Activities to do with yarn - gross motor

If there is one thing that is universal for every single preschool program it's that you never seem to have enough materials for all of the activities that you want to do with the children. Over the years I've gotten pretty good at creating fun experiences with very few supplies.  I thought it would be fun to focus on one simple supply and share a ton of easy activities that you can do to meet different learning domains. This week is going to be all about things you can do with yarn.

When it comes to gross motor activities, yearn is the perfect tool for practicing a variety of skills.  Here are a few different ideas:

• Create an obstacle course - drape the yarn across chairs, wrap it around table legs, and stretch it across the classroom, then show the children different ways to crawl under or climb over the yarn.
• Toss balls of yarn - even the largest ball of yarn won't hurt too bad if it hits someone, which makes yarn balls ideal for practicing throwing and catching. You could even set up a basket ball hoop and practice making baskets.  While you're at it have the children help make the yarn balls and work those fine motor skills. 
• Follow the string - Cut long lengths of yarn and tangle them all over the playground (through playground equipment, around trees, under benches) then ask the children to untangle them. They'll have to follow the string all over the playground.  For even more fun, tie a special treat to the end of the string.
• Yarn ball bowling - use those yarn balls that you made for tossing to create a fun bowling game. Empty water bottles make great bowling pins, and they are light enough to be knocked over by a ball of yarn. 
• Yarn limbo - you don't need a limbo stick when you have a piece of yarn.  Tie it between two trees, or have two volunteers hold it while the class limbos to some fun music. 
• Yarn wands - Speaking of music, dancing is always more fun when you have a ribbon wand. Tape some colorful pieces of yarn to the end of a popsicle stick for quick and easy yarn wands that you can dance with. When you're done dancing take them outside and see what happens when you run across the playground while holding onto them. 

The simplest material often creates the most memorable experiences. The great thing about yarn activities is that you can make them fit seasonal themes simply by changing the color of the yarn.  Check back in throughout the rest of the week for more activities to do with yarn!