Teaching Children the Value of Teamwork

Gross Motor Activities to Teach the Value of Teamwork

I'm thrilled to be a part of Kid Bloggers Go Olympics, 18 days of Olympic fun hosted by Rainy Day Mum, AngeliqueFelix.com and Sun Hats and Wellie Boots. The theme for today is Team Sports. What strikes me most about team sports is the importance of working together. Having four boys close in age, I pray regularly that they enjoy working and playing together. I do my best to encourage helping each other and looking out for one another.  What better way to work together than through gross motor activities?

We've been watching the Olympics together as a family.  To demonstrate the importance of team work in the team sports I set up a gross motor transferring game.  I filled up a bucket of water and put two small containers in it to scoop and carry the water.  I put a red tape line in a sensory bin to show the boys where fill it to.

On the way to the sensory bin the boys had to walk across stepping domes. This required a lot of balance and concentration. When setting up games for children I'm careful to avoid making them too hard which leaves children frustrated. At the same time, I wanted this activity to be a challenge. While they worked at transferring the water I explained how Olympic athletes trained every day for years to make it into the competition.

I laid out a jump rope for the boys to straddle as they walked back to the bucket for more water.

When they first started I had each boy transfer water from the bucket to the bin, and I showed them how much water actually made it to the bin. Then I showed them how much quicker they would reach their goal by working together. They started encouraging one another and working towards a common goal.

Of course they also got a bit goofy and enjoyed splashing one another.

JZ (5) decided he had a better way to transfer the water:

Tank (13 months) wanted to join in the play.

J-Bug (3) decided to climb right into the bucket.  Did I mention it was almost 100 degrees out when we played?

Throughout the week we found other ways to put teamwork into practice when picking up toys,  building towers with blocks, and lifting large items.  I now pass on the torch, and I invite you to visit Here Come the Girls tomorrow.

For more ideas for gross motor activities follow my Motor Development board on Pinterest.

Click the images below for more gross motor games: