Author Description

The movement-exploration activities described in this book are designed to appeal to primary-level children's natural instinct toward imaginative play and discovery and offer opportunities to develop physical skills in a familiar environment. The discovery of the physical self involves body-part and body-surface identification, isolated movements of body parts, ability to balance, developing an understanding of one's relationship to the environment, manipulating an object and the body into different shapes, and serial movement. The activities involve movement with such items as beanbags, chairs, paper cups, and rubber bands. A problem-solving approach is taken by offering children challenges such as "How can you make your foot, knee, and arm touch together?" or "How can you balance a hat upside-down on your head while you tiptoe backward?". Correctness of solution is not a factor, nor are student responses recorded. Body-part identification, prepositional positions (beside, between, far away), locomotor skills, directional movement, quality of motion (big, fast, sneaky) and imagination ("pretend the towel is slippery'" are general skills emphasized in the various challenges. A chart references which activities will best develop which skills. (PB)