Gross Motor Games with Painter’s Tape
If you have been here before, you know that I LOVE Painter’s Tape! Here are 2 of the reasons that I love it:
Painter’s tape is a really inexpensive tool that can be used for hundreds of different games. You can pick up painter’s tape at most Big Box stores and even the Dollar Tree.
Painter’s Tape is designed to be safe on surfaces and not cause any damage.
If you are not in the mood to go out and shop for your supplies, head over to my Amazon Storefront and check out the Tools for Fun list which is where I list the supplies I use in my activities.
Activity #1 Jumping
Jumping is an important gross motor skills that requires a lot of strength, balance, and coordination. So, it needs to be practiced and you can use painter’s tape to do it. Here’s how to set up the activity:
Grab your tape and place sequential strips of tape on the ground.
Then have your child jump forward, sideways, and backward over the pieces of tape.
You can also use the tap to create an indoor hopscotch course to work on 2 footed forward jumps and single foot hops.
Activity #2 Balance & Coordination
One of the easiest ways to work on balance and coordination is using a line. I call these line based activities. Here are some simple ones:
Place a long straight line or multidirectional line with straight sections, curves and zig zags in an open area.
Ask your child to walk on the line without stepping off. Once they have mastered that, you can try backward walking or heel toe walking which is really hard.
I also love use a scooter board to belly scoot or sit scoot on the line. Make sure your scooter of choice has side handles as I find it helps prevent squishing little fingers under the wheels. You can check out my favorite scooters on my Amazon Storefront here.
Activity #3
Finally we have Motor Planning: Motor Planning is defined as the way we think, plan, and execute a movement. We can think of it on our own or hear a command to do the action which is what we are doing today. This adds a component of auditory processing to the list of skills we are working on. This activity requires multiple areas of the brain to work together which I love.
To set up for the activity:
Place 5 pieces of tape on the floor as seen in Figure 1.
Write the numbers a number from 1 to 5 on each piece of tape.
To set up for the activity:
Place 5 pieces of tape on the floor.
Write the numbers a number from 1 to 5 on each piece of tape.
To play the activity:
Have your child start by standing on number 1. Then begin calling out the numbers on the other pieces of tape. As you all the number your child will jump to that number.
The faster you call the numbers the harder the game is. You can even increase the cognitive difficulty by calling out 2-3 numbers so you chid has to remember them as they jump to each one.
Have Fun with Painter’s Tape!
Dr. Heather
*Dr. Heather, DPT (Pediatric Therapy Essentials, LLC) participates in the Amazon Associates Program. Should you choose to use these links, this channel may earn affiliate commissions at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!
