Effective Preschool Gross Motor Activity
Body Awareness Program

The need for preschool children to have a sensory motor environment can best be met if the children participate in a daily gross - and fine motor development program.

The preschool child whose sensory awareness is optimally developed is also more "aware" perceptually.

It is almost impossible to "make up" for experiences that the children may have missed!

Body Awareness Activities: Activity 1:

The following activities are based on improving the preschool child's body awareness and increase their self image.

Materials Needed For The Activity:

1. Old Magazines
2. Scissors
3. Sheets of Paper, for Drawing Purposes.
4. Triangular Profile Pencils, for Drawing Purposes.

Procedure:

• The preschool children will each receive an old magazine, and will be asked to find pictures of human body parts, and cut the different body parts out, and place them in a container, which the teacher will provide.
• When all the children have placed their body part pictures in the container, the teacher will show a body part picture to the children, and ask the children to identify the specific body part.
• The teacher will then show the children a body part picture, for instance a mouth picture, and instruct the children to draw a complete person around the one body part, presented on the picture.

Materials Needed For The Activity

1. Sheets of White Paper, for Drawing Purposes.
2. Triangular Profile Pencils, for Drawing Purposes.
3. Sciccors.
4. Envolop for each Preschool Child.

Procedure:

• Each preschool child will be asked to draw a paper doll on the A4 sheet of white paper.
• The children will then cut out their paper dolls, and place them in the envelops.



• The teacher will cut the paper dolls into three or four pieces, separating the different body parts.
• The children will be handed back their envelopes, and they will be asked to open their envelopes, and reassemble their paper dolls.

The gross motor developmental activities start the preschool child towards the development of his body for his later life.

A stronger, better developed child will also cope better with emotional stresses.

It is advisable that the children should wear comfortable clothes suitable for the gross motor activities.

These activities are all aimed at strengthening and stretch the children's gross motor muscles.

• Knee Toe Activity: The children will sit with their legs spread wide apart, bending forward from the hips, they should touch their heads to their knees and fingers to the toes of one foot. Alternate the fingers to the other foot. Repeat 10 x.
• Foot Head Touch Activity: The children will lie on the floor keeping their knees bent, and raise their right knee to their heads and return the foot to the floor. Alternate with the left foot. Repeat 10 x.
• The Leg Stretch Activity: The children will lie on the floor, keeping their knees bent. The preschoolers should raise both feet in the air, and straighten their legs, and return them to the floor, slowly. Repeat 10 x.



• Touching Toes Activity: The children will stand and bend forward slowly, keeping their legs straight, touching their toes. Repeat 10 x.
• Bend and Stretch Activity: It is advisable to end gross motor activities with a stretching activity. They will stand with their legs apart, and raise their arms in the air, overhead. They will bend forward slowly, touching their toes, straighten up and stretch their arms above their heads, and stretch out! Repeat 10 x.