Magical Castle
HORSE'S TAILS
Let's pretend to play in a magical castle.
For the warm-up we are going to play Horse's Tails.
Tuck a scarf or a long sock into your shorts like a tail and as you run around try to steal each-other's tails.
Each time move in a different way like galloping, jumping or on hands and feet.
MAGIC JEWELS
Place lots of balls, teddy bears, sock balls in a pile or in a hoop - pretend these are the jewels.
The challenge is to get all the jewels from one side of the castle to the other by rolling or throwing them.
Create some magic stepping-stones using tea towels or hoops. Stand on a stepping-stone each and roll or throw the ball to your child and then move to the next stepping-stone to receive it again.
The aim is to move all the jewels from one side of the castle to the other the other.
Encourage your child to keep their eyes on the ball or teddy. Look at the Footie Families parent booklet pages for tips!
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF TO HELP YOU TEACH YOUR CHILD TO CATCH CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF TO HELP YOU TEACH YOUR CHILD TO THROW
ROYAL DRIBBLING RELAY
The aim is to dribble the ball around the towers which can be made from cones, tins or upside-down cups.
See if you can get from one side of the castle to the other, dribbling around all the towers.
Encourage gentle touches on the ball so the ball stays under control and close to feet. You can deflate the ball or use a cube which is easier to control
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF TO HELP YOU TEACH YOUR CHILD TO KICK A BALL
CASTLE OBSTACLES
With your child, set up some fun challenges like balancing on the drawbridge, swimming in the moat, throwing jewels, dribbling round towers or balancing over cushions.
You could place a teddy bear on a chair at the end of the obstacle course to save at the end.
Encourage travelling in variety of ways and challenge your child by moving equipment if it is too easy.
Our collaboration with the Wales Academy for Health & Physical Literacy at UWTSD
Footie Families has been developed by Dr Nalda Wainwright, Director of the Wales Academy for Health & Physical Literacy and the FAW-Trust. Dr Wainwright is an internationally recognised expert in the field of Physical Literacy. Her research into the Foundation Phase curriculum in Wales led to the development of a programme, SKIP Cymru© (Successful Kinaesthetic Instruction for Pre-schoolers in Wales) in collaboration with Professor Jackie Goodway of The Ohio State University. This programme supports the development of physical literacy in the crucial time of early childhood. This work has been recognised internationally as well being a recommendation in the Welsh Government Health and Social Care and Sport Committee report on Physical Activity of Children and Young People. Footie Families draws on the work of SKIP-Cymru© and incorporates structured play-based activities for parents and their children facilitated by specifically trained coaches.
The Importance of Moving in the Early Years – Wales Academy for Health and Physical Literacy
Moving in the Early Years. Children are not moving as much as they used to years ago. They are spending more time watching TV and playing on computer games, IPads and phones. Visit physicalliteracy.cymru
Research Project
With this collaboration, a PhD research project focuses on evaluating how Footie Families supports parents in improving pre-school children’s motor development as well as improving family's physical activity levels. Currently, this research is focussing on how parents feel that the lockdown period has impacted their children's physical activity levels so we are looking for parents of 2-5 year olds to take part in a 20 minute zoom chat.
Click here for more information about the research project and how you can support this project.
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