Preschool Movement Activities

I’m sharing some easy to use preschool movement activities you can do at home or in the classroom.

PRESCHOOL MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Preschoolers need a lot of diverse learning opportunities they can do in short amounts of time.  Integrating movement activities between sitting activities can enhance the learning experience.

And movement activities are essential to physical, social and mental development.

 Preschoolers need play time!  Here are some of the positive effects movement can have on children.

Physical activity for a stronger body using gross and fine motor muscles in a variety of movements.

More focused attention in learning tasks after physical activity.

Cognitive, social and emotional skill development (through playing games and directional word activities).

All these things are so important for a preschooler and music teachers, preschool teachers, moms, dads, caregivers can help!

So here are the easy movement activities you can do with preschool aged children. Sing Play Create offers activities in almost all these areas, but you can do them with your own music and materials with a bit of creativity.

With any activity, it’s a good idea to model what you want the children to do before you ask them to do it. Try showing them first before passing props and instruments out to them.  Once they have them, they may have a harder time listening to directions.

BEAN BAG ACTIVITIES

Using bean bags will help children with large and small muscle development. Large muscles move to get the bean bags and small muscles hold the bean bags.

Grab some bean bags from AMAZON (affiliate link), or make some using rice or beans and quilt fabric squares that you sew together.

If you don’t have bean bags, use some stuffed animals!

EASY DIRECTIONS

• Have everyone make a big circle or arranged so they can toss to the center of the room.
• Make a goal circle using a hula hoop, some stuffed animals, or even some big towels. Make it about 3 feet wide.
• Give everyone a bean bag.
• Toss the bean bags when the music is ON into the circle.
• STOP when the music is OFF.
• Have everyone get their bean bags and switch places in the circle or the room.

You can do this activity with a line too.

• Use some painters tape or rope and place a line at one end of the room to mark where you want the children to toss the bean bag.
• Then place another where you want the children to stand. Try 4 feet away to begin, then slowly move back each time you toss the bean bags.
• Toss when music is ON and STOP when music is off.

Be sure to laugh and keep trying!

BUGGY THEMED MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES

SCARF MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Scarf activities are a wonderful way to have children experience expressing feelings through movement.

You can experiment with different style of music and see how the children respond.

Get the FREE SCARF ACTIVITIES in the FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY

Here are some scarves from AMAZON.

If you don’t have scarves, then try using tissue paper, lightweight bandanas, fabric and even tissues.

Have everyone move around with their scarves as the music moves them.

You may want the children to stay in a spot and wave their scarf for safety.

Later you can model some movements for the children to imitate-but for now let them be free to express themselves without too much direction.

MAKE A RAINBOW ACTION STORY AND SONG

“Red and yellow and pink and green, purple and orange and blue.

I can sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow, sing a rainbow too!”

A sweet and simple song that works perfectly with scarves.

Set the scene: Tell the children that it’s raining. Wave your blue scarf like rain falling down. What do we see after the rain? A rainbow! What are the colors you see? Pass out the scarves as you sing the song (get them ready ahead of time).

Have the children wave their scarves as you sing the song.

Not only are the children moving, but they are making connections to color words through movement.

This is a great activity for preschoolers!

TELL A STORY

You can use books and videos to help tell stories with scarves.

Pass out the scarves and tell the children that you’ll point to them when it’s their turn to wave their scarf.

Or, you could use some kind of color coded poster, markers, crayons or even just slips of paper you point to on a board to signal it’s their turn to wave their scarf.

Practice first so that the children get the idea of when it’s their turn to wave their scarf.

The Sing Play Create YouTube channel has many scarf activities. There are videos with Dinosaur, Ocean, Pirate, Space and more themes for you to use in your preschool activities.

SING PLAY CREATE YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Here’s one of my favorites!

FARM ANIMALS SCARF DANCE AND ACTIVITY

WORKOUT ACTIVITIES

Working out can be as simple as doing some sit ups or a yoga pose in between other activities.

You may want the children to choose what the activity will be. 

Put some choices on some popsicle sticks and let the children choose a stick. Then they do that activity.

Or, you can use our BUGGY MOVEMENT ACTIVITY with posters you can print or project for the activities.

Here’s a fun game you can play with your preschoolers.

ANIMAL COPYCAT

Children love to be animals.

Find some pictures of animals and show one at a time to the children.

Model some of the actions as needed.

Then put all the pictures on the floor like a Jeopardy board.

Give each child a turn to choose a card. Then everyone copies that child’s actions.

You may want to use a timer so that the children get the idea that their turn is over.

Sing Play Create has many different themed MOVEMENT CARDS

Farm Animal Movement Task and Action Cards, Brain Break Activity, Transitions in the TPT store

STRETCHY BAND ACTIVITIES

Stretchy bands are a wonderful movement prop for preschool children.  There are stretchy bands for small groups and for large.

I use the BEAR PAW CREEK STRETCHY BANDS!

There are many ways to use them

Here’s a fun song I use to introduce how to play with the stretchy band.

Again, model your expectations before the activity.

RULES:

• Stay in your own space, don’t crawl under the band, listen to the music.
• Have everyone sit in a circle.
• Hand a section of the band to each child and ask them to hold tight.
• Each section is a different color. Tell them to stay on their color.

ACTIVITIES

• Play some music.
• Have the children bounce their bands to the beat of the music.
• You can play the STOP and GO game. 
• When the music is ON they bounce, then it’s off they STOP.

GET THE CREATIVE MOVEMENT AND STRETCHY BAND ACTIVITIES BUNDLE

READ MORE ABOUT STRETCHY BANDS HERE

KEEP ACTIVITIES SIMPLE, SHORT, INTERACTIVE

Most importantly, preschool movement activities need to be simple, short and interactive.

That way the children can move from one activity to the next without to difficult of a transition.

Some thoughts to consider as you plan your preschool activities.

PAIR MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES WITH LEARNING ACTIVITIES

PREPARE PROPS AND MATERIALS AHEAD OF TIME

CREATE A STRUCTURE FOR YOUR CLASS TIME

BEGIN AND END WITH HELLO AND GOODBYE SONGS

DIFFERENTIATE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

Sing Play Create offers materials that fulfill all of these essential needs for your preschool activities.

Dinosaur Songs and Poems Activities pairs nicely with our dinosaur movement activities.

ONE MORE TIP

One last tip that may help you in your classroom.

Create a YouTube playlist of your “go to” activities.

Write the movement activities into the daily schedule with links to videos.

Create and insert these activities into a google slides document so that you have immediate access without the ads!

Now you’ll have a set of activities you can do anytime throughout the school year.

GET THE FREE GOOGLE SLIDES ORGANIZER WHEN YOU SUBSCRIBE

Here at Sing Play Create we’re working to bring you interactive resources you can easily use in your classroom.

Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to our newsletter where you receive weekly tips and deals and access to the FREE RESOURCE LIBRARY.

Please check out the Sing Play Create YouTube Channel with over 100 videos of activities.

Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and through email.

Thanks for reading!