Inuit Games Lesson Plan

Name of Activity: Inuit Games for Preschoolers

Name of the Early Educator: Ken

Developmental Domain: Physical, Social, Emotional, and Cognitive

This lesson introduces pre-schoolers (ages 3) to Inuit Games. Inuit have a long tradition of playing physical games to develop strength, coordination, and endurance. For young children, the games can be simplified and adapted for safety while still keeping the focus on fun, cooperation, and cultural awareness.

Children will learn to move their bodies in new ways, practice cooperation, and experience the joy of playing together.

Materials

Hula hoops or floor markers (for hopping/jumping)

Cones or tape (to mark boundaries)

Pictures of Inuit games (from Inuuqatigiit Inuit Games resource)

Material Preparation

Lay out hoops/cones in a safe open area for jumping.

Print or display pictures of Inuit games for introduction.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Introduction (5 minutes)

Gather children in a circle.

Show pictures of Inuit games. Explain:

“Inuit have been playing these games for a very long time. They played them to stay strong, to have fun, and to work together. Today, we will try some of these games!”

2. Warm-Up (3 minutes)

Lead children in simple stretches and animal movements (seal crawl, caribou jump, bird flap).

3. Game 1: Jumping Path (7 minutes)

Place hoops/cones on floor.

Children hop from one to the next, trying to keep balance.

Variation: make it a “seal hop” (hands behind back, little jumps).

Closing (5 minutes)

Gather children in a circle. Ask:

“Which game did you like best?”

“Was it easy or hard?”

“How did it feel to play together?”

Remind them that Inuit games are about fun, sharing, and helping each other.

End with deep breathing and a calm stretch.

Name of early educator-Karol

Developmental domain-Physical, social and language

Overview-In this game children will get to stretch their legs and arms, while they learn to balance their bodies when reaching to grab the wooden block

Materials- need wooden block and tape to make a line to stand on

Instructions-place feet’s together on the line and put block on the left side parallel to the foot, and then with your right arm reach out from the back and try grab the block, you only get three try’s

Closing-i will ask them to sit and relax and ask them “how did it feel when stretching to grab the block” and ask “did it feel hard or easy to reach?” And let them know that they did a good job.

Developmental Domain - Social, physical, Emotional

This lesson introduces how to control the strength a person has.

This is where 2 people challenge one another, they both lie down on their back facing each opposite direction, hold 1 arm on each other putting 1 leg up straight 3 times until the 3rd lift they tangle the leg and try to put the other person out to win the game.

This is one of physical traditional game for socializing also for a fun activity to practice strength.

Name of activity - Squat kicks Sitorktaq

Name of the early educator - Samantha

Developmental domain - Leg muscle kicks, Balance, Squat position jumping, Social interaction.

Overview - Squat jump kicksn.

Materials - No materials.

Material preparation - No materials.

Step by step instructions for activity - Get 2 people to sit in squat position facing each other, both start kicking one leg out switching each leg after each kick until one of them is too tired, the last to keep going wins.

Closing - Either opponent is too tired to keep going so they stop and declare a winner.

Name of early educator- Dorothy.

Development domain- physical.

Overview- in this game there’s 2 groups of teams, 1 are ballers, and one group batters.

Material- ball, baseball bat, and rock as a home.

Material preparation- they would have to use ball, baseball bat, and rocks as a home.

Stay by step instruction for an activity. just like baseball game but with one home.

Closing- if 3 people are out, and they will switch, the ballers will go to batters, and batters will go to ballers.

Name of the early educator- Linda Leah

Development domain- emotion,physical,cognitive and language

Overview- in the crawling game. Babies will stretch their legs and arms while they reach the animal bone that is in line for them to reach the end

Material- need a yoga mat and animal bone and tape for the finishing line

Material preparation- lay the yoga mat and the bone

Step by step- 1-put the baby on the starting line

2- put the bone at the in of the line

Closing- who ever touched the bone first is the winner

Linda Leah

- Annie

-physical, social

- kids using their hoodie and make a line where they’ll start racing

-materials, hoodie and tie

-they put on their hoodie and put there arms and legs to hoodies sleeve and they start hopping to the line

- two person raven hop racing to the line, if the other person lose will be out and the winner will challenge other people

Annie

Developmental domains - social, cognitive

Overview - children will gather a bag, bones and a string

MATERIALS - bag, bones, and a string

Material preparation - kids will go to a circle on the floor and take turns

Step-by-step instruction - bones would be put into a bag, then they will put the string in the bag, shake it and and pull, once the bones are all collected and then they can try to create whatever using their imagination

Closing - I would help them create what they what, once all are done we go back to circles time and ask each kid if they liked the game