Outdoor Physical Activity: Relay Day
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Emily Grogan, Preschool Teacher (Over Music): We decided this year we’d try to do something fun every Friday for the summer. So we thought relay would be really fun for the kids to get involved.
Kaitlin Thibodeau, Preschool Teacher: So, me and Emily, Patrice and Carla, we came together, and we talked about what we wanted to do for Relay Day.
Emily Grogan: Each class had to make up their own game and gather their own materials. And then we were able to uh set it all up outside, make it look really nice, and then when the kids came out, they were super excited to see all the stuff set up, and we could really explain to them what we were going to do and what it was all about.
Emily: So we are going to show you what we have out today. We have five different types of relays for you to do. The first one is an egg and spoon race.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: The children were required to hold the spoon and put an egg on it from dramatic play.
Emily Grogan: So it really needed the children to slow down, more than race and kind of focus on what they were doing, and to get the egg to the end of the line.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: That was a race that really focused on concentrating, and balancing, and going slower.
Emily: Our next one is our beach ball between the legs.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: The children had to place a medium-sized beach ball between their legs and kind of hop or run to the end of the race. They were able to really push themselves to try something new.
Emily: For our next one we have the baton race. Go! Go! Go!
Emily Grogan: The kids made their own batons in the art center, and then we brought them out for them to use. So they had to find a partner, and they’d start at one end, and their partner would be at the other end, and they’d have to run down to their partner, pass the baton.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: And I think the children really enjoyed that relay race, because that one was the one where you had to go fast. You had to run as fast as you could, give it to your teammate, and then they had to run as fast as they could.
Emily: Our next one is fill the water bucket.
Emily Grogan: So this race they had to fill up a container with water and race to the empty bucket and try to fill up their bucket as fast as they can.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: The children really understood that they needed to take turns, and they really cooperated with each other.
Emily: We have our potato sack races!
Kaitlin Thibodeau: The children had a potato sack, and they had to jump from one point to the other.
Emily Grogan: Which was kind of trickier for them, just with their gross motor skills still developing.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: They were getting to do something new and getting to do something that they’re not used to, so they were excited to try that.
Emily: Ready, get set, go! Go! Go! Go!
Kaitlin Thibodeau: I think the biggest thing the kids got out of it was cooperation. They were constantly working together. There was nothing during that day where they were doing it by themselves.
Emily Grogan: And the children got to work with other friends from other classrooms that they don’t typically work with. So, if they have a friend that is in the blue room they don’t normally see, they were able to go and spend time with them and play and really work with them to complete the relays.
Kaitlin Thibodeau: It was really awesome to watch the children kind of root for each other. And everyone was excited, and everyone was cheering for each other.
Emily Grogan: Through the relay race they learned how to work together. Team work, collaboration, they learned how to take turns, there’s just so much you learn out of different experiences.
Emily and children: One, two three, relay!