Age: Kindergarten
Equipment: Bean bags
Space requirements: Open space
Activity Description:
- Have the children set up in small groups. There should be 3-4 children in each group to allow for increased participation. If there are more children, use multiple groups.
- Each group has a pile of 10 bean bags on the other side of the room.
- Call out a number from 4-10 and each group runs together to collect that number of bean bags. Each child must carry at least one bean bag.
- When the groups get back to their starting position, the group identifies the mathematical equation used to get to the number that was called based on the number of bean bags each person carried. For example, if the number was 8 and each of the 4 children in the group carried 2 bean bags, the equation would be 2+2+2+2=8.
Skill development:
- Physical skills: running; eye-hand coordination; spatial awareness
- Non-physical skills: sharing; cooperation; problem solving; critical thinking; number awareness; addition
Adjust the challenge:
- Decrease the distance children need to run to collect the bean bags.
- Use different ways to move each time the children travel to collect the bean bags such as walking backwards, skipping or hopping like a frog.
Activity modified from: Saskatchewan in motion Daily Physical Activity Manual
