Up The Slide We Go
Introduction
Getting kids ready for school is all about having strong bodies. The playground is one of the best places to build that strength, especially the slide. When kids climb up the slide, they are using their arms, legs, core muscles, and even their hands to grip and pull. All of that hard work helps them learn how to control their bodies, sit upright, climb stairs, and feel confident moving through their day
Gather Materials
Playground Slide
Note: Small parts pose a choking hazard and are not appropriate for children age five or under. Be sure to choose lesson materials that you feel are safe for your child and that you are comfortable letting your child use.
Activity
Here are some fun games to try the next time you are at your neighborhood park or school playground.
- Red Light, Green Light
- “Green light” = climb up
- “Red light” = freeze
- Builds listening and control
- Simon Says (Slide Edition)
- “Simon says climb using only your hands”
- “Simon says crawl”
- Follow the Leader
- One child climbs first
- Others copy the movement style
- Examples: slow, backward, hands and knees
- Push to the Top
- Take along a stuffed animal and have your child push the animal up and slide back down
- Mountain Explorer
- Pretend the slide is a mountain
- Climb carefully to reach the top
- If you have a jumprope nearby, tying the rope at the top and have them walk up with the rope as their guide
- Statue Climb
- Call out “Freeze!”
- Children stop and make a silly pose
- Continue climbing after