise group showed significantly faster tapping speed when compared to the control group

significant improvements in hand grip strength in the exercise group

Did Physical Exercise Improve Fine Motor Skills?

The researchers concluded that the physical exercise sessions improved fine motor skills in neurotypical five year old children. The exercise program had simple physical activities that could be easily implemented in a kindergarten program.

Reference: Qi, Y., Tan, S., Sui, M., & Wang, J. (2018). Supervised physical training improves fine motor skills of 5-year-old children. Revista Brasileira de Medicina do Esporte, 24(1), 9-12.

Resources to help improve fine motor skills in children

Fantastic Fingers® Fine Motor Program is a comprehensive fine motor program that includes ebook, music, and instructional videos. It's user-friendly, research-based, and improves children's fine motor skills, pencil grip, posture and more. It also integrates many early literacy and numeracy skills.

Hands First! Full Fine Motor Curriculum is unique among fine motor programs as it empowers therapists, caregivers and teachers to help preschool, kindergarten and first grade children develop fine motor abilities. Through fun and engaging lesson plans, Hands First Fine Motor Curriculum addresses a child's foundational skills through fine motor and gross motor activities. Designed by Laurie Donovan, MA, OT/L and Alison Hales, OTD, MS, OTR/ L , Hands First Fine Motor Curriculum is written in an easy to use format.

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Improve Fine Motor Skills Using Physical Exercise - Your Therapy Source

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Recent research was conducted with neurotypical five-year-old children to determine how to improve fine motor skills using physical exercise. As pediatric therapists, we all know the importance of fine motor skill development and school. Whether it is using manipulatives, school supplies, writing or zipping up a backpack, efficient fine motor skills are necessary.

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Preschool Fitness and Exercise is something we should all focus on throughout the year.

1 out of 5 preschool children are in what is considered the "obesity" range regarding their weight.

Preschool fitness needs to be a priority in our classrooms.

Let's get them moving!

This theme page is filled with activities that focus specifically on exercise.and its importance for your preschoolers.

Be sure to include active, gross motor time every day, not just during health-related themes!

Be vigilant about not losing your recess time!

Let the Exercise and Fitness Theme planning begin!

You can scroll scroll down through this page to see all of the preschool activities for your Preschool Fitness and Exercise Theme.

You can also click the link below to go to the specific preschool activity types you are looking for.

Preschool Fitness Theme Art
Finger Painting
Materials Needed: Provide finger paints in multiple colors and finger paint paper.

While they are painting, talk with the children about the things they do that use the muscles in their hands (using a spoon, putting on coats, brushing teeth) and they their hand muscles need exercise, too!

Materials Needed: small balls or large marbles, a box top or other shallow item with edges; paper, paint

Children print their name on their paper.

Place paper in shallow tray or box top.

Put some paint on the paper (we usually water the paint down a bit so that marbles don't get stuck in it!).

Place balls or marbles on the paper. The children shake the tray or box top from left to right over and over again as the balls or marbles drag the paint around the paper. Keep adding paint as wanted!

My Bones

Materials Needed: black construction paper, white chalk

Encourage the children to draw pictures of themselves and what they think their bones might look like. This is a tough concept for them as preschoolers are so concrete and discussing something that they can not see that is under their skin is a bit abstract for them. But, just let them go at it! Display these pictures either in your dramatic play area or your classroom library area!

Making Musical Dumbells

Materials Needed: Paper towel tubes; strips of colored construction paper (approximately 2 inches wide by 4 inches long); scraps of yarn and ribbon;small jingle bells; miscellaneous paper and items that they can tape onto the tubes; markers and clear tape

In advance, tie a jingle bell on the ends of some of the ribbon and yarn pieces. Also, use a hole punch to punch some holes near the edges on both sides of the tubes.

The children should decorate the paper towel tubes. Have them tape the construction paper strip around the tube in the middle and explain that this is where they will hold their dumbells and therefore they should not glue anything on that part.

Demonstrate how to hold a dumbell and lift it up and down!

They can then use the markers to decorate and glue on the miscellaneous items. They should then lace the ribbon and/or yarn into the holes around the edges.

Use these to "work out" in your gym in dramatic play!

Body Awareness

Materials Needed: Large paper to trace children on, marker

Trace each child on a large piece of paper. Enlist help from parents to do this and to cut out their tracings. Be sure to print each child's name on thier tracing!

Provide mirrors and have the children draw their faces on their papers.

Provide fabric for them to decorate the rest of their bodies.

Talk about the different muscles and bones and how to stay fit.

This will most likely be a several day project as the children will lose interest in coloring their own life-size "Me" in one day!

Materials Needed: paper, crayons, scissors, hole puncher, paint, paintbrushes, colored laces or yarn.

Help the children to trace their own foot (with their shoe on) and then cut it out as best they can.

Hole punch a few holes near the middle (they will lace this part later!)

Provide a variety of paint colors and paint brushes and let them decorate their "shoes".

When dry, provide laces or yarn for the children to practice lacing!
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Preschool Fitness Theme Block Center Ideas
Construction Underway

Materials Needed: Add interlocking blocks to your block area such as duplo or larger legos.

The children can use these materials to build a hospital, a gym, a park or playground to play on! Also provide toy people and pets to walk in the park! Use larger blocks to make cars, trucks or ambulances to get where they need to be!

You've talked about fitness in preschool and the importance of healthy eating. Perhaps you even have a supermarket in your dramatic play area. Let's add to that using brown grocery bags! Stuff them with newspaper and then tape them with clear packing tape and add them to your block area. You could also do the same with the small brown lunch bags.

Preschool Fitness Theme Circle Time Ideas

Circle Time is such a great time for children to learn the social skills of being together as a large group AND to learn more about your Preschool Fitness Theme!

Materials Needed: Index cards, marker

Ask the children if they know of ways they can stay healthy? Accept all answers. In advance, print each child's name on an index card. As each child gives you an answer, show the group that child's card (name receognition) and Write down their answer on their index card.

Some answers may be: Eat healthy foods; brush teeth; wash hands; exercise, etc.

Use the cards at the Writing Interest Center to encourage them to draw a picture of themselves doing the action you have written down for them.

Watch Me Grow!

Materials Needed: A large strip of paper taped to the wall marked off by feet (1 foot through 5 feet); marker or strips of paper with each child's name on it.

Measure how tall the children are and place their name where they are and list how tall they are. Do this again at the end of the year to see how much they've grown!

We have also weighed each child and listed that as well. The children would measure themselves all year long!

Row Your Boat
Our Puppet Says
Sing the song Row, Row, Row you boat while acting out the lines. Sing it fast and then sing it slow. Sing songs during circle time that use hand motions today! Stand up and act out 5 Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed and then sing and act out 5 Little Monkeys Swinging From a Tree!

Materials Needed: Take out your favorite puppet! Have it say hello to the children. The puppet can lead your children in a game of Copy Me! The puppet should tell the children that they are going to exercise. First we are going to warm up....Walk in Place, ready, go!

Now, jump 6 times....ready, go!

Now, run fast in one place like this...ready, go!

Eventually, let the children each make a suggestion of a move and have the puppet try to do that exercise as well!

Snack Recipe Ideas to Cook Up for Your Preschool Fitness Theme!

Cooking with children helps develop their math skills and helps them to learn how to follow directions. It also allows for some great conversation! Ask many questions while cooking with your children to encourage conversation! Be sure to ask specific themed questions while making these fun snacks!

Ingredients and Items needed: raisins; oat cereal; corn cereal; dried fruit; zipper baggies; tablespoons; pen

Place each ingredient into a separate bowl. Place a tablespoon in each bowl. In advance, draw a tablespoon on 4 index cards. On the bottom of each, list how many tablespoons of the ingredient that you want the children to place in their baggie (for example, on the card in front of the raisins, you might print "Add 1".

Encourage the children to print their name on the baggie with the pen.

They should then go from bowl to bowl and count out the number of tablespoons of each ingredient printed on each card into their baggie.

Like What You See So Far?
Join my FREE Preschool Teacher Club today and receive:
A full theme each month that includes-
Calendar pieces; an activity mat or game, a play dough recipe and more!

Planet Preschool Fitness

Preschool Fitness Theme Ideas to Transform Your Dramatic Play Area

Materials Needed: Items to make your dramatic play area into a mini-gym that is appropriate for preschoolers! You can have a balance beam, a few circle time mats or carpet squares with numbers on them (they run in place while counting to this number); a jumping jack corner...it could be set up like a mini-obstacle course. Also, teach them a few warm up and cool down exercises such as stretching, bending, taking deep breaths.

Hosptial

Set up your dramatic play area as a hospital or doctor's office. Provide clipboards, pencils or crayons to write on charts, medical bags, bandages, etc. Also, check to see if can find a skeleten model for the children to see; provide long shirts and masks. These can be found in teacher stores or science activity departments of stores. You might also find some xrays in these areas!

Preschool Fitness Theme Ideas for Your Easel--More Than Just Painting!

Materials needed: Play music as the children paint at the easel and suggest movements as they paint.

For example, play some of a fast song and suggest that they move their hands up and down.

Play a slower song and suggest they paint from left to right, or in circles, etc.

Preschool Fitness Theme Large Group Game To Help Preschoolers Build Their Muscles While They Have Fun Together!

In advance, make some pictures of different children performing different exercises such as reaching to the sky, touching toes, running in place, etc. Or, find pictures in magazines.

Make index cards with numerals or dots on them.

Show the children one picture card and then one number or dot card.

The children then do the activity on the picture card the number of times shown on the number card (i.e. jump up and down 5 times).

Bean Bag Olympics

Materials Needed: Bean bags; tape (painter's tape)

Tape 2 lines on the floor or carpet.

Have the children stand at one of the blue lines.

They each should have one bean bag.

Have them try to get the bean bag to the other line in different ways by using different body muscles:

Throw with your hands.

Place on the top of your hand (not the palm) and try to toss it to the line.

Place the bean bag on the top of your foot and try to kick-toss it to the other line.

Try tossing it only using 2 fingers.

Try it tossing it backwards over your head!
Parachute Exercise
People Sort

Materials Needed: Have the children sort themselves! Start by having them sort themselves by who has long hair and who has short hair. Then suggest other ways to sort such as wearing blue jeans, wearing sneakers, etc. Then have the children suggest ways to sort!

Using a parachute, try different exercises WHILE you all shake the parachute up and down.

Try jumping and counting to 10.
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Try squatting down and standing back up while holding the parachute.

Reach up and bend over to the ground slowly while holding the chute, then try it very fast!

Preschool Fitness Theme Ideas for Your Library Area

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food

by Jan and Stan Berenstain
Curious George Goes to the Hospital

by Bob Barner
I.Q. Gets Fit

by Mary Ann Fraser
Even More Parts

by Ted Arnold (There are 3 of these books! This one! And the original "Parts" and "More Parts"
Stretch

by Doreen Cronin

Open Shut Them

This is a great exercise for little hands! We use this fingerplay everyday to begin our snack. We say this poem and then say our snacktime prayer. You could also use this to settle the children down before circle or story time.

Open, shut them. Open shut them. Give a little clap.

Open, shut them. Open, shut them. Put them in your lap.

Additional verse:

Creep them, crawl them. Creep them, crawl them, right up to your chin.

Open up your little mouths, but do not let them in (hands on lap again!).

Preschool Fitness Theme Activities to Help Your Preschoolers Develop Those Small Muscles in Their Hands AND Their Math Skills!

Provide tape measures and rulers as well as clipboards and crayons or pencils.

Encourage the children at the center to measure themselves, each other, the progress of a plant you may have growing, etc.

Math Words- Big and Small

Materials: Collect a wide variety of items in a specific shape you are working on. Have the children sort them by large and small. Also introduce "Medium" and they cans sort by small, medium and large.

Example: CIRCLE: provide pompoms, beads, ping pong balls, golf balls, larger balls

Table Hopscotch Game

Tape colored construction paper squares together to make a Hopscotch. Add the numbers onto it. Place it on the table. Give the children different items to count out onto the squares such as beans, pom poms, etc.

EXTENSION: If you make this large enough to fit on the table, provide bean bags or pom-poms for the children to toss onto it. When it lands on a number, encourage them to name the number.

Preschool Fitness and Health Plate

Materials Needed: playdough in a variety of colors and plastic plates.

Staying fit takes exercise AND healthy foods. Here the children can whip up a plate of healthy foods with playdough while working out their small muscles!

Provide cookie cutters in shapes of sports items, people, etc. and playdough rollers and plastic knives.
Want MORE themes? Sign up for my FREE Club!
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Preschool Fitness Lacing

Materials Needed: Make and laminate different shapes that focus on fitness such as running shoes, people, healthy snacks (apples, bananas, etc.). Once laminated, hole punch holes around the outside edges of the shapes. Provide colored laces for the children to lace with (tie a knot on one end so that it does not pass through the holes). You can make your own laces with colored yarn. Use clear tape to tape one end of the yarn so that it passes through the holes.

Preschool Fitness Theme Music & Movement Activities To Get Your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'!

This is traditional but he
lps your preschoolers learn about their body while learning to stay fit! You can change this up to focus on discussions you've had in class. For example, instead of "you put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in and shake it all about" say "you could put your right foot in and lift it up and down!"

Body parts and preschool fitness all in one! After singing this once, try singing it very, very slow and then very very fast! Each year, our children LOVE to do this "super, duper, fast". We tell them that when we do it this fast, it is SO fast we can't even say the words so we replace all the words with "Blah, blah blah blah blah blah" while we do it "super duper fast"!

Materials Needed: Home made dumbells (see Art activity above) or hand held musical instruments.

After time to explore the musical instruments, give fitness instructions for your preschool children to work out to!

Stretch up and shake your instrument.

Bend over and touch the floor.

Move your arms from right to left.

Walk in place.

Run in place.

Follow the leader (a mini parade!).

EXTENSION: Play music of different tempos and encourage them to dance to the beat...slow, fast, medium, etc.!

Materials Needed: Find pictures online of basic, easy children Yoga moves. Play calming music as you all do them together!

Preschool Fitness Theme Ideas for Your Sand & Water Table!

Provide a box of scrap paper (construction paper, newspaper, etc.). The children crumple a piece of paper and then toss it into the sensory table. Tape a line to show the children where to stand to toss to make it a bit of a challenge!

Preschool Fitness Theme Science Activities
For Your Preschool Scientists in Training!

Materials Needed: Donated xrays from your dentist or you can purchase them at a teacher store; provide magnifying glasses and flashlights. Show the children how to shine light on xrays to see them more clearly. Leave them out for children to investigate.
Anatomy Apron
Anatomy Dude

We found a plastic "person", well, from the neck down which had removable internal organs such as lungs, heart, ribs, etc. We called it Anatomy Dude!

This is an apron that the children can wear. The internal organs actually stick onto the appropriate areas with velcro on the apron!

The Anatomy Dude and the Apron can be purchased through most teacher stores. Here are a few I found on Amazon!

Writing Activity Ideas for Your Preschool Fitness Theme!

Materials Needed: Ways to Stay Healthy index cards from the Ways to Stay Healthy Circle Time activity listed above.

Encourage the children to use markers to illustrate the way to stay healthy that they stated at circle time. Read the card to them by running your finger under the words on the card as you read it to them.

EXTENSION: Use the children's pages as a book to read at your next group circle time.

Preschool Fitness Book

Materials Needed: Group book made in advance (see instructions below); magazines; scissors; glue sticks

In advance, staple a piece of colorful construction paper to a pile of 10 or so pieces of light colored construction paper.

At the writing center, the children should look through the magazines for pictures of things that remind them of being healthy. It could be pictures of healthy foods, people walking, children playing.

They may.....no, they WILL get distracted! They will see many toys they will want to cut out! This has happened every time we do this activity! What I've done is ask them if that toy can be used to exercise? If it does, it goes in the book. If it doesn't, they cut it out and it goes into a box or bin that is on the table that has a label, "Fun, but no exercise".

These "fun but no exercise" cards can be used to discuss the importance of not just sitting and playing games all the time but moving around!

Give Myself a Hand!

Materials Needed: Construction paper; crayons; scissors

Children trace their hand, then cut it out as best they can.
Preschool Fitness Theme Field Trip Ideas
EXTENSION: We encourage our children to print their names on everything...even their fingerpaint pictures! Provide name tags with their names printed on them to allow them to see how to print their names. Encourage them to print their name on their hand!
Preschool Fitness Theme Classroom Visitors
Miscellaneous Activities for Your Preschool Fitness Theme!

Visit an Exercise Gym that is meant for children as a field trip!

Go for a neighborhood walk.

If there is a park nearby, go there instead of your playground for a change of scenery!

There are many opportunities with a Preschool Fitness theme for visitors to your classroom! Survey parents for opportunities as well as your local community!

Some ideas for visitors:

A Yoga Instructor

A Children's Karate Instructor

A Nurse or Doctor

A Parent who runs or bikes (to show the gear they use, discuss what they do to stay safe, etc.)

Other Pages You May Be Interested In:
Go to Preschool Plan It's Home Page
Like What You See So Far?
Join my FREE Preschool Teacher Club today and receive:
A full theme each month that includes-
Calendar pieces; an activity mat or game, a play dough recipe and more!

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Preschool Fitness and Exercise is something we should all focus on throughout the year. 1 out of 5 preschool children are in what is considered the "obesity" range regarding their weight. Preschool fitness needs to be a priority in our classrooms. Let's get them moving!

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exercise/body dramatic play idea | Dramatic play preschool, Dramatic play themes, Dramatic play centers

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May 21, 2014 - This Pin was discovered by Summit County Early Head Start. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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Exercise Study - Dramatic Play: Fitness Center (Creative Curriculum) in 2020 | Dramatic play, Creative curriculum, Dramatic play centers

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Jan 14, 2020 - This Pin was discovered by J'Sahnvi Walker. Discover (and save!) your own Pins on Pinterest

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Dramatic Play Fitness Center ... Yoga . Exercise . Burn Energy & Build Muscles in 2020 | Fitness center, Dramatic play, Dramatic play preschool

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Feb 20, 2020 - Dramatic Play Fitness Center ... Yoga . Exercise . Burn Energy & Build Muscles

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20 Best Pre-K Exercise Study images | Olympic idea, Dramatic play area, Dramatic play preschool

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Jan 29, 2018 - Explore aokes's board "Pre-K Exercise Study" on Pinterest. See more ideas about Olympic idea, Dramatic play area, Dramatic play preschool.

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132 Best Fun & Fitness 4 Kids images | Activities, Kids, Gross motor activities

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Jul 14, 2018 - Activity ideas to keep kids fit. See more ideas about Activities, Kids, Gross motor activities.

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Sensory Exercises for Preschool Kids : Youth Fitness

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Learning about Fruits and Vegggies in Bin

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Learning about Fruits and Vegggies in Bin

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Fruits & Vegetables Sensory Bin | Preschool food, Nutrition activities, Kids nutrition

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Apr 24, 2016 - We did a fun Fruits & Vegetables sensory bin for our Grocery theme, but I never created a printable to match it. Since we are touching on nutrition and healthy food options this week, I decided it was the perfect time to bring out these figures again! You only need 4 items to re-create this activity (Below are affiliat…

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Sensory Exercises Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse sensory exercises resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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Over 55 great ideas for sensory bins, themed to include all sorts of different sensory experiences. Includes ideas for inspiring pretend play, bins exploring color, letters, textures and more!

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Exercise Counting Game | Counting games, Exercise for kids, Exercise activities

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Jun 6, 2017 - Activity for ages 3 to 6. Counting from 1 to 10 is an important skill for young learners. Make it fun for kids to practice with this playful exercise counting game. Spin-an-Exercise is the perfect activity to do with your child at home or as a whole group brain break at school. Getting Ready This …

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The basic foundation of math is understanding numbers and quantities. One of the best ways to develop these understandings, or number sense, is through handling objects and counting them. We can listen to preschoolers recite numbers in order, but we want them to apply that to counting objects and understand that those numbers represent quantities of items. Counting games and activities encourage preschoolers to "play" with numbers and quantities and build math skills and number sense in natural ways. These ideas can help you build math and counting skills with preschoolers.

Counting Games and Activities

These 40 preschool math games include counting games and various number activities. They are perfect to help build counting skills and math skills in your preschoolers and kindergarten students.

1. Dog Bone Counting Game (Pre-K Pages) - This is a fun, hands-on counting game for students in your preschool, pre-k, or kindergarten classroom.

2. Farm Animal Counting Activity (Pre-K Pages) - What could be more fun than Counting Feet with animals?

3. Printable Counting Book (Pre-K Pages) - Identifying and naming numbers can be a difficult skill for young children in preschool and kindergarten.

4. Homemade Counting Board Game (Pre-K Pages) - This homemade game can help preschoolers develop math concepts while playing a game together.

5. Mouse Counts Game (Pre-K Pages) - Mouse Count inspired this activity that helps children practice to ten while also working on their fine motor skills - and it's lots of fun too!

6. Fire Truck Counting Game (Pre-K Pages) - In this activity, children will explore fire trucks and firefighters with a counting game.

7. Penguin Counting Game (Pre-K Pages) - This Penguin Counting Game is the perfect addition to any winter theme, lots of fun for young children and great practice for counting, number sense, and one-to-one correspondence.

8. Ocean Theme Counting Activity (Pre-K Pages) - The best preschool activities allow children to be interactive and hands on while they explore new concepts. We've developed a fun, easy to prepare ocean theme counting activity to do just that.

9. Nursery Rhyme Number Game (Pre-K Pages) - This nursery rhyme activity relates to "Baa Baa Black Sheep" and encourage number recognition and counting, important math concepts.

10. Digital Counting Activities Using Google Slides (Teaching Mama) - This resource has digital counting activities, which is perfect for the preschool and kindergarten age.

11. Button Counting (Busy Toddler) - Grab a deck of cards for this fun button counting math activity.

12. Football Counting Game (Sunny Day Family) - With a die, football printable, and some yogurt Danimals it's a fun counting game your preschoolers will love.

13. Snowman Hole Punch Counting (JDaniel4's Mom) - Use your hole punch to create these snowmen and work in a fun counting activity to go along with it.

14. Ladybug Busy Bag (Preschool Inspirations) - Work on counting with your preschoolers with these adorable paper ladybugs.

15. Cookie Counting Game (Still Playing School) - Have your kids practice counting chocolate chips with these paper chocolate chip cookies.

16. Counting Snowballs (Fun-a-Day) - This easy counting cotton balls activity is a great math activity for your preschoolers.

17. Race to Fill the Cup (Mom Inspired Life) - Have fun filling a cup with these adorable erasers.

18. Count and Co mpare (Stir the Wonder) - Use these fun Farm Animal Rainbow Counters to inspire young children interested in animals or to go along with a farm theme!

19. Little Miss M uffet Path Game (Preschool Spot) - This fun activity is based on the nursery rhyme, Little Miss Muffet.

20. Tally Marks with Pencils (Munchkins and Moms) - Have fun practicing making tally marks with #2 pencils.

Counting Games and Number Activities For Preschoolers

More preschool math games to enjoy! These counting games and number activities will be definitely enjoyed by your preschoolers and build their math skills.

21. DIY Counting Boxes (Parenting Chaos) - Label containers with numbers and then have your preschooler fill each bucket with the labeled number of items.

22. Play Dough Numbers and Counting (Little Pinch of Perfect) - This activity is simple to set up and a great way to expose young kids to numbers and lets them visually see the difference in amounts. The activity can be adapted for different skill levels by making smaller or larger numbers.

23. Passing Car Count (Prekinders) - In this activity, we watched for red & blue cars as they passed by on the street. Children recorded the cars they saw by marking dots on their sheet with a corresponding color crayon.

24. Ways to Teach Counting (Prekinders) - Here are 15 ways to teach counting skills in Pre-K.

25. Ants on a Log Game (Teach Preschool) - DIY "ants on a log" counting game with the children then invite the children to draw their own ants on a log...

26. The Math Box (Teach Preschool) Create a simple math box and then watch as your preschoolers love filling it and practice their counting skills.

27. Counting and Addition Tray (Imagination Tree) - Set up an open-ended maths activity for kids using counting manipulatives, play dough and a dice, in a dip tray!

28. Simple Montessori Counting Activity (My Mundane and Miraculous Life) - This simple counting activity with rocks, your child can work on number recognition.

29. Things to Count With (Pre-K and K Sharing) - Repurpose what you have and count items with your preschooler!

30. How Many Blocks Long? (Brick by Brick) - This is a fun activity where your preschooler can see how many block longs they are and practice counting as they do it.

31. Make Groups of Numbers (Teach Me Mommy) - This simple counting activity is easy to setup, can be played with one or more children and it is fun too!

32. Count and Smash Activity (Stir the Wonder) - The great thing about play dough besides that it is just fun, is that it is also a great way to work on fine motor skills, work in some math skills, and get some sensory input and it can be used in many ways for hands-on learning!

33. Activities with Counting Blocks (Educators' Spin on It) - These are 8 math and counting activities for your preschooler to enjoy.

34. Where the Wild Things Are Game (Mom Inspired Life) - While playing, children practice counting, learn one to one correspondence and even get some fine motor practice.

35. Listen and Spray Game (Fantastic Fun and Learning) - This activity is great for counting practice but also for fine motor practice.

36. Race to Lose a Tooth Game (Toddler Approved) - This fun dental theme inspired activity with marshmallows is a fun counting game for your preschoolers to enjoy.

37. Roll and Count (Buggy and Buddy) - Here's a counting math game for kids perfect for practicing one-to-one correspondence. It's super easy to make and lots of fun for the kids!

38. Count Forward and Back Game (Fantastic Fun and Learning)- This preschool math game would be perfect during St. Patrick's day and March in your classroom.

39. Build a City Game (Learning 4 Kids) If your preschooler loves playing with Legos then they will love this math game.

40. Mystery Mitten Tactile Counting Game (Preschool Toolbox) - Gather some real mittens and come play a tactile mystery mitten counting game to encourage early math intuition with tactile support!

Also check out the free Winter Play Dough Counting Mats and our other thematic counting mats.

Follow myCounting Pinterest Board for more great ideas!

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40 Counting Games And Number Activities For Preschoolers

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The basic foundation of math is understanding numbers and quantities. One of the best ways to develop these understandings, or number sense, is through handling objects and counting them.

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It's time for a My Body theme and friends, these activities are going to get you super excited! I have tons of math, literacy, art, and sensory activities you can put right into your lesson plans and I have two FREEBIES for you too! Make sure you grab them later on in this post. For those of you who do Teeth or a Dental Health theme during your My Body theme, I did a separate post just for Teeth and Dental Health and you can check it out HERE.

Our fingerprints are unique and part of our body. Put the worksheets away and make fingerprint letters! Have students stamp a letter then try to make the letter using their fingertips.
My students LOVE building letters with glass gems and I found these red and clear glass gems at the Dollar Tree! Pretend the gems are red and white blood cells and build uppercase and lowercase letters. Students can also trace the letters with dry erase markers or make the letters using play dough.
Our body is supported by many bones, so these bone beginning sound clip it cards are perfect for a my body theme. Plus pinching those clothespins open and closed is a fabulous fine motor workout too!
Sometimes our body gets injured and we use bandages to help us heal. For these boo boo rhyme puzzles, I used Velcro dots so students can attach the matching rhyme to make the middle part of the bandage. This game could easily be made into a file folder game too!
For every theme, I placed theme vocabulary cards in the pocket chart (don't worry the lowercase my body vocabulary cards are right in front of the my body writing paper). My students this year LOVE skinny markers so you bet I have their favorite thing in the writing center to keep them excited about writing!
Ahhhh new books! There are so many fabulous books for this theme! Books about eating healthy, sleeping, exercise, yoga, the body, getting sick, germs, and going to the doctor. You can find a clickable book list HERE.

Every person has a heartbeat, and writing it on a piece of paper is a fun way for students to practice fine motor skills! Cut a red piece of paper in half and create various types of lines on them. Grab small red gems, clear gems, and small popsicle sticks. If you don't have glass gems handy just use red or white pom poms.
Students build the lines with the manipulatives than students can make patterns on the lines!
Fingerprint graphs! Students identify the number and make the same amount of fingerprints above the number to create the graph. So many objectives in one activity! There is counting, identifying numbers, comparing quantities, and graphing all in one activity. Yes!

Time to measure! I love using non-standard rulers with my little learners and how much fun are these bandage rulers. Students can learn their body parts and explore measurement at the same time. I also filled the tray with items you use to keep you healthy like soap, toothbrush, and various bandages for students to measure too!
Anything with a spinner is always a hit in my classroom. These silly germs are all different shapes. Just spin the spinner, identify the shape, and cover it with a matching pom pom. These are similar to the translucent spinners I have.

Skeleton self-portraits (or you can call them x-ray self-portraits) are a fun twist to a regular self-portrait. I pulled out this skeleton from my Halloween decorations for students to use for support and to examine. Students draw the skeletons on black paper with white chalk.

This health sensory bin was super simple to make. It includes white rice, hand tweezers, red glass gems, white glass gems, tooth mini erasers, small popsicle sticks, and Q Tips. Use small containers like baby food containers to encourage counting and sorting during play.
An X-Ray play dough tray is perfect for a My Body theme! Cut up white pipe cleaners for bones and twist some into a circle for the skull. Use gingerbread cookie cutters and pet cookie cutters so students can compare their body to a dogs body! Germs can travel fast and be transferred from person to person very easily. Squirt a few dots of paint onto the FREE hand printable. Students can "cough" or blow through a straw to move the paint. Once the paint is dry, add little angry germ faces to each paint blob.

Taking showers and baths keep our bodies clean and healthy! Teaching little ones about hygiene is so important. Make beautiful prints with a shower loofah. I found this three pack of mini loofahs at the dollar tree and the tray is from IKEA.

Check out this interactive Science center! Real x-rays to examine, a skeleton to build, and a baby to label. I barely have time to teach science during circle or small group so having an engaging Science center that kids WANT to go to independently during centers is HUGE to me. Grab the My Body Science Unit HERE.

Don't forget about the block center! Place empty cereal boxes or empty food containers in the center for students to use for building. Add veggie counter or fruit counters too! I unfold the boxes and keep them for the next year. You can also ask families to send in cereal boxes to students have the cereal they eat in the block center! Post photos of places in the community that promote healthy living for students to build.

Teach students about healthy eating and nutrition by transforming the Dramatic play center! Students can practice making healthy food choices through PLAY! Click HERE to read all my tips and tricks to make your center into a Grocery Store

Want all the My Body printable centers? Grab the My Body & Teeth Math and Literacy Centers on TPT HERE.

Grab the My Body Science Unit HERE

Love these activities! Pin this image!

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My Body Themed Activities and Centers - Pocket of Preschool

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It's time for a My Body theme and friends, these activities are going to get you super excited! I have tons of math, literacy, art, and sensory activities you can put right into your lesson plans and I have two FREEBIES for you too! Make sure you grab them later on in this post.

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Preschool Fitness & Exercise Theme | Body preschool, Preschool planning, Preschool theme

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Feb 20, 2016 - A Preschool Fitness Theme that includes preschool lesson plans, activities & Interest Learning Center ideas that focus on Exercise for your Preschool Classroom!

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Sep 1, 2016 - Explore West ECC’s board “Exercise - Creative Curriculum Study” on Pinterest. See more ideas about creative curriculum, exercise, exercise for kids.

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Childrens Books About Exercise and Physical Fitness | Exercise for kids, Kids health, Physical fitness

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Jan 3, 2017 - Learning about exercise doesn't have to be a lecture -- make it fun with these engaging children's books encouraging exercise and physical fitness!

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Each child could create their own for the center.

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Being aware of your body is an important part of growing up healthy. Let's teach those little learners to gain an awareness of themselves with these me and my body books.

Readers will learn about germs, the importance of sleep (and naps!), hygiene, exercise, self-care, their bones, the muscles, and more. Taking care of yourself is an important skill to master. All of the habits mentioned in these books are learned through teaching and sharing with a variety of media, including books.
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Me and My Body Books for Little Learners
Germs! Germs! Germs!
Teach your little learners all about germs in this rhyming book. Take a look at those germ illustrations!
Germs are Not for Sharing
Now that your little learners know about germs it's time to teach them how to keep them to themselves! No sharing with this one kiddos.
Bear Feels Sick
Poor Bear. He's not feeling too well. Luckily, he has some fantastic friends to take care of him and make him feel better.
Llama Llama Home with Mama
Oh no! Now Llama Llama is home sick with mama! It's always nice to have a mama around to help when you feel ill.
I Just Want to Say Good Night
Getting a good night's sleep is a very important part of having a healthy body. In this book, readers will learn how a nighttime ritual can help you get to sleep.
The Napping House
Taking naps is a great way to take care of your body! It's also a great reason to include this book on the list, one of my favorites!
Why We Go to the Doctor
Going to the doctor can be scary. That's why it's important to read books such as this one to your little learners. It helps prepare them with the knowledge they need to understand what to expect.
Parts
An adorable story that explains all those funky things that happen to your body. Like what's that stuff coming out of your nose and why do you have a loose tooth?!
Me and My Amazing Body
If your little learners start asking you a ton of why questions concerning their bodies, it would be a great time to read this book to them. It explains in very simple to understand terms a lot of the why questions they may throw out at you.
Dem Bones
This book will get readers on their feet and dancing along to this traditional folklore song that has been passed along for generations.
The Skin You Live In
Teach little learners about the variety of skin tones and the ability to be comfortable in your skin. One of my favorite diversity books.
LMNO Peas
This my body book is full of activity! Those little peas sure do get around... and all while learning too!
Pig Takes a Bath
Taking care of your body means keeping it clean. Just as a pig! He knows all about the bath routine.
What Does the X-Ray Say?
Sometimes kids need to get an x-ray. This book is a great way to show kids how x-rays work and what they tell us.
Why We Exercise
A healthy lifestyle starts with exercise. Let's get those little learners on the same mindsight with this book that highlights how fun exercising can be.
Eating the Alphabet
Gobble up the rainbow in this colorful book that is full of yummy and healthy food. Eat your way through the ABC's!
I am Yoga
Controlling feelings and emotions is crucial to a healthy lifestyle. Learning yoga as a little learner is a skill that will help foster a positive mentality.
I Want to be a Doctor
This book gives readers an inside look at what it's like to be a doctor. This I Can Read Book is full of real-life photographs and interesting information about how doctors take care of people and their bodies.
Hello Toes! Hello Feet!
All the joys of toes and feet are outlined in this vibrant rhyming story. Little learners will be on their feet in no time exploring all the different things their amazing toes and feet can do!
The Foot Book
Discover all the different types of feet... because there are so many different feet to meet! Thanks, Dr. Seuss for the fantastic foot book!

This book comes from the Our Bodies series that explores different parts of the human body. This one talks about lungs and how they provide oxygen to all parts of our body.

Another fantastic book from the Our Bodies series highlights one very important organ, the heart. The information and pictures are fantastic.
Our Muscles
Muscles are an incredible part of our bodies. Teach your little learners some amazing facts such as... did you know that your heart is a muscle?

Another fantastic my body topic is our brains! This book will get those little learner's brains warmed up and ready to learn.
Our Stomachs
Since those little learners seem to eat so much, let's teach them about how the food they eat is digested in their stomachs.

Now is the perfect time to teach those kiddos all about blood. Even though it might be cringe-worthy for some, it is important that they know all about blood for those unfortunate times they scrape their knee or end up with an injury.
Our Skin
Here is another my body book that takes a close look at our skin. Even though it doesn't seem like it holds much of a purpose, skin is the biggest organ in the human body!

We can't forget about those bones! It's important for little learners to be aware of their skeleton because it gives them a reason to eat a healthy diet. Do it for the bones!
Inside Your Outside
Take a look at the inside of your body with the Cat in the Hat! With rhyming text and some interesting facts this book is a great way to grab your little learners attention.
Dragon's Breath
The dragon in this book will convince your little learners about the importance of good dental hygiene. The illustrations in this book sure do paint an accurate picture of poor hygiene!
I Hear a Pickle
You heard that right! Make sure to ask your little learners what amazing things can you do with your five senses!

Learning about your body starts at a young age. The more we can teach our little learners about their bodies, the more they will be able to listen, understand, and take care of themselves.

Need some hands-on MYy Body themed activities and centers? Head on over to the My Body Themed Activities and Centers post.

Love these books? Pin this image!

Want more to check out more of my favorite books for little learners? Check out my Book List Blog Series with over 34 different themed book lists (and growing)! If there is a book list for a theme you need just let us know so we can create it for you.

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Me and My Body Books for Little Learners - Pocket of Preschool

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Being aware of your body is an important part of growing up healthy. Let's teach those little learners to gain an awareness of themselves with these me and my body books. Readers will learn about germs, the importance of sleep (and naps!), hygiene, exercise, self-care, their bones, the muscles, and more.

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Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

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You can have this area as a balancing area or a gymnastic area of balancing on blocks.

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Writing or drawing pictures of what exercises they see themselves doing during the day or what exercise they want to try to do today.
-Have them try to write in a different way- under the table, while balancing, etc.

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School is out for summer! And it's time to throw the screens in the trash and kick the kids outside, enjoy the outdoors and get moving! We know that gross motor skills are important for muscle and strength development. We know they are crucial to building confidence and usually if it involves gross motor work, it is also a ton of fun. And EVERYBODY could use a little more fun! Am I right?

Sadly, getting outside and getting active doesn't come naturally to all people , and so as parents we need to do two things. First, set the example. Go outside as often as you can. Make time to play and get some exercise. A game of tag can be killer cardio. Next, make it as fun as possible. I've got 14 Gross Motor Ideas to take Outside for you, and there are some super fun ideas here. Everybody loves an obstacle course, and who KNEW there were so many ways to play with a hula hoop?

Work those gross motor skills all summer long!

You cannot go wrong with this Outdoor Obstacle Course by Pre-K pages. This is all kinds of fun for all kinds of skills. This could also be something to crack out with your adult friends one fine day.

Balloon Tennis by Kids' Craft Room! How fun is that? Super easy to prep and play, and easy on the budget as well. Be sure to collect the balloons when you're done to dispose of them responsibly.

I love this Olympic Rings Ball Toss by I can Teach My Child! Challenging fun for all ages!

Hula Hoop Games by Learn Play Imagine provide lots of opportunities and variations!

Avoid the summer slide with Water Balloon Phonics by Mess for Less. A great fun way to throw in a little bit of learning fun.

These Squirt Gun Water Races by Design Dazzle are going to provide some skilled gross motor fun for hours and hours.

This Outdoor Bean Bag Toss by Mod Podge Rocks shows you how to make your own ring toss game!

Giant Jenga Game by Love Bug Living - because who doesn't love life sized games?

Giant Lawn Matching Game by Studio DIY - again with the giant fun, with some matching skills thrown in for good measure!

This Giant Pick Up Sticks by i Heart Naptime is brilliant really. And again, fun for all ages!

These Summer Relay Games by How Does She can be modified to suit your abilities and ages but are perfect for big crowds, and big fun!

Human Ring Toss by Kid Friendly Things to Do may sound like a bad idea, but check it out - it's super smart and bound to be great fun!

Giant Outdoor Yahtzee by Make Life Lovely is another giant game you're going to want to try! Excellent gross motor and math skills combined!

And this Giant Outdoor Chess Set by Nellie Bellie is absolutely perfect! You can adapt the level of gross motor activity just by changing your playing pieces. You might want to try weighted cartons, upcycled jugs, or even people!

Have an active summer!

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Summer is here. It's time to dust off your outdoor toys and shut down the screens, because the kids need fresh air. Come here for lots of awesome gross motor ideas to take outside and have family fun with the kids. You probably could use the exercise too!

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The World Health Organization recommends that children between the ages of 1 and 5 have at least 180 minutes of physical activity a day . This doesn't mean a solid, unbroken three hours of physical activity.

Instead, young children should have a total of at least three hours of physical activity spread throughout the day. This activity helps ensure their general physical health . It can also help encourage gross motor activities for preschoolers and toddlers.

What Are Gross Motor Skills?

Gross motor skills are those that need your entire body to move. They require the larger muscles in your body. We all need gross motor skills to walk, run, and climb. Think of these skills as ones that are different from those that require finger coordination and speech.

You also need gross motor skills to keep your body stable when you are doing things such as sitting at the table .

Why Are Gross Motor Skills Important For Toddlers And Preschoolers?

We need gross motor skills for everyday activities, such as getting dressed, walking to work, and school, and sitting at a desk .

Toddlers and preschoolers need well-developed gross motor skills so they can learn how to:

Dress and undress.

Use the potty.

Navigate the world around them without bumping into things.

Cope with walking on uneven surfaces, and up and down hills.

Sit comfortably at the table to eat.

What Gross Motor Skills Should Preschoolers Work On?

Toddlers and preschoolers use the long muscles of the arms and legs, and their body's core muscles in physically active play.

Toddlers and preschoolers should be working on the following gross motor skills :

That doesn't mean you should put your kids through a set of physical drills every day. You're not running a boot camp.

Instead, choose a wide range of gross motor activities for your preschooler or toddler. Mix and match games with general activities such as running, and the occasional deliberate exercise.

There is a lot of fun to be had while playing, exercising, and even doing things such as yoga with your preschooler and toddler. Not only will it help develop their gross motor skills, but it will develop yours too. And you'll be preparing them for kindergarten while having fun as a family.

Gross Motor Activities For Preschoolers And Toddlers

Any activity that encourages gets your toddler or preschooler to move moving their body is good.

Well, almost.

When I caught our toddler and preschooler painting our newly-decorated bedroom, I wasn't thinking, "What a fabulous gross motor skill activity. Look how they stretched to reach that far up the wall."

So, almost any activity that gets your toddler or preschooler developing their gross motor skills is good.

If you are in need of inspiration, I have compiled a list of popular, classic, and personal favorite gross motor activities for preschoolers and toddlers. These fun ideas should be a hit .

20 Outdoor Gross Motor Activities For Toddlers And Preschoolers

1. Stick, Ground, Ladder

This activity is simple to set up, needing nothing but a few sticks or pool noodles. It doesn't have complex instructions that may confuse your child.

1. Lay your sticks or pool noodles on the ground. Place them parallel to each other, like the rungs of a ladder. Choose the spacing according to the size of your child.

2. Have your child jump from one gap between "rungs" to another. If your child masters two-foot jumping, mix things up, and get them to hop on one foot.

3. As your child progresses, move the rungs a little further apart to keep it challenging.

With the same rung set up you can also play:

How far can I reach? Have your child stand on one rung and see how many rungs they can stretch "up."

How Far Can I Throw? Give your child a ball or beanbag, have them stand on one rung and tell them to throw the ball X number of spaces.

2. Pick The Fruit

For this activity, you'll need some string or yarn, a tree or fence, and a variety of soft, light objects. You will also need a basket, bag, or box.

1. Tie pieces of yarn or string to the lower branches of a tree or the tops of fence posts.

2. Loosely attach an item to the other end of the yarn or string.

3. Give your child a basket, bag, or box, and have them pick the "fruit" from the tree.

If you are feeling especially creative, you can draw fruits onto paper plates, or cut them out of cardboard and hang them.

Alternatively, you can use toy plastic fruits, but they can be tricky to tie to the tree.

3. Beat The Stuffy

First, you will need to lay out a random series of "bases" between which your toddler or preschooler will run. You can do this by drawing them with chalk, or by using hula-hoops, or items of clothing.

Then, you choose a point where you will stand, but not too close to any base in particular.

Have your child choose a starting point.

You shout "Go!" and your child will run to one of the bases. While your child is running, you will try to throw the stuffed animal to that base, aiming to get it there before your child reaches it.

Each time you miss, you retrieve the stuffy, and return to your starting point to try again.

As an alternative, you can place a different item at each base. Instead of your child choosing a random base to run to, you will shout out an item, and your child must run to that base.

4. Run And Sort

For this game, you will need a variety of objects, and three or four baskets or boxes.

Place all of your objects in a pile, or even better, into a large box.

Set your baskets in a row, several feet from the object pile. The exact distance will depend on how big your child is, and how much you want them to run.

Label each basket with a color.

Have your child run to the object pile, and choose one item. They will then run back to you and place the item in the basket for the appropriate color.

Repeat until your little one is worn out.

5. Giant Memory "Cards"

For this game, you will need a pack of paper plates, or a stack of card sheets.

1. Split your cards or plates into two equal piles.

2. Take one stack and draw a picture on each one. Use simple things such as animals.

3. Use your other stack to draw a second set of pictures, the same as the first.

4. Lay your memory "cards" face down on the ground. Space them far enough apart so your children can walk among them.

5. Have your child turn over two cards. If they find two cards that are the same, they keep the pair.

Riding on a tricycle, bike, or balance bike is good for young children's gross motor skills . But, there are a number of simple gross motor activities in which they can indulge while riding to increase the benefits:

Lay out fun roadways or mazes for your child to navigate.

Let them play "delivery driver." Set up a shop at one end of your space, and wait for your child at the other. Have them take your order," ride to their store, and bring back your item. For safety, use a backpack for your child to carry items in.

7. Box Builder

Collect as many boxes as possible in a range of sizes and shapes. Enjoy building a city, towers, a spaceship, or whatever else comes to mind.

8. Dress-Up Relay

Use hula-hoops or boxes to mark the two ends of your raceway. At each end, place a variety of dress-up items. You can solely use children's dress-up items, or add in some fun stuff from the grown-ups.

Have your toddler or preschooler start at one point.

When you say go, they run to the other end of the course, choose one item, and put it on.

They then run to the other end of the course, choose another item, and put that on as well. Repeat until your little one is tired or cannot wear any more clothes.

If you have more than one child to keep occupied with gross motor activities, they can have a race.

9. Roll, Jump, Run

One person is "it", and the others wait for instruction.

"It" calls out either Roll, Run, or Jump. They then specify a location.

The players then have to roll, run, or jump to that spot.

The first person to arrive at the spot wins, and is the next one to be "it".

10. Pool Noodle Bend Ups

Grab yourself a pile of pool noodles. Each person should take a pool noodle, then lie flat on the floor.

Hold the pool noodle in your outstretched arms, above your head. Sit up and touch the pool noodle to your knees, feet, or toes.

11. Wash The Duck

Draw a large shape, such as the outline of a duck, on an old item of clothing or tee-shirt. Hang the items of clothing on a clothesline or fence.

Give your child a bucket of water and some sponges. Call out "wash the duck" or whatever other animals you have drawn.

Your toddler or preschooler then throws their wet sponges at the tee-shirt, and tries to soak the entire animal.

12. Giant "Egg And Spoon" Race

Each child will need a large(ish) plastic shovel and a balloon.

You can have your kids do one of two things:

Race from one point to another, keeping their balloon on their "spoon."

Navigate a maze or simple obstacle course, again keeping their "egg" on their spoon.

13. Scrub Them Down

Most toddlers and preschoolers like playing with water. Make the most of this by giving them a bucket of warm, soapy water with some sponges, and setting them loose. You can have them wash:

The windows.

Any ride-on toys they have outside.

Other washable toys such as balls, bats, or more.

Anything else you can think of as long as it requires a lot of bending, twisting, and stretching.

14. Swimming

It isn't hard to convince your child to go swimming. But, keep in mind, your child doesn't have to actually swim in order to make their time in the pool a gross motor skill activity.

Almost any movements they make while playing in the water will help strengthen those long and core muscles.

Take Note

15. Balloon Up

Inflate a balloon and see how long your little one can keep it off of the floor. The only rule is they can only hit it - not hold it.

16. Running Games Classics

If you have a group of children, classics like Mother May I?, What's The Time, Mr.Wolf? and Tag are all excellent for promoting gross motor skills.

17. Play In The Park

Take your toddler or preschooler to the park, and let them play on the playground equipment.

By climbing the ladder to the slide, swinging their legs and bodies, twisting and turning on the jungle gym, they'll be practicing a wide variety of gross motor skills.

18. Silly Walks

For plenty of giggles with your gross motor activities, there's nothing like silly walks.

You and your child can waddle like ducks, bounce like bunnies, or rock it freestyle with flailing arms and legs.

19. Catch The Ribbon

Grab a length of ribbon, and run around outside with the ribbon trailing behind you. Encourage your toddler or preschooler to catch the ribbon.

You can either hold the ribbon in your hand, twirling it at different heights and directions, or tuck it into your waistband for an easier catch.

20. Letter, Color, Animal, Scramble

Draw a variety of letters, numbers, colors, and animals onto paper plates. Lay the plates face up on the ground.

Next, play some music and encourage your child to dance until the music stops. When you stop the music, shout out one of the items you have drawn onto a plate.

If you shout the word Scramble after naming an item, your child has to run to that plate. If you don't shout Scramble, they stay still until the music resumes. Once you restart the music, they can dance again.

Indoor Gross Motor Activities For Preschoolers And Toddlers

Don't worry if you don't have plenty of outdoor space, or if the weather is bad. You can still enjoy gross motor activities with your preschooler or toddler.

1. Don't Touch The Laser Beams/Spider In The Web

For this game, you'll need either string, yarn, or painter's tape.

Choose an area for play, and criss-cross your yarn, string, or tape to create a series of lines across the room. Be sure to leave enough room between your flashlight for your child to climb through.

Challenge your child to make their way from one spot to another without touching the "laser beams."

An alternative to this game goes like this:

1. Criss cross your yarn, string, or tape in the same way as before.

2. Affix a small stuffed toy to one spot of the "web" of lines.

3. Your child is then the spider who has to make their way through their web and reach their prey.

Sumo is best suited for the older end of this age-range as it can become rather rambunctious.

To play, give each child an adult t-shirt to wear, and stuff a small pillow into the front so they have a "round belly."

Then let the kids "wrestle" (with supervision of course).

3. Animal Antics

Make animal masks together, and let your toddler or preschooler behave like their favorite animal. If, like mine, your children thwart this idea for physical activity by choosing snails and sloths, choose an animal for them.

If you have two or more children playing, you can encourage one to be the predator and the other to be the prey.

4. Build An Obstacle Course

Rearrange the furniture, make tunnels out of boxes, or crawl under and over chairs - the possibilities are endless.

If you are in need of inspiration, there are plenty of ideas online.

5. The Floor Is Lava

Just because this is an old game doesn't mean it is any less fun.

Challenge your toddler or preschooler to make their way from one spot to another without touching the floor. Why? Because the floor is lava!

This gross motor skills activity can be combined with the indoor obstacle course for double the fun.

6. Stepping Stones

Make your own stepping stones, and lay them out around the room. Encourage your little one to step, jump, or leap from one stepping stone to the other.

Variations of this game include:

Making lily pads instead of stepping stones, and being a frog who must squat down and leap from pad to pad.

Using stepping stones of different shapes and/or colors. You then shout out a particular color or shape for your child to jump to.

7. How Many Can I Carry?

This is another variation of the point-to-point type of gross motor skill activity for toddlers and preschoolers.

Create a pile of items such as teddy bears, empty boxes, or another soft, light item.

Encourage your child to walk between two bases, collecting a different item at each base. Your little one can carry them in their arms, or older children can balance them on their heads.

For some variation, get your child to hop, skip, walk backward, or jump between bases.

8. Scavenger Dress-Up

Collect a range of dress-up items, and place each one in a paper bag, box, or similar container.

Hide the items around the home, and set your child off to find them. As your little one finds an item, they put it on, then go look for the next.

Choose hiding places that are safe but which require your child to bend, reach, stretch, and otherwise move their bodies in a variety of ways.

9. Jump The Rope River

Use two jump ropes or pool noodles to lay on the floor. The space between them is the river, and your child must jump from one side to the other.

But there's a catch. Make some simple paper sharks (yes, I know they don't live in rivers), crocodiles, or alligators to put in the river. You could also use stuffed toys.

Your toddler or preschooler has to jump across without landing into the "water" and touching an animal.

You can increase the width of the river to maintain the challenge as your child becomes better at jumping. Alternatively, you can add a bridge for your child to cross. Make the bridge out of a couple of strips of painter's tape, stuck to the floor, and make it narrow enough to require a slow balancing act.

10. Simon Says

You know the drill on this one.

To make it an effective gross motor activity for your preschooler or toddler, say things such as Simon Says:

Do five jumping jacks.

Balance on one leg and count to five.

Run in place for one minute.

Waddle like a duck and flap your wings.

11. Paper Ball Soccer

There are not many gross motor activities as simple as paper ball soccer.

Take a sheet of newspaper, lightly scrunch it up into a ball shape, and off you go. You can set up a simple goal with a pair of chairs or a couple of sweaters as goalposts.

12. Musical Statues

Crank up the music, and enjoy some silliness. Encourage your little one to dance like crazy, waving their arms around, and kicking their legs into the air.

Turn the music off suddenly. When the music stops, your little dancer must freeze in position. Either see how long they can go without moving, or if you have a group, the last one to move wins.

13. Cardboard Hopscotch

Cut out some squares of cardboard, draw a number from one to ten on each, and lay them out for a game of indoor hopscotch.

Yoga is a fabulous gross motor skill activity for preschoolers and toddlers. It's a great example of how they do not have to run around like crazy to practice their skills.

My children are especially fond of doing the poses named after things they recognize such as the cat, the cow, and the frog.

15. Simple Pretend Play

Any indoor pretend play that requires your child to bend and stretch their body can help them improve their gross motor skills.

16. Walking On Pillows

Lay pillows and cushions around the floor to make a trail. Let your toddler or preschooler make their way from one end to the other.

17. Chasing Bubbles

The simple act of blowing bubbles, and letting your child run, jump, and pop them will provide a workout for their gross motor skills.

Simple but effective. Put on music and dance.

Many children's songs and nursery rhymes are accompanied by actions. So, choose songs that require your toddler or preschooler to march, jump, clap, or otherwise use their gross motor skills.

19. Paper Plate Skate

Tape a paper plate to each foot, and "skate" around the house. This activity is better for four and five-year-olds who have better coordination than younger preschoolers.

Bust a Move

Movement is at the heart of improving gross motor skills.

Gross motor skills are those which allow us to make larger movements, and control how we use our bodies. These skills are important because they form the basis for a range of other skills.

It's easy to incorporate gross motor activities for toddlers and preschoolers into your day.

Medically Reviewed by
Dr. Leah Alexander, MD, FAAP
Leah Alexander, M.D. FAAP is board certiﬁed in General Pediatrics and began practicing pediatrics at Elizabeth Pediatric Group of New Jersey in 2000. She has been an independently contracted pediatrician with Medical Doctors Associates at Pediatricare Associates of New Jersey since 2005. Outside of the ﬁeld of medicine, she has an interest in culinary arts. Leah Alexander has been featured on Healthline, Verywell Fit, Romper, and other high profile publications.

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39 Gross Motor Activities for Preschoolers and Toddlers - Mom Loves Best

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The World Health Organization recommends that children between the ages of 1 and 5 have at least 180 minutes of physical activity a day . This doesn't mean a solid, unbroken three hours of physical activity. Instead, young children should have a total of at least three hours of physical activity spread throughout the day.

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We went to the craft store not too long ago. I stocked up on our favorite colorful tape.

Multi-color tape is great for some fun indoor activities such as DIY projects, recycled diy toys, or for some epic gross motor play (like we did).

It's also wonderful to use in learning colors. My preschooler loves when I incorporate colorful tape to some of the activities I create for her.

It can also be used for counting or creating shapes. I'll definitely be adding a fun post on how to create a fun shape activity using tape soon.

Gross Motor Indoor Activity Supply List

This post contains affiliate links.

Tape (We used tape in different colors)

Create a grid on the floor with your tape. I created a 4×5 grid.

Once your grid is ready to go, you can leave it as is. Or, you can step it up a notch and include some fun manipulatives for a learning experience.

Baby Motor Skills

This activity does not have to be laid out in grid form on the floor. You can also try adding tape to an area that is higher (like a wall) and that you're okay with sticking the tape to.

Create a black and white pattern to use for some high contrast learning fun. Babies can watch the different colors that are stuck to the wall or floor.

Tummy time is also a great way for babies to enjoy the bright colors if you decide to make a grid on the floor.

Make sure the tape is stuck to the floor or wall evenly. Supervision is required.

If your baby is in the beginning stages of crawling, the grid on the floor is fun as they crawl past each color.

Toddler Gross Motor Activities

Laying out a taped grid on the floor can be so much fun for your toddlers. Most toddlers are jumping and if not they are in the process of learning how to jump.

This allows for some indoor gross motor toddler fun. They'll surely think they are in an indoor playground!

You can add a fun learning experience by calling out each color. Create a tune for each color so they jump and sing along!

What other fun gross motor play activities can you come up with using the grid? I'd love to learn so we can try it!

Preschool Gross Motor Activities

Most kids will just love to jump around and hop-skotch on the grid. This is great and allows for some loading of the dishwasher or laundry folding on your part.

If you'd like to step it up a notch, you can add a fun and engaging learning experience for your preschooler.

Preschoolers are learning about colors, shapes, basic numbers and the alphabet.

Your child can count as they jump on each of the squares within the grid. 1-5 is a good starting point.

Instead of forming a grid, you can use the tape to create shapes on the floor. Your child can then match certain toys that are shaped in circular or triangular shapes for matching.

Back to the grid, you can also try making a grid with 30 squares (The alphabet has 26 letters). This allows for them to jump on the squares and sing the ABC's. How fun!

Kindergarten Gross Motor Activities

My kindergartener practiced her addition/subtraction by hopping on each of the squares. Perfect gross motor practice while learning and having fun!

I would show her a flashcard and she would hop the first number and either add the second number or deduct the second number by hopping those squares.

This is a fun way to bring about learning how to add and subtract. You can also add manipulatives such as erasers like we did!

Practice skip counting by hopping on every other square on the grid.

Number Activities for Kids

The activities mentioned above are all a wonderful way to learn about numbers and colors. What other fun number activities can you come up with?

Here are some other fun gross motor ideas:

For more advanced children, you can practice multiplication by adding the squares on opposite ends of each side of the grid.

For toddlers, hop and count to practice numbers.

Add some fun flashcards, magnet numbers, or foam numbers to within each square on the grid to show how the numbers look laid out.

Create a 10×10 grid, for easy visual learning of counting from 1-100.

Kids Indoor Playground

If you decide to just create a grid without the learning experience, that's awesome! Kids will still benefit in other ways (fine and gross motor skill) while having fun!

And, it's a perfect indoor activity for kids on a rainy day. Bring the children indoor playground to your home by creating this!

Will you give this Fun Gross Motor Indoor Activity a try?

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Fun Gross Motor Indoor Activities for Kids - Active Littles

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We went to the craft store not too long ago. I stocked up on our favorite colorful tape. Multi-color tape is great for some fun indoor activities such as DIY projects, recycled diy toys, or for some epic gross motor play (like we did). It's also wonderful to use in learning colors.

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By · This content may contain affiliate links.

I'm always looking for new and fun ways to engage my children in practicing the alphabet. With summer right around the corner, I knew I needed some fresh gross motor alphabet activities that would get them moving and learning at the same time!

When children combine gross motor activity with learning, the benefits are amazing. Gross motor activity engages the whole body, as they are developing skills such as balance and hand-eye coordination to hop, run, skip, throw, or kick. Young children especially need lots of opportunities to move and strengthen gross motor skills. It also helps in getting some of that endless energy out!

We've found some fun ABC activities that will get your kids moving and learning. Whether you're looking to practice upper and lowercase letter recognition, letter sounds, or alphabetical order, any of these fun gross motor alphabet activities can be modified to fit your needs. Check them out!

Gross Motor Alphabet Activities

Mom Inspired Life has a fun and active way to practice the alphabet with their ABC kicking activity . Call out a letter or sound, then aim and KICK!

Hunt for letters in the garden with this fun ABC scavenger hunt. As letters are retrieved, have kids arrange them in alphabetical order on the sidewalk. This also helps with discovering which letters are still hiding in the garden!

If you have kids who are ready to start working on beginning sounds, try our free printable dinosaur beginning sound scavenger hunt.

The ABC I Spy Games can also be used as scavenger hunts to get kids moving as they learn the alphabet.

Do you have any fun ways that you combine gross motor skills with the alphabet?

Need more ideas? Head over to the Top 10 Ways to Remember the ABCs for a HUGE collection of alphabet activities and inspiration.

More Alphabet Activities

Try these excellent resources for more hands-on alphabet activities.

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Gross Motor Alphabet Activities that Get Kids Moving - Fantastic Fun & Learning

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By · This content may contain affiliate links. I'm always looking for new and fun ways to engage my children in practicing the alphabet. With summer right around the corner, I knew I needed some fresh gross motor alphabet activities that would get them moving and learning at the same time!

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Winter time large motor play for the preschool classroom | Physical activities for kids, Physical activities for preschoolers, Sports activities for kids

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Nov 7, 2017 - Ways to get your kids moving indoors and enhance gross motor development In the winter time, we have a lot of requests for indoor games and large motor activities. While we try to get outdoors, even for a small amount of time each and everyday, Midwest winters can be frigid forcing our time outside to be