Shopping

Pretend you have a grocery cart in front of you. Reach right hand across body to grab something on the left shelf and then put it in the basket. Then reach left hand across to the right side as you pretend to get something for the basket.

Picking Veggies

Pretend you are in a vegetable patch. Reach down to your left side with your right hand and pick a pea (strawberry, tomato, whatever) and put it in the basket. Then reach down to your right side with your left hand and pick something for the basket.

Hint! Sing “The Paw Paw” patch as you do this.

Marching

Play some patriotic music as you march and swing your arms from left to right in front of the body. How high can you lift your knees?

Juggling

Have children wad up a sheet of paper into a ball. First, toss the ball from the left hand to the right. Can they throw it up, clap their hands and catch it? Can they play toss with a partner? How many times can they throw and catch without dropping it? Can they toss it laterally from their left to right, and then throw it in the air and catch it with their left in a circular motion?

Hint! Give children paper towels for juggling activities.

You can also make juggling scarves by cutting netting material into 10” squares.

Streamers

Give each child a piece of toilet paper 24” long. Play some music and have them follow along as you make “sleepy eights” in front of your body. Make a circle over your head. Make circles in front of your body. Make circles around your body by transferring the streamer from one hand to the next. Lift your knees and pass the streamer from your left to right hand.

Hint! Staple strips of tissue paper or crepe paper to a straw to make streamers.

Pancake Clap

Hold left palm face up and put right palm on top as you clap. Reverse your hands and clap the left hand on top of the right palm.

Shuffle

Hold palms out in front of you face down. Shuffle the right palm over the left palm two times. Reverse and shuffle the left palm over the right palm two times.

Pat and Rub

Place one hand on your head and begin gently patting it. Place the other hand on your tummy and rub in a circular motion. Reverse hands and pat and rub.