Living in Florida you have 4 seasons; Fake summer, real summer, the face of the sun, and 2 weeks of “winter”. With the weather being hot but bearable 75% of the time, we can play outside a lot. Over the pandemic, we spent the majority of our day on the covered porch. Addilynn playing while I worked Teletherapy.
5 Low Prep activities to play outside
Chalk
Chalk is such a versatile outdoor activity. It works on hand strength, grasp with small pieces, visual skills, and pre-writing skills. Along with the handwriting skills addressed there is a sensory component with chalk including tactile feedback, how it feels and makes the hands messy. You can also incorporate midline crossing and balance.
- Name Hop
Skills addressed: Letter Recognition, gross motor, balance, motor planning.
- Color the shapes
Skills addressed: Grasp, visual skills (staying in the lines and coloring the entire shape), fine motor skills
- Rainbow Vertical Space
Skills addressed: Grasp and shoulder stability, fine motor skills, visual skills, midline crossing. Add a wobble cushion or a pool float to engage the core.
Water Play
Here in South Florida, the days can be a scorcher, we love incorporating water into our play to keep ourselves cool. Addi has no idea that it also is working on some developmental skills. I call that an OT momma win.
- Color mixing station
Skills addressed: Pouring, hand strengthening, color recognition, eye-hand coordination.
- Ball toss
Skills addressed: bilateral hand skills, tactile play, tolerating being messy, eye-hand coordination.
- Mud Kitchen
Skills addressed: Scooping, pouring, fine motor skills, messy play.
- Squirt guns
Skills addressed: fine motor skills, fine motor precision, eye-hand coordination, hand strengthening.
Riding Bike or Scooter
- Red Light Green Light
Skills addressed: self-regulation, impulse, auditory processing, gross motor skills, and balance
- Roads (Chalk or cones)
Skills addressed: Postural control, visual perception,
Obstacle Course
Incorporating all aspects of outdoor play can lead to an AWESOME obstacle course. Obstacle courses are great for children because they address so many skills while being engaging and fun! Obstacle courses are also great for building our children’s sensory systems.
Skills addressed: Safety awareness, taking turns, sequencing & planning, following directions, fine motor skills, separation eye & hand movements, balance, postural control, etc.
Scavenger Hunt
Who doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? Hide Items throughout the yard. To make the activity easier give a picture or written list so children know what they are looking for. For older kids add a writing component by writing items they find with chalk.
Skills addressed: Visual scanning, handwriting, following directions, gross motor skills, fine motor (using a grabber or tongs to pick up items)
Playing outside is so important! Comment your favorite outdoor activities.
