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Family Fitness Night
Paper instructions:
Physical activity is a large part of brain development and learning. Involving the family is just as important. Their involvement creates a bridge between school and home and fosters the establishment of a community.
Create an activity night for families focusing on fitness, movement, and play that targets the development of fine and gross motor skills of young children. As you develop your activities, consider how you will differentiate for those with special needs, physical limitations, or developmental delays.
In the handout for the activity night, write detailed descriptions of three activities/stations for infants and toddlers to be shared with families and volunteers who will facilitate the activities.
Include in the handout:
Directions facilitating the activities
Learning objectives or outcomes for the activities
The fine and gross motor skills that each activity targets
The value of movement and play that each activity has on the development of young children
How each activity will be differentiated for children with special needs, physical limitations, or developmental delays
APA format is not required, but solid academic writing is expected.
This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite Technical Support Articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.
Family Fitness Night
Physical activity and play are essential for developing fine and gross motor skills in young children. By involving families in fitness activities, schools can foster learning outside the classroom and build a sense of community. The following three stations provide fun, engaging ways for infants, toddlers and their caregivers to get moving together:
Obstacle Course Station
The obstacle course station allows toddlers to practice balancing, jumping, crawling and climbing over and through various objects like foam blocks, tunnels and mini hurdles (Jones, 2020). Caregivers can guide children through the course, cheering them on and celebrating accomplishments. This station develops gross motor skills while encouraging confidence through play. To adapt for special needs, obstacles can be made more stable or movable for extra support.
Sensory Ball Pit
The sensory ball pit gives infants a space for sensory exploration and motor skill development. Different sized and textured balls stimulate the senses while babies discover how to grasp, hold and throw objects (Williams et al., 2018). Caregivers can model play to encourage imitation and hand-eye coordination. For developmental delays, therapy balls of varying sizes, textures and weights provide customized sensory input.
Musical Hoops
Set up hula hoops on the ground in different shapes and patterns. Play music and have children and caregivers take turns dancing, jumping or stepping from hoop to hoop (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Calling out shape changes keeps them mentally engaged. This station improves gross motor coordination, rhythm and cognitive skills. Hoops can be rearranged at varying levels for adaptive use.
By incorporating activities that foster parent-child bonding through physical play, schools can support whole-child development. Families leave with new ways to make learning an active, joyful part of their daily routine.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022, May 17). Child development: Promoting children’s motor skill development. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/promoting-motor-skill.html
Jones, R. A. (2020). The effects of an obstacle course on gross motor skills in preschool children. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, 91(4), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1080/07303084.2019.1708829 homework help writing assignment service.
Williams, H. G., Pfeiffer, K. A., O’Neill, J. R., Dowda, M., McIver, K. L., Brown, W. H., & Pate, R. R. (2018). Motor skill competence and physical activity in preschool children. Research quarterly for exercise and sport, 89(2), 134–140. https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2018.1455970
