Thursday, July 25, 2024
Here at Our Grand Lives we are VERY excited about
the upcoming Summer Olympics!
As you may know, we’ve already shared 2 posts devoted to the topic!
Last Thursday, we highlighted the details from Laurie’s recent Olympics Party
featuring six family friendly events!
Then on Monday, we both shared a few yummy options
to make any Olympic experience even more scrumptious!
😋 😋 😋
Check out these GRAND ideas if you are looking for fun ways to celebrate, too!
Today, Laura’s got one more post for you that’s filled with Olympic vibes!
However, this one is specifically geared toward our young Littles…
toddlers and preschoolers!
Of course, each of the 3 ideas shared in this post
could be used with older individuals.
In fact, you’ll find a few of our GRAND Tips for older Littles
scattered throughout this post!
However, each is simple enough that your youngest Littles
will find lots of success when completing the activities!
The Olympics provide a great opportunity for us,
as Grands,
to help our Littles discover
the important role that regular exercise, determination and commitment can have
in achieving BIG goals!
It’s yet another way we can model our values and beliefs in a meaningful way!
Active play encourages our Littles to get moving
and helps to strengthen large muscles and fine motor skills
as well as balance, coordination and spatial awareness!
As a result, self regulation (the ability to control one’s own body and emotions)
and self confidence (believing in yourself and your abilities) grow, too!
Focusing can be hard work for Littles…
mentally and physically!
Many Olympic sports encourage the development of
balance, agility, coordination and concentration!
None more so than the balance beam!
The Balance Beam… Little Style!
For two-year old Little L, I simply put a long strip of painter’s tape
on the cement outside.
Little L could then practice walking across her balance beam
without the worry of injury!
I modeled how to walk on our balance beam and then let Little L explore! At first, she moved quickly and didn’t pay much attention to staying on (or even near) the blue tape. Once she’d had time to check it out on her own terms, I challenged her to try and stay on the tape and, this time, she was ready to give it a try!
I added a few more challenges along the way, again stretching her ability to balance and concentrate! She practiced walking with her arms out to her side, while carrying a spoon holding a pom pom and while carrying a balloon and even holding it over her head! Tricky! Little L was really focused!
Other challenges to try might include walking backward or sideways, heel-to-toe stepping or turning around! Older Littles could also attempt to jump or hop while on the balance beam!
A GRAND Tip for Older Littles!
You can make this activity more challenging for older Littles
by using a 2 x 4 board for the balance beam!
Put the board on the driveway
or in the grass (for a safer landing, if needed)!
Balloon Badminton!
Little L loved this activity and it really challenged her ability to focus, too!! Blow up a balloon and then bat it back and forth with your Little! You can also watch your Little try to keep the balloon in the air on his/her own!
If your Little can successfully do these tasks, add a challenge by using paper plates (as badminton rackets)!
A Word of Caution!
Beware of balloons as they can be choking hazards for Littles or pets!
When using a balloon,
ALWAYS be observant and put it far away/up high
when not being used!
This goes for popped balloons, too! Throw the remnants away immediately!
Throwing is a fundamental large muscle skill
and one that helps Littles learn about hand-eye coordination,
and to control their balance to prevent falling!
Who knew???
There are four standard throwing events in the Olympics -
The shot put, the discus, the hammer and the javelin!
Try one of these activities to simulate a few of these events!
Throwing the Shot Put… Little Style!
What could be more simple?
Gather some safe items to throw and a target of some kind!
That’s it!
One rainy morning during my recent visit, I set up this station for Little L. I set four plates out on the floor to act as targets and I placed a bowl of bean bags nearby!
As always, I modeled how to throw the bean bags and then I let Little L throw however she chose to do so! This free exploration is an important step as it allows your curious Littles to check out the materials! When Little L was ready, I also showed her how to throw underhand as an option to her overhand throw!
Don’t have bean bags? NO WORRIES!
You can use small stuffed animals, wadded-up paper or even balled-up socks instead!
We also love using our favorite reusable water balls!
In fact, we repeated this activity later that day outside, using these balls as Little L aimed for a big bowl nearby!
As you can see, Little L had other ideas! She chose to pick up a ball, carry it to a spot close to the bowl and then she threw it in! Our advice… let your Little lead the play!
A GRAND Tip for Older Littles!
Model the way athletes throw the shot put with the spin
(there are a lot of great Youtube videos to watch)
AND
create a more challenging target (perhaps a hanging hula hoop)!
You could even throw in some math practice, too,
by measuring the distance of each throw!
Discus Throw… Frisbee Style!
I tried this activity with Little L, too, although I forgot to get any photos! Honestly, throwing the frisbee was a bit difficult for her, but she was mesmerized when I threw it and had fun trying to catch my discus (the frisbee)! Older Littles will love this activity, especially if you add a target for them to aim for!! Discus golf, anyone?
Javelin Throw… Pool Noodle Style!
In last week’s post, Laurie shared this idea as one of her party events! Check it out for more details!
Running helps our Littles build stamina and endurance
while improving balance and coordination at the same time!!
There are many Olympic events that involve running!
Here’s one of our favorites!
Hurdle Run… Little Style!
Running hurdles requires a combination of skills,
Including strength, speed, coordination and flexibility!
For Little L the effort of simply stepping over each hurdle
as she ran from one hurdle to the next was challenging enough!
Who knew that pool noodles could be so versatile! I had an old one lying around so I cut it into three smaller sections. (Can you believe I even had a pool noodle cutter that I’d found at the dollar store a few years ago??? A utility knife does the job just as well!) The only other item you’ll need to make your DIY hurdles are some skewers or old chopsticks or thin dowels.
Once the pool noodles are cut, insert a skewer into each end. I was careful to go about 2/3 into the pool noodle and I pushed the blunt end of each skewer into the noodles.
The only thing left to do was to head outside and put the hurdles in the ground! I spaced them so that Little L could run between them and I was mindful that each should be close to the ground to accommodate Little L’s short legs! You can adjust the spacing and height to meet your own Littles’ needs!
Again, I demonstrated so Little L had an idea of how to use the hurdles and then I let her do her thing!
Look at her go!
A GRAND Tip for Older Littles!
You can make your hurdle track longer
by cutting up two or more pool noodles!
Place the hurdles further apart and raise the height.
Add one more challenge by timing your Littles!
Relay or Sprint Racing!
Do you have more than one Little to entertain? Have a relay race or get your Littles sprinting short distances! Some fun relay options include the classic Egg on Spoon race OR a Hula Hoop Pass Off OR how about a Crab Walk relay!
Add a timer, a flag to “GO” and tape marking the finish line for sprinters to run through for added excitement! On your marks, get set… LET’S GO!
Hopefully our Going for the Gold ideas have inspired you
to get moving with your own Littles!
AND REMEMBER…
While these activities (as well as those shared in our past two posts)
are perfect additions to any Olympic themed event,
they are equally beneficial (and fun) ANY time!
As always, we love hearing from our readers!
If you have an activity for us to add to our repertoire, please share!
You can always comment at the end of this post
or, if you prefer, you can reach out to us
Don’t forget to check us out on our social media sites, too!
(You'll find our social media links at the top of each post!)
New content can always be found there!
Look for us to return next week with at least one new post!
Below you’ll find our updated summer schedule of GRAND SUMMER FUN!
We hope you’ll join us for more summer adventures!
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That way you'll always know what's going on at OGL!
We can’t say good-bye without taking this opportunity
to wish our very own
Grammy Laurie
the happiest of birthdays, tomorrow!
Happy Birthday, Laurie!
May it be the grandest one yet!
Have a great weekend, everyone!
❤️ We are delighted to join the following link up parties and blog hops! ❤️
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This is SO fun! I love these ideas. I saw the hurdle video on Instagram and could hardly contain the cuteness. :) Thanks for sharing this post with us at the Will Blog for Comments #44 linkup. #45 opens Monday morning--we hope to see you there sharing more posts.
I'm having my own Olympics this week whilst on holiday and so far have won Gold in sleeping, sunbathing and eating and floating in a rubber ring in the pool. Thank you for linking with #pocolo Chickenruby
Wow, these Olympic activities for Littles are fantastic! Love the balance beam and bean bag throw ideas—so fun and creative! Perfect for inspiring little athletes!
Doris/ <a href="https://purelifegem.com">Pure Life Gem</a>
These are all such fun ideas; the pool noodle hurdles are fabulous!!
I love the "hurdles"! Aren't pool noodles great for making into safe play things?! Thanks so much for sharing with us at SSPS, we sure appreciate it.