Читать книгу Fun Start: An idea a week to maximize your baby’s potential from birth to age 5 - June Oberlander R. - Страница 65

 leg, foot and eye coordination

 language interaction

 concentration

 following directions

 independence

The lines on a tiled floor, masking tape, wool or string placed in a straight line on the floor can be used for this activity. The line space should be approximately one and a half metres long.

Walk on the designated straight line while the child watches you. Then encourage the child to walk on the straight line. To make this activity more interesting, tell the child to pretend that the line is a bridge that goes across some water. Explain that a bridge allows people to go across the water without getting wet. Make sure the child understands that this is like a game and if she steps off the line, then she will get wet. If the child still does not understand, walk across the pretend bridge again. Talk to the child as you do this and deliberately pretend to lose your balance and step in the pretend water. Laugh and tell the child that you got wet, because you were not careful and you fell in the water.

Instruct the child to put one foot in front of the other so that the heel of one foot touches the toe of the other foot. Also suggest that the child hold both arms out straight to help her keep her balance. Praise the child even if she seems to find this activity difficult. If the child is not a confident walker, hold the child’s hand as she walks on the line.

Repeat this activity often throughout the week. The child will soon become confident in crossing the pretend bridge.You may even observe the child doing this activity independently, and chances are that the child will not use the designated line where you first introduced this activity. She may even find another line to practise her line walking.

Since a child of this age may spontaneously enjoy walking backwards at various times, allow her to do so. If she does not initiate this on her own, show her how to walk backwards on a given line. Point out that she should keep her eyes on the line as she walks backwards.

Next, the child can be asked to straddle the line as she walks forward. Later, the child can try walking backwards in this manner. It may be difficult for her, but watching the line as she walks backwards involves much concentration and coordination. Try this at a later date if the child appears to encounter any difficulty.