Playground equipment facilitates the use and development of gross motor skills.
Activities that foster development of gross motor skills help students learn to effectively manipulate and use the larger muscles in their bodies. Strong gross motor skills help students maintain balance, have good coordination and gain confidence. Fortunately, using playground equipment can be a big help. In particular, using a variety of equipment will help work different muscles.
Instructions
Encourage Playground Use
1. Drive or walk to a playground. Equipment on a playground encourages students to use a variety of gross motor skills while they have fun.
2. Tell children to follow you around the playground as you do various activities. As children mirror your actions they will strengthen their gross motor skills.
3. Hold your arms out straight to each side and try to maintain your balance while carefully walking around the perimeter of a hopscotch board.
4. Walk to a jungle gym and climb up and down it. If the jungle gym has ladder-type bars you can hold to get across to a different side, encourage children to use their hand and arm strength to follow you to the other side by grasping bars one at a time and swinging their body weight.
5. Sit on a swing and have students do the same. Encourage everyone to swing their legs, and the gradual pumping should increase the swing height.
6. Allow students to explore other parts of the playground on their own so they can continue to challenge and develop their muscles.
