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Looking for some fun gym games for kids? Learning Resources is here to help. Whether you are looking for activities to keep your little one active during the winter or just some games to play in a spacious room, these games are sure to lead to hours of physical exercise and fun!
Toss and play to learn shapes, numbers, colors, and more. Smart Toss board includes four games in one, featuring one side each for numbers, shapes, and colors. Use the fourth side for free play or create your own activities. Use stickers or tape to label each hole with anything from letters, pictures of animals or places, and words. Here are a few fun games to play:
Game 1 — Number Call-Out
Set up the board with the numbers side facing up.
Each player takes three bean bags.
Throw the bean bags, one at a time, into the numbered pockets.
If a bean bag lands in a pocket, the player must say the number printed above that pocket.
One point is awarded for each correctly stated number for a maximum of three points.
It is now the next player’s turn.
Play until one player has 10 points
Game 2 — Shape Up
Set up the board with the shapes side facing up.
Take three bean bags. Have one player call out shape names.
Aim for the pocket displaying that shape.
Each bean bag that lands in the correct pocket is awarded one
Stand up and be counted! Giant ten-frame mats incorporate students into the number building fun as they represent 1–10, add and subtract, develop number sense, and more, using either the counters or themselves as interactive manipulatives. Create a double ten-frame with the second mat to extend number concepts to 20. Get them on their feet with math that really moves! Here are some fun games to use with the set:
Game 1 - Beyond 10 Using both mats, model counting and create a number, such as 12. Place 10 counters on one mat and two more on the other mat. Discuss how 12 is 2 more than 10. Make 12 other numbers greater than 10. Each time, ask, “How many more than 10 is this number?”
Game 2 - Roll Away Lay out both mats for building numbers 2-12. Have students add the numbers on each die and fill in the corresponding number of spaces on the mat(s), using either the counters or themselves as counters. Continue rolling and representing numbers.
It's the find it, snap it, match it game that gets kids up and moving! Help your toddlers build gross motor skills while learning all about matching with the See & Snap Picture Hunt from Learning Resources. This fun twist on flashcards is as simple as it is fun: simply hide some of the set's 20 large picture cards around the house, place one of the 20 small picture cards inside the pretend camera, and send your toddler on a fun scavenger hunt to find and match the cards. In the end, they can even take a pretend picture - the camera really clicks! In addition to boosting gross motor and matching skills, See & Snap Picture Hunt also sends toddlers hunting for new shape recognition skills with the help of the set's 5 shape cards. Just insert the learning cards in the camera and see how many circles, squares, triangles, and other shapes your toddlers can find along the way.
Game 1 - Color Hunt This game focuses on finding cards of a certain color. This time, scatter all the large picture cards around the playing area with the images facing down. Give your child an objective for their color hunt: “Collect three blue cards!” When your child returns, flip the cards over to see what they found!
Game 2 - Shapes in the World Display all the shape cards. Point to and name each shape. Then, insert one of the cards into the camera. Can you find objects of the same shape in your home? (Here’s one example: rectangle = cereal box.) Snap a picture to confirm the match, and then continue finding the other shapes in the set.
Test your speed (and skill) with the Answer Buzzers and Stopwatches! Both are great for obstacle course and race challenges at home! They can both be used together or separately to add a competitive element to get kiddos moving. Have kiddos use their imagination and create games of their own!
Looking for some fun gym games for kids? Learning Resources is here to help. Whether you are looking for activities to keep your little one active during the winter or just some games to play in a spacious room, these games are sure to lead to hours of physical exercise and fun!
Toss and play to learn shapes, numbers, colors, and more. Smart Toss board includes four games in one, featuring one side each for numbers, shapes, and colors. Use the fourth side for free play or create your own activities. Use stickers or tape to label each hole with anything from letters, pictures of animals or places, and words. Here are a few fun games to play:
Game 1 — Number Call-Out
Set up the board with the numbers side facing up.
Each player takes three bean bags.
Throw the bean bags, one at a time, into the numbered pockets.
If a bean bag lands in a pocket, the player must say the number printed above that pocket.
One point is awarded for each correctly stated number for a maximum of three points.
It is now the next player’s turn.
Play until one player has 10 points
Game 2 — Shape Up
Set up the board with the shapes side facing up.
Take three bean bags. Have one player call out shape names.
Aim for the pocket displaying that shape.
Each bean bag that lands in the correct pocket is awarded one
Stand up and be counted! Giant ten-frame mats incorporate students into the number building fun as they represent 1–10, add and subtract, develop number sense, and more, using either the counters or themselves as interactive manipulatives. Create a double ten-frame with the second mat to extend number concepts to 20. Get them on their feet with math that really moves! Here are some fun games to use with the set:
Game 1 - Beyond 10 Using both mats, model counting and create a number, such as 12. Place 10 counters on one mat and two more on the other mat. Discuss how 12 is 2 more than 10. Make 12 other numbers greater than 10. Each time, ask, “How many more than 10 is this number?”
Game 2 - Roll Away Lay out both mats for building numbers 2-12. Have students add the numbers on each die and fill in the corresponding number of spaces on the mat(s), using either the counters or themselves as counters. Continue rolling and representing numbers.
It's the find it, snap it, match it game that gets kids up and moving! Help your toddlers build gross motor skills while learning all about matching with the See & Snap Picture Hunt from Learning Resources. This fun twist on flashcards is as simple as it is fun: simply hide some of the set's 20 large picture cards around the house, place one of the 20 small picture cards inside the pretend camera, and send your toddler on a fun scavenger hunt to find and match the cards. In the end, they can even take a pretend picture - the camera really clicks! In addition to boosting gross motor and matching skills, See & Snap Picture Hunt also sends toddlers hunting for new shape recognition skills with the help of the set's 5 shape cards. Just insert the learning cards in the camera and see how many circles, squares, triangles, and other shapes your toddlers can find along the way.
Game 1 - Color Hunt This game focuses on finding cards of a certain color. This time, scatter all the large picture cards around the playing area with the images facing down. Give your child an objective for their color hunt: “Collect three blue cards!” When your child returns, flip the cards over to see what they found!
Game 2 - Shapes in the World Display all the shape cards. Point to and name each shape. Then, insert one of the cards into the camera. Can you find objects of the same shape in your home? (Here’s one example: rectangle = cereal box.) Snap a picture to confirm the match, and then continue finding the other shapes in the set.
Test your speed (and skill) with the Answer Buzzers and Stopwatches! Both are great for obstacle course and race challenges at home! They can both be used together or separately to add a competitive element to get kiddos moving. Have kiddos use their imagination and create games of their own!
You already love to play with your 3- to 5-year-olds. Now, turn those play times into rich learning experiences. It’s easier than you think and lots of fun. In fact, your child won’t even know how much they’re learning!
Reading
You’re likely already doing this in your home! Incorporating reading in your day-to-day routine benefits a child through repetitive practice. Reading together and discussing what you have read is a great way to interact with your child and practice language acquisition and literary skills.
Writing
When was the last time your child picked up a pencil? Refining those fine motor skills are a good idea before heading back to the classroom.
Encourage your child to copy something you wrote on their own or write their name will help when they get to the classroom on day one.
As you move on to word formation, you can set up activities that allow them to match and build words. One easy way to do this is by providing flashcards and a moving alphabet. Give your child alphabet lacing beads because I love how it doubles as a fine motor activity!
Colors
Learning colors helps children identify the world around them as well as develops their ability to categorize.
Throughout the day, ask your child “What color is this?” or “Can you find the red one?” with foods, toys, or things in nature.
Celebrate one color each day. Each day focus on one color and see if you can find things of that color, a giant color scavenger hunt.
Using washable paints, let your child experiment with mixing colors. What do red and blue make? How about yellow and red?
Make colored ice cubes with water and food coloring. Use the colorful ice cubes to paint the sidewalk.
Play “I Spy” with colors. Have your child point out things of different colors in the play he or she is doing.
Numbers
Kids learn numbers by observing and talking about what they see. Numbers, counting, and making sense of numbers are all vital skills in developing a child’s mathematical ability. Incorporating a little math practice into your child’s day is as easy as 1-2-3! Count everything you can. Count the steps you take, the bites of food you chew, the number of fingers on your hand, the numbers of rocks you collect, and so on.
Make numbers with playdough, tape, paint, sand, sticks, or markers. Give your kids something to trace or copy first to show them each number’s shape.
Practice matching the Number Pops numbers to the corresponding dots on each pop.
Match numbers to your own groups of items. Start number jars from 1 – 9. Collect items and put the correct number in your number collection jar, one thing for 1, two things for 2, and so on. You can use anything for your collections. Things like pennies, buttons, marbles, toys, or blocks.
Using manipulatives that you can find around the house are an easy way to practice counting, addition and subtraction.
Practice counting and addition/subtraction with pasta, coins, beads, etc
Play hopscotch.
Play dominos.
Play “What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?”.
Use your Dino-Sorters and count the number of dinosaurs in each color group.
Learning to distinguish shapes helps children become discerning and observant, important thinking skills.
Create shapes using play dough, Wikki Stix, pipe cleaners, tape, or craft sticks.
Search for shapes in your house or backyard. Look for one at a time. Find circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. It’s helpful to show your child the shape in a picture or an object so he has something by which to compare and refer to. Let him hold that shape while you search.
Ask “what shape is that” with everyday objects like a plate, a book, or a cell phone.
Make 2-D shapes with craft sticks and play dough.
Sort puzzle pieces, stickers, or cut-outs by shapes.
Science helps kids wonder, observe, and problem solve. What’s more, science is all about the world in which we live.
Learn sandbox physics! Compare the dry sand in your sandbox to wet sand. How is it different when you add water and try to build something?
Drop different items into a bucket of water to see what floats and what sinks. Try rocks, feathers, pom-poms, balls, fruit, and toys.
Freeze food-colored water in balloons. When frozen, peel off the balloon’s skin and observe the melting process. Try one in the sun, one in hot water, and one in cold water. Observe and enjoy the process.
Bury dinosaurs in the sandbox. Pretend to be a paleontologist and dig to find them.
Put different materials in a cupcake tin to see what melts in the sun. Be sure to include a crayon. Make predictions and observe.
Kids naturally gravitate toward building things. Engineers build and problem solve so given the opportunity, you can develop both with a little playful fun.
Use blocks to build a skyscraper. Experiment with the base to see if it makes a difference in height.
You already love to play with your 3- to 5-year-olds. Now, turn those play times into rich learning experiences. It’s easier than you think and lots of fun. In fact, your child won’t even know how much they’re learning!
Reading
You’re likely already doing this in your home! Incorporating reading in your day-to-day routine benefits a child through repetitive practice. Reading together and discussing what you have read is a great way to interact with your child and practice language acquisition and literary skills.
Writing
When was the last time your child picked up a pencil? Refining those fine motor skills are a good idea before heading back to the classroom.
Encourage your child to copy something you wrote on their own or write their name will help when they get to the classroom on day one.
As you move on to word formation, you can set up activities that allow them to match and build words. One easy way to do this is by providing flashcards and a moving alphabet. Give your child alphabet lacing beads because I love how it doubles as a fine motor activity!
Colors
Learning colors helps children identify the world around them as well as develops their ability to categorize.
Throughout the day, ask your child “What color is this?” or “Can you find the red one?” with foods, toys, or things in nature.
Celebrate one color each day. Each day focus on one color and see if you can find things of that color, a giant color scavenger hunt.
Using washable paints, let your child experiment with mixing colors. What do red and blue make? How about yellow and red?
Make colored ice cubes with water and food coloring. Use the colorful ice cubes to paint the sidewalk.
Play “I Spy” with colors. Have your child point out things of different colors in the play he or she is doing.
Numbers
Kids learn numbers by observing and talking about what they see. Numbers, counting, and making sense of numbers are all vital skills in developing a child’s mathematical ability. Incorporating a little math practice into your child’s day is as easy as 1-2-3! Count everything you can. Count the steps you take, the bites of food you chew, the number of fingers on your hand, the numbers of rocks you collect, and so on.
Make numbers with playdough, tape, paint, sand, sticks, or markers. Give your kids something to trace or copy first to show them each number’s shape.
Practice matching the Number Pops numbers to the corresponding dots on each pop.
Match numbers to your own groups of items. Start number jars from 1 – 9. Collect items and put the correct number in your number collection jar, one thing for 1, two things for 2, and so on. You can use anything for your collections. Things like pennies, buttons, marbles, toys, or blocks.
Using manipulatives that you can find around the house are an easy way to practice counting, addition and subtraction.
Practice counting and addition/subtraction with pasta, coins, beads, etc
Play hopscotch.
Play dominos.
Play “What Time Is It Mr. Wolf?”.
Use your Dino-Sorters and count the number of dinosaurs in each color group.
Learning to distinguish shapes helps children become discerning and observant, important thinking skills.
Create shapes using play dough, Wikki Stix, pipe cleaners, tape, or craft sticks.
Search for shapes in your house or backyard. Look for one at a time. Find circles, squares, rectangles, and triangles. It’s helpful to show your child the shape in a picture or an object so he has something by which to compare and refer to. Let him hold that shape while you search.
Ask “what shape is that” with everyday objects like a plate, a book, or a cell phone.
Make 2-D shapes with craft sticks and play dough.
Sort puzzle pieces, stickers, or cut-outs by shapes.
Science helps kids wonder, observe, and problem solve. What’s more, science is all about the world in which we live.
Learn sandbox physics! Compare the dry sand in your sandbox to wet sand. How is it different when you add water and try to build something?
Drop different items into a bucket of water to see what floats and what sinks. Try rocks, feathers, pom-poms, balls, fruit, and toys.
Freeze food-colored water in balloons. When frozen, peel off the balloon’s skin and observe the melting process. Try one in the sun, one in hot water, and one in cold water. Observe and enjoy the process.
Bury dinosaurs in the sandbox. Pretend to be a paleontologist and dig to find them.
Put different materials in a cupcake tin to see what melts in the sun. Be sure to include a crayon. Make predictions and observe.
Kids naturally gravitate toward building things. Engineers build and problem solve so given the opportunity, you can develop both with a little playful fun.
Use blocks to build a skyscraper. Experiment with the base to see if it makes a difference in height.
As you explore the world of letters and language this week, it’s important to understand the different ages and stages milestones that your little learners will build upon as they grow into amazing readers. With that in mind, we’ve collected some of the common development milestones associated with reading skills that you can use to track your kids’ progress. Debbie Kruse, a kindergarten teacher from Illinois, says that these kinds of checklists are valuable for understanding each individual child’s learning needs.
“By paying close attention to your kids’ development, you can get an early sense of their emerging skills,” Debbie said. “When you have an accurate picture of your kid's strengths and weaknesses, it makes it even easier to get them the focused support and enrichment they need to succeed going forward.”
At the beginning of their reading journey, there are a few important milestones that indicate your toddlers have a good grasp on early language skills. By 18 months, your toddlers should be:
Demonstrating a familiarity with connecting ideas and images with words; for example, identifying at least two body parts or pointing to an object, picture, or person when they hear the names of those things.
Toddlers should also be experimenting with their own verbal communication skills, hitting milestones like speaking phrases or sentences with two to four words or repeating words they’ve overheard from others.
Your toddler should be enthused about reading; toddlers should request story time by bringing you books, or even pretend to read to parents, siblings, or imaginary friends.
As they grow into inquisitive 2-year-olds, your kids should begin showing more refined versions of the skills they started with six months ago.
They’ll start to scribble and draw with more purpose, with lines and circles that seem to imitate words and letters and be able to answer simple questions.
They’ll also become more engaged with their favorite stories, retelling the plot or repeating favorite phrases as well as noticing and correcting you if you make changes to familiar books.
At 3, your kids should start understanding the nuances of what makes language dynamic and interesting.
They should start exhibiting an understanding of the concepts of “same” and “different,” as well as simple prepositions like “on,” “in,” and “under.”
They’ll also take an increased interest in letters, showing off skills like recognizing the letters that make up their initials or understanding the difference between writing and drawing.
Your kids should also be able to put these new skills to work in their verbal communication, speaking in simple sentences that are at least 75% understandable by strangers and singing along to the alphabet song when prompted.
As your kids leave their toddler years, they’ll bring their existing skills with them as they develop an even finer understanding of reading and language.
They’ll start to understand things like future tense and recognize rhyming words.
They’ll be able to name and identify most capital letters in the alphabet, follow along with writing from right to left, and take steps towards writing their own names.
Once again, you’ll see these new skills in the way your kids communicate. By now, they should be able to share phrases and sentences that are 100% understandable to strangers; they’ll also practice retelling stories they’ve heard or telling even longer stories that they’ve made up themselves.
By the time your kids reach kindergarten age, they should be well-positioned to take their first steps toward the more academic side of reading and language.
They’ll be able to pair letters with the sounds they make, make rhymes of their own, demonstrate understandings of vowels and consonants as they sound out simple words, and recognize words they know when they appear in books.
When it comes to story time, your kids will also demonstrate an increased level of sophistication; they’ll be able to read simple words on their own, describe the characters and plot sequencing (beginning, middle, and end) of stories that they know, and use these skills to retell accurate stories about things they’ve done.
As you explore the world of letters and language this week, it’s important to understand the different ages and stages milestones that your little learners will build upon as they grow into amazing readers. With that in mind, we’ve collected some of the common development milestones associated with reading skills that you can use to track your kids’ progress. Debbie Kruse, a kindergarten teacher from Illinois, says that these kinds of checklists are valuable for understanding each individual child’s learning needs.
“By paying close attention to your kids’ development, you can get an early sense of their emerging skills,” Debbie said. “When you have an accurate picture of your kid's strengths and weaknesses, it makes it even easier to get them the focused support and enrichment they need to succeed going forward.”
At the beginning of their reading journey, there are a few important milestones that indicate your toddlers have a good grasp on early language skills. By 18 months, your toddlers should be:
Demonstrating a familiarity with connecting ideas and images with words; for example, identifying at least two body parts or pointing to an object, picture, or person when they hear the names of those things.
Toddlers should also be experimenting with their own verbal communication skills, hitting milestones like speaking phrases or sentences with two to four words or repeating words they’ve overheard from others.
Your toddler should be enthused about reading; toddlers should request story time by bringing you books, or even pretend to read to parents, siblings, or imaginary friends.
As they grow into inquisitive 2-year-olds, your kids should begin showing more refined versions of the skills they started with six months ago.
They’ll start to scribble and draw with more purpose, with lines and circles that seem to imitate words and letters and be able to answer simple questions.
They’ll also become more engaged with their favorite stories, retelling the plot or repeating favorite phrases as well as noticing and correcting you if you make changes to familiar books.
At 3, your kids should start understanding the nuances of what makes language dynamic and interesting.
They should start exhibiting an understanding of the concepts of “same” and “different,” as well as simple prepositions like “on,” “in,” and “under.”
They’ll also take an increased interest in letters, showing off skills like recognizing the letters that make up their initials or understanding the difference between writing and drawing.
Your kids should also be able to put these new skills to work in their verbal communication, speaking in simple sentences that are at least 75% understandable by strangers and singing along to the alphabet song when prompted.
As your kids leave their toddler years, they’ll bring their existing skills with them as they develop an even finer understanding of reading and language.
They’ll start to understand things like future tense and recognize rhyming words.
They’ll be able to name and identify most capital letters in the alphabet, follow along with writing from right to left, and take steps towards writing their own names.
Once again, you’ll see these new skills in the way your kids communicate. By now, they should be able to share phrases and sentences that are 100% understandable to strangers; they’ll also practice retelling stories they’ve heard or telling even longer stories that they’ve made up themselves.
By the time your kids reach kindergarten age, they should be well-positioned to take their first steps toward the more academic side of reading and language.
They’ll be able to pair letters with the sounds they make, make rhymes of their own, demonstrate understandings of vowels and consonants as they sound out simple words, and recognize words they know when they appear in books.
When it comes to story time, your kids will also demonstrate an increased level of sophistication; they’ll be able to read simple words on their own, describe the characters and plot sequencing (beginning, middle, and end) of stories that they know, and use these skills to retell accurate stories about things they’ve done.
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