Stepping-Stones
Placing stepping-stones around the garden develops gross motor skills, balance, sensory experience, and cognitive skills. If the child is young be sure to place stones closer together, so stepping is easy.
Place objects on the ground near the stepping-stones. Use your imagination and get the children to pick flowers for a vase or collect balls to throw into a container from their stone. The challenge is to remain on the stones while the child moves and squats to collect the objects near the stepping-stones.
Try these alternatives:
- Walk in bare feet
- Space the stones further apart
- Place stones in a curvy line
- Place objects between the stones, so the child needs to step over the object to reach the next stone
- Number the stones, mix them up, and ask the child to give you six leaves, two balls, five sticks etc
- Lots of kids? Get the kids to balance on one foot and see who can last the longest.
- Pretend to be crossing a river with crocodiles, don’t get your toes wet. Move fast or slow according to the instructions.
- Play musical stepping-stones (instead of musical chairs)
Out in nature, stepping-stones are found in creeks or shallow ponds. Be sure to check that the stones are stable before the children step onto them. Once the child feels safe, get them to look at the creek or pond as they are crossing. What can you see in the water? Are there fish or frogs?
For older children:
Split into two even numbered teams. Each team faces the other as they stand on the stepping-stones. Between the two teams there is an empty stone in the middle of the teams. The objective of the game is to switch sides.
The rules:
- The children cannot move backwards
- One child can only move forward into an empty space
- Only one child can move at a time
- Only one child can stand on a stepping-stone at a time
- If any rules are broken, you must start again from the beginning
Websites of Interest:
- Making Stepping Stones
- Balance Stepping Stones for Kids: the ultimate guide!
- Stepping Stones for Kids
Books of Interest:
Tortoise and Hare : a fairy tale to help you find balance by Susan Verde
Tortoise and Hare are neighbours, but they have very different approaches to life: Hare does everything super quickly, but does not always pay attention to what is around her, Tortoise does things slowly and thoughtfully, but sometimes he fails to finish tasks--so when they agree to a race, Hare is certain she will finish first, but instead both Hare and Tortoise discover that what is most important is having a friend to keep you in balance.
Balancing Bernie by Ellie Sandall
Bernie is a dog with a very special talent - he can balance absolutely anything! One day he gets a very unusual request from a furry friend - can Bernie balance her, too? Soon, dogs from all over the park are hurrying up with a woof and a bark to join in Bernie's brilliant balancing act! But don't worry, Bernie would NEVER let them all fall . . . A playful, bouncing read-aloud story, full of dogs of all shapes and sizes!
Concrete crafts : simple projects from jewelry to place settings, birdbaths to umbrella stands by Sania Hedengren
Helps you decorate your kitchen table or outdoor patio with such items as rhubarb leaf fruit bowls, clustered candleholders, birdbaths, patterned pots, flowers vases, angel figurines and more.