Ingredients:
- Roll of masking tape
- Small toy car (e.g., Matchbox)
Prep Time:
Recipe for Fun!
Create a roadway on the floor with masking tape. Then have children crawl along as they push a car down the road.
Using masking tape, make two parallel lines to create a roadway on the floor. Have children push a small toy car within the lines of the tape to drive to the end. Make a car wash at the end with sudsy water, or a play garage so there is a reward for getting to the destination. Note: Do not use tape on wood floor. It will pull up the polyurethane and stain.
Benefits:
- Bilateral coordination. When children crawl, they use reciprocal leg and arm movements – moving arms and legs at the same time, but in opposite directions. This helps strengthen the connections in their brain to ensure it communicates and uses both sides of their body in a controlled and organized way.
- Weight shifting. As children crawl along with their car, they are shifting their weight in the same fashion they need for walking.
For an easier time:
- For children who use a wheelchair, make a small track on a table or wheelchair tray. This can help encourage crossing midline and hand transferring.
- Make the road wide to give children plenty of space to stay on the road
- Make the road a simple, short, straight distance to the destination.
For extended challenge:
- Add angles and turns in the road (e.g., under the table, around the chair) to encourage visual processing and coordinated movement.
- Extend the road to the next room(s).
- Use only one strip of masking tape so the child has to use heightened precision to drive on the line.