Action Cards (3-4 years)
Nine cut-out movement cards, each with a count -- turning 'run around' into 'do it eight times', where counting and self-control quietly get practised.
Materials Needed
- •Printed worksheet (download below)
- •Scissors
- •Clear floor space
Safety Reminder:
- •Clear the floor before jumping and crawling.
- •Bare feet or grippy socks on hard floors.
Duration
10-20 minutes
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Why the Number on the Card Is Doing the Real Work
Physical play at 3-4 is easy to start and hard to shape. The count on each card gives the movement a beginning, a middle and an end -- which is what turns wild energy into a task a child can complete and feel finished with. Counting out loud while jumping also does something maths worksheets cannot: it attaches numbers to the body, so eight becomes a felt quantity rather than a symbol. The freeze card adds the opposite skill, and the harder one: stopping. For a three-year-old, deliberately holding still is a bigger act of self-control than any amount of running.
- check_circleCounting with meaning: numbers attached to real, felt repetitions
- check_circleSelf-regulation: completing a set number, and holding a freeze
- check_circleGross motor variety: jumping, squatting, balancing, crawling, hopping
- check_circleTurn-taking and rules: the card decides, not the loudest person
- check_circleBilateral coordination: crab walks and bear crawls use both sides together
Preparation
Print and cut the nine cards. Spread them face down on the floor. That is the whole setup -- the game should be startable in thirty seconds, or it will not get used on the day you actually need it.
Instructions
- 1
Turn over a card. Read the move and the number out loud.
- 2
Count together as you do it. Say every number -- do not let the counting fade out after three.
- 3
Turn over the next card. Take turns choosing.
- 4
When the freeze card appears, freeze completely. Hold it. This is the hardest card on the page.
- 5
Play through as many cards as the mood allows. Nine is a full game; four is a fine game.
- 6
Leave the cards somewhere reachable so your child can start it themselves.
Assistance for Kids and Parents
- arrow_rightCount out loud, always. The counting is half the developmental value and it costs nothing.
- arrow_rightDo the moves with them. At 3-4 a parent joining in roughly doubles how long the game lasts.
- arrow_rightIf they lose count, do not correct it. Counting to eight and getting seven is still counting.
- arrow_rightThe freeze card is worth playing repeatedly -- stopping on demand is a skill that pays off far outside this game.
- arrow_rightUse these cards as a circuit-breaker when a meltdown is building. Movement before words.
Variations & Extensions
Simpler Version
Use four cards only, and halve every count. Five star jumps is a lot when you are three.
More Challenge
Draw two cards and do both, in the order drawn, without being reminded. Then three.
Beat the Clock
How many cards can you complete before the sand timer runs out? Racing a timer beats racing a person -- nobody loses.