Are you looking for gross motor activities for your preschool classroom?

Including gross motor activities in your preschool classroom is essential for development, as well as for sensory input. Keep reading to discover ways to include gross motor activities.

Why include gross motor activities in the classroom?

Picture this…you are leading a calendar activity during circle time. You point to the date and everyone says the date. By the end of the activity, kids are fidgeting and looking everywhere but at the calendar.

We all know the importance of movement. However, we often expect kids to sit for 20 minutes or more during instruction. This makes it harder to maintain focus and to sit still. Students may get frustrated, act out, or lose attention when expected to sit for long. Including gross motor activities into lessons or during transitions gives kids the sensory input that they need to stay engaged.

How to include them?

• During circle calendar time, hold up a visual of a bunny. A student hops to the front and points to the correct date. The next student crawls like a turtle. Each student does a different move which engages their attention and keeps them focused. 
• Transitioning between activities (one part of the room to another, or between subjects)
• As part of a “brain break” (perform one or two yoga poses)
• Transition back to work from recess or lunch by doing animal walks
• Do a parade using different movements (jumping, hopping, skipping, crawl like a crab, etc.)
• Play “Simon Says“

Do as a transition to the table for an art project

Incorporating fine motor skills:

As an OT, I like to combine gross and fine motor skills together. Doing the gross motor activity prepares the body for the fine motor skills. Activities that involve putting hands on the ground (like a “downward dog”) give sensory input to the hands/arms and strengthens the muscles to prepare for writing. Activities that involve movement (like jumping or hopping) give vestibular input to the brain and help kids prepare to attend to lessons.

I have created a resource that has 4 themed sets of movement cards plus 17 fine motor pages to go with them. Check it out by clicking the photo.

Grab a free movement card and fine motor page here (click the photo)

Let me know in the comments how you incorporate movement into your classrooms (preschool or otherwise).

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