Playground Games

1 || Playground obstacle course – Make up a quick obstacle course on the fly, giving kids multiple directions to follow.  Climb the slide, go across the monkey bars, slide down the fire pole!  This is a great way to work on direction-following and sequencing, along with the motor skills required to perform each task.  Our kids especially love this activity when we time them to see how long it takes to complete the sequence…nothing like a little friendly competition!

Areas of development: cognitive skills, coordination, balance, strength, endurance, vestibular processing, proprioception, auditory processing

2 || Conquer a playground challenge – It’s always good to have goals and kids will love conquering a skill that will give them a little cred on the playground!  Completing a program of fun exercises, kids can work up to conquering those monkey bars or learning to pump on a swing!

Areas of development: grasp, coordination, strength, vestibular processing, proprioception

3 || Bring Some Playground “Accessories” – The playground on its own is an amazing setting for building developmental skills, but throw some “accessories” into the mix and you can spark great creativity while challenging kids in all kinds of new ways!  

Things to bring on your next trip to the playground:

Bean bags
-Slide them down the slide to a friend
-Toss them onto playground equipment and then climb up to retrieve them
-Climb up on a high platform and toss them down to a friend below

Bubbles
-Entice reluctant climbers by blowing bubbles up on higher equipment for them to pop
-Hold the bubble wand in one hand while swinging on a swing
-Check out more fun ways to use bubbles here!

Streamers
-Hold them up in the air as you fly down the slide or on a swing
-Toss them from a high platform and watch them fly to the ground
-Check out more creative ways to use streamers here!

Sidewalk Chalk
-Draw a path for kids to follow around the playground, including the various equipment.  See how fast they make it from the beginning to the end
-Try a game of Line Tag, hopscotch, or Ring Around the Posies