Bowling in the Gym

On this gloomy Tuesday morning the Pine class headed down to the gym to start the day. Many of the kids settled into playing with blocks to build or the dollhouse to participate in some pretend play. F & E, on the other hand, were chasing one another across the blue mat with big yoga balls. They would laugh and giggle as they would occasionally bump into one another and fall down. The game seemed to be working well, until more kids wanted to join. Chaos ensued. Instead of eliminating the play entirely and putting the yoga balls away, we came up with another game we could practice taking turns, working together, and lastly using the yoga balls that were clearly a lot of fun to play with! 

The boys set up the "pins" and took turns rolling the ball towards them to knock them over. 

E showed some impressive skills by knocking over every block just about any time he rolled the ball. F, as you can see, was equally excited for him and cheered every time. The two boys worked together to keep the game flowing and allowed others to join in their play. 

It's easy to shut down games that us adults may think are chaotic or inappropriate, but with some support and suggestions we can facilitate more appropriate games for kids to play. Instead of stopping them from playing, we can take the time to come up with new games or games that include anyone who wants to play. The Pine room is really focusing on practicing basic play kills to ensure everyone feels included. We are so lucky to have so many kids with different abilities and interests in our class!