MOVING Towards Artful Development

 A Trip to the Circus

Imagine running a consecutive 30 mile race. Impossible, right? What about climbing a 9,777 foot tall mountain? Now imagine doing these things Every. Single. Day. 
According to a study conducted by Growing Up Milk, these inconceivable feats of strength are the adult equivalent of a young child's average movement in just 1 day. In other words, babies and toddlers are almost constantly in motion. They use this unceasing movement as a tool to explore their bodies, their world, and the many ways in which the two can interact. As such, our Storytime classes this week were dedicated to using theatrical stories and songs to channel this constant motion of babyhood in fun and developmentally productive ways. Here is a fun activity you can do at home next time your little one gets a case of the wiggles. Let's get moving!   

Materials:
step stools/ chairs 
your imagination 
circus music (optional) 
Step 1: Clear a space and set up three distinct areas: a tight rope walking station, a trapeze station and an acrobatics station. 
Step 2: invite your child to explore the circus and pick a station to visit first (for infants unable to articulate this choice, you can choose for them)
*The following steps can be done in any order 
Step 3: Tight Rope Walking Station 
 Encourage your child to walk across the floor as if they are balancing on a tight rope. When they have the hang of that, introduce the stools or chairs for an extra challenge. (Be sure to hold their hand to make sure they are safe)
Step 4: Trapeze Station
Hold your child in your arms and swing them as if they are on a trapeze. For an extra challenge hold them upside down and/ or see what other tricks you can come up with. 
Step 5: Acrobatics Station. Lay on your back with your feet in the air, and balance your child on top so their belly is resting on your feet. For an extra challenge, see if you and your child can create your own two person acrobatic pose. 
Bonus: Take a picture of any of you and your child's amazing circus tricks, and post them to our Facebook page with the hashtag #spellboundonthemove