In a Childcare & Montessori environment, we need to develop a gross motor program that is adaptable to indoor or outdoor depending on the weather. Let’s say today the weather decided to be a little on the colder/hotter side and your children aren’t able to get the outdoor gross motor play. Not to worry because Indoor gross motor is just as fun and active! Gross motor play indoors welcomes the children to be creative in their very own ways. The children will participate in all sorts of activities that will keep them busy and moving!
Setting up for Indoor Gross Motor:
Depending on the situation, the children will have access to using their very own classrooms as a mini-gym! The teacher (with the assistance of the children) will set up different areas inside the classroom where the children can choose from. The classroom will be broken down into different sections. An example of this may be,
- Scooter fun – Who is ready to get those legs moving?
- Keeping your balance! – Different lines on the floor for the children to follow – maybe even hop on one foot!
- Creative fun – Let’s explore our minds and put our creations onto pieces of paper with our friends!
- Yoga – Who is ready to get your stretching on with some fun Yoga cards?
Physical Benefits: Indoor Gross motor helps the child develop physically & socially. It also assists in developing creativity and language skills to be able to communicate and come up with ideas with their teachers. Our bodies need to move to activate our lymphatic system which helps build immunity and it is very important for children and adults to move on a daily basis whether indoor or outdoor. We at SimplySmart Childcare and Montessori believe that a healthy body leads to a healthy mind.