Feed the Turkey: Thanksgiving Preschool Activity

Activities for young children in child care centers should include physical gross motor activities. Through gross motor activities, preschool age children learn to master balance, spatial orientation, laterality, and the coordination of major muscles.

Children in your daycare center can learn gross motor skills by practicing and by participating in activities which involves hopping, jumping, and climbing. Activities that involve tossing, catching and kicking objects are also great examples of activities that promote the development of gross physical motor skills.

Activity Materials List

One large turkey cut out
One large piece of sturdy cardboard or poster board
Glue or tape
Scissors
Crafting knife
Small beanbags

Activity Preparation

Purchase a large piece turkey cutout. You can also create one out of construction paper. Draw, color, decorate and cut out turkey. Tape or glue the turkey to a large piece of poster board. Next cut a hole through the mouth of the turkey cutout and the poster board large enough for the beanbags to pass through. Place small beanbags for tossing in a box or other open container. Lean the turkey against a wall.

Activity Procedures

Invite the children over to the area. Explain to them that you are going to feed the turkey. Demonstrate for the children how to toss and kick the beanbags into the turkey’s mouth. Let the children take turns feeding the turkey by tossing or kicking the bean bags into the turkey’s mouth.

Gross Motor Learning Objectives

Objective 1: To provide the opportunity for projectile management through tossing the bean bags into the goal (the turkey’s mouth)

Verbal Cue A: Let’s toss the beanbag toward the turkey!
Verbal Cue B: Can you throw the beanbag into the turkey’s mouth?

Objective 2: To develop spatial relationships using the prepositions forward and backward, inside, outside, and straight ahead in verbal cues.

Verbal Cue A: Kick the beanbag straight ahead into the turkey’s mouth.
Verbal Cue B: Can you toss the beanbag forward?

Objective 3: To provide the opportunity for projectile management through kicking objects into the goal (turkey’s mouth)

Verbal Cue A: Can you try to kick the beanbag in the turkey’s mouth?
Verbal Cue B: Let’s kick the beanbag toward the turkey?

This “Feed the Turkey” activity will help enhance young childrens’ gross motor skills by tossing and kicking as well as develop spatial relationships. It will also support Thanksgiving curriculum and lesson plans. Do not keep score or enforce rules that promote competition as this is not a competitive activity.

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Tags: daycare activities, lesson plan, Thanksgiving activities

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 am and is filed under Teaching. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.