For the last few weeks, we have unfortunately been stuck inside our rooms because the weather has been too frigid to go outside. It was over negative 20 some days! Wow! At first, the children loved the idea of not having to put on all their winter gear, but after a day or two it became too much for all of us. Even though they were calm throughout the morning and engaged in activities, you could tell they were needing big body breaks.
We continued with our usual activities that involved dancing and action songs. However, to change things up, Simone started with a sit-down action song at the tables, as if we were sitting for lunch. The children were able to move their bodies while seated, and then we stood up to dance to additional songs and action movements behind the tables. This was extremely fun for them, as they practised sitting first and then standing for other action songs. During this time, we also practised tucking our chairs in.
After a few days of this, a few friends wanted to move even more during the action songs. Natalie stood up from her chair but stayed at the table and began dancing around it. This encouraged her peers to mimic her, and they thought it was a fun way to continue moving their bodies while still staying at the table.
Another change was incorporating running around the tables to help move their bodies. The children practised tucking their chairs in so they wouldn’t collide with them and hurt themselves while running. This running activity was fantastic because they practised moving to the side if they tripped, swerving around peers who were walking or jogging, and being aware of their bodies in the space. This showed that not only can we get our bodies moving outside, but we can also do so indoors in many different ways.
