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Are you searching for the best physical activities for preschoolers to organize fun games for your students? Explore these outdoor activities for nursery children and indoor games below.
Physical Activities for 3-4 Year Old Preschoolers
1. Creative Movement Games for Toddlers (1.5 years and above): Mimicry and Pose
* Game Rules: Have the toddlers stand still. When you give the signal, they imitate and must verbally identify the pose representing an animal.
* How to Play:
- Before starting the game, prompt the toddlers to recall various images. For instance, how does a rooster peck grains or how does a cat lie down?
- Children should think about what animal they want to pose as, and when the teacher gives the signal, they will mimic the chosen image. The teacher will then ask the child about the pose they created. To make the game more exciting, have the children run around to the rhythm of applause. Whenever you shout 'stop and pose,' the child will freeze and strike a pose.
2. Physical Activity Game for Preschoolers (3 years and above): Ball Passing
* Game Rules: The child who drops the ball is eliminated.
* How to Play:
- Prepare 2 to 3 balls and have the children form one or more circles depending on the number of students in the class—about 10 children per circle. One child in each group holds a ball. When you say start, the child with the ball passes it to the next clockwise child while singing.
''No wings to soar
Yet the ball knows how to fly
No legs to run
Still, the ball can swiftly move
Quickly, my friend, quickly
Quickly, my friend, quickly
Let's see who's skillful, who's adept
Let's compete together.''
Once the children become more proficient, you can divide them into multiple groups to compete. The group that drops the fewest balls wins.
3. Physical Activity Game for Preschoolers (3 years and above): Chi Chi Chanh Chanh
* Game Characteristics: Enhances reflexes and agility in children. This game can be played both indoors and outdoors.
* How to Play: Have one child stand with open palms, while the others raise their index fingers and place them in the open palms. Then recite:
'Chi chi chanh chanh
The dagger breathes fire
The horse dies in battle
Three kings and five emperors
A cricket sets out to find
Ù à ù ập.'
When you reach 'ập,' the child with open palms clasps their hands, and everyone tries to quickly withdraw their fingers. If the child catches someone's hand, that student loses.
4. Overcoming Obstacles
* Preparation:
- Chalk
- Tunnels or cardboard boxes
- Loop straps
- Plastic bottles with duck-shaped necks or can be substituted with other shapes.
* How to Play:
- Divide the children into teams (each team with a maximum number of children)
- Have the children stand in a line behind the starting line. Upon hearing your signal, they run to jump over a pretend stream, navigate through a tunnel, then sprint to a loop strap, jump high to grab the ring with both hands. Afterward, they stand in place to toss into a bottle. Finally, run back to the end of the line for the next child to take their turn.
* Requirements:
- The child running to the tunnel doesn't have to wait for the teacher's signal; as soon as the child in front reaches the tunnel, the next child can start running.
- The game lasts for approximately 15 minutes, with no restrictions on the number of rounds.
5. Physical Activity Game for Preschoolers: Train Journey
* Game Rules: Depending on the teacher's signal, children start or stop. Those who don't follow correctly are eliminated.
* How to Play:
- Draw two parallel straight lines or use floor tiles as tracks.
- Arrange the children into two lines, the child behind places their hands on the shoulders of the child in front, forming a train moving along the parallel lines you've drawn.
- When you raise the green flag, children move as a train, chanting 'chug-chug.'
- When you say 'Train uphill,' everyone walks on their tiptoes, chanting 'toot-toot.'
- When you say 'Train downhill,' children walk on their heels, chanting 'toot-toot.'
* Note:
- To make the game more entertaining, you can modify the commands.
- When children walk on their tiptoes upon hearing the uphill train command, it's advisable not to signal 'Train downhill.'
- Maintaining a consistent pace with the commands is crucial for the game's enjoyment. Too slow makes it dull, while too fast can lead to a chaotic train line. Therefore, adjust the pace intermittently to keep the game lively.
6. Physical Activity Game for Toddlers (2 years and above): Cars to the Station
* Game Rules: Cars must enter the correct station. A child going to the wrong station is eliminated.
* How to Play:
- Prepare around 5 flags with different colors. Divide the play area into 5 sections corresponding to each flag color.
- Distribute flags or colored paper to the children matching the flag colors.
- Children become colorful cars.
- When you say 'Cars to the station,' signal a color, and cars of that color should move to that section.
- Encourage children to run around, mimicking steering cars, and making beep-beep sounds.
- After approximately 30 seconds, signal entering the station once.
7. Physical Activity Game for Toddlers: Sunshine, Rain
* Game Rules: When the teacher says it's raining, the children need to find a suitable shelter. Any child who doesn't reach a shelter in time is eliminated.
* Preparation:
- Draw circles on the ground, each circle about 30 - 40 cm apart to create rain shelters. Draw fewer circles than the number of children, around 3 - 4 circles.
* How to Play:
- Children role-play going to school, singing as they walk. Upon hearing the teacher's signal for rain, they must find a shelter to avoid getting wet. Any child unable to find shelter is eliminated.
- When the teacher signals for sunshine, children need to spread out.
8. Physical Activity Game for Toddlers: Fox and Rabbit
* Game Rules: The rabbits need to hide in their correct burrows. If a rabbit goes to the wrong burrow or runs too slowly, they are eliminated.
* How to Play:
- Select one child to play the role of the fox. For every rabbit, there are two children playing the burrows, forming a circle. Then, ask the rabbit to remember their correct burrow. The rabbits move around looking for food while singing the song:
''On the meadow green
All the little rabbits keen
Searching for some food
Feeling so good
Rabbits, take heed
The fox is on the prowl
Stay alert
Rabbits, take heed
Run fast and fleet
Or the fox you'll meet
Run away swift.''
After singing, the fox appears and chases the rabbits. Upon hearing the fox, the rabbits must run back to their burrows. Any rabbit caught or running to the wrong burrow is eliminated from the game.
9. Physical Activity Game for Toddlers: Who's Faster
* Preparation:
- Obstacles include sandbags, cones, wooden blocks
- Crawl tunnel
- Pop-up tent
- Climbing ladder
- Exercise hoops
* How to Play:
- Divide into teams (each team with a maximum of 5 children)
- Line up the children vertically behind the starting line. Upon a signal, the child at the front squats and zigzags through obstacles, reaches a platform, jumps down, then runs to a tunnel. They crawl through the tunnel, reach a ladder, climb up and down the bar, then run to grab a hoop. Finally, they run back to the end of the line.
* Requirements:
- Children play continuously for about 15 minutes instead of limiting the number of rounds.
- The first child runs to the jump box, and the next child starts squatting and moving without waiting for a signal.
- Teachers should be present near the climbing ladder to assist children in climbing safely.
10. Physical Activity Game for Toddlers: Fruit Picking
* Preparation:
- Basket for holding fruits
- Chalk for drawing shapes
- Mushroom-shaped objects or cones
- Pot with 10 fruits
* How to play:
- Divide into multiple teams (each team can have 3 - 4 children)
- The teacher arranges the children into vertical lines behind the starting line. When the signal is given, the children act as bears, crawling through a narrow passage and then continuously jumping over hoops. Next, the children run through obstacles to collect fruits, put them in the basket, and return to the end of the line for the next turn.
* Requirements:
- When a child finishes crawling through the narrow passage and jumping, the next child will start crawling.
- Children need to move continuously in a chain without stopping until all the fruits are harvested.
- There is no limit to the number of times the children can play, and the playing time is about 10 - 15 minutes.
Certainly, these best physical activities for preschoolers mentioned above will not only make your child excited about going to school but also stimulate their intelligence and physical development.
