Balloon Play

Gross motor skills are not only essential for moving around and playing; they are also crucial for fine motor development. Our control over our whole body impacts the way our hands function. We need a stable base from which our arms and hands can operate. Our trunks need to be strong and stable to hold us up. We need to be able to turn and rotate our bodies to reach for objects in all directions and to cross the midline . We need shoulder, elbow and wrist stability. All these gross motor skills help us hold and maintain our grasp on objects, to be able to move objects and to get our hands in exactly the right position to manipulate and move efficiently.

Here’s a KISS (Keep It Short & Simple) activity that focuses on the gross motor skill of eye tracking.

All you need are balloons.

Have children pat the balloons and try to keep them off the floor.

Extend this activity by having the children pat the balloons to each other.

N & M: 3 years, 9 months
E: 1 year, 8 months