Through Purposeful Play: Early Childhood Movement Activities on a Budget, you can create an exciting, easy-to-use movement program for minimal cost. The book features 36 energizing activities and 104 classroom-tested variations that use commonly available materials and require minimal space. The activities will help preschool through early elementary age children learn movement, fitness, and nutrition skills and concepts, and have lots of fun doing it!
Like their previous book, Moving With a Purpose, this book is based on the authors' premise that the best early childhood physical education is delivered within a developmentally appropriate curriculum that embraces children's emotional and intellectual as well as their physical needs. All of the activities in the book are designed with that end in mind.
Other special features of Purposeful Play: Early Childhood Movement Activities on a Budget include
- Suggestions for using music to make the activities more fun
- Activities that teach movement skills in novel ways—even from the inside of a 55-foot inflatable whale!
- Tips for including children with disabilities and for adapting activities for a wide range of abilities and needs
-Movement activities that help develop children's language and literacy skills
- A special event idea for each month, encouraging whole-school and community involvement
- A bicycle skills and safety curriculum in which children cycle, deliver mail, shop, and even ride through a car wash they helped create
- A game finder with curricular goals to help teachers quickly locate the games they need.
Part I helps teachers prepare for purposeful play. It introduces the types of activities in the book, addresses how to include children with special needs and adapt activities for a wide range of abilities and needs, and discusses what type of equipment is needed, as well as how to set up, use, and store the equipment. It also helps teachers incorporate music into the activities to facilitate the learning and make it more enjoyable.
Part II presents the activities. These include inexpensive starter activities; activities using ropes, pulleys, eyebolts, and noodles; rain gutters; “veggie and fruit” activities; and move-and-match activities.
Part III features program material: cycling skills and safety, fitness and nutrition, and special events for every month. It even includes a motivational program involving Lucy the Whale, a 55-foot inflatable whale!
Whether used in a school, day care, or recreation setting, Purposeful Play: Early Childhood Movement Activities on a Budget provides a wealth of activities and tips for a successful and engaging physical activity program.
