Jamaican Games for Fine and Gross Motor Skills

Last week in our apple theme for Wee Skool Wednesday, I taught you a new game called 123 Red Apple! I also provided the instruction cards and sign as a free download. Today’s theme for Playful Preschool is FAMILY. As promised, I will be sharing some of the games that I learnt back home in Jamaica and showing how they help to develop gross motor skills in preschoolers. Let’s walk.

Jamaican Games

Stuck and Freeze

This game was one of my favourites even though I was never really good at it. Here is how you play.

First you need 2 teams of 2 member each minimum. I am sure it can be adapted to just 2 players but this is what I am used to.

Once the teams have been chosen here is what you do. Team 1 is assigned to be the catchers, while Team 2 is assigned to be on base. On base is the equivalent of being in a safe place. You then count to 3 and the persons in the safe house MUST run out. The catchers will then try to get you.

Once they have caught up with you, they then give you a gentle tap (granted sometimes kids get carried away and they give you the hardest slap you have ever felt in your life). Once you are touched, you cannot move. You are frozen.

In order for you to get melted, a member of your team has to run up to you without being caught and touch you. You can then both proceed to your safe house.

If Team 1 has frozen all the members of Team 2, then that round is over and the teams switch. Team 1 is then placed in the safe house while Team 2 will be the catchers.

Bend Down Stuckey

This game is quite similar to Stuck and Freeze. The only difference is the fact that you are trying to avoid being touched by the other team. In order not to get ‘stuck’, you need to bend as quickly as possible. Being in this position stops them from ‘freezing’ you.

There are countless others that I could list that we played when I was in primary school (the equivalent of grades 1 – 6) that are great for movement and perhaps I will share them another time. Don’t forget to see what the other members of the playful preschool team did for the theme FAMILY. Thanks for walking with me.

Plan your Family Theme Preschool Activities with these ideas from the Playful Preschool Education Team!

Family Theme Learning Activities: Reading – Writing – Cooking – Sensory – Art – Math

Bookmaking for a Preschool Family Theme from Fun A Day

Finding My Family on a Map from Powerful Mothering

Preschool Writing Activity: Letters to Family from Mom Inspired Life

Cooking with Kids: Family Recipe Books from Growing Book By Book

Our Family Tree: Sorting Family Members from Still Playing School

Family Themed Sensory Bin from Little Bins for Little Hands

Tips for Using Skype to Connect with Family from The Educators’ Spin On It

Family Portraits from Rainy Day Mum

Family Counting from Tiny Tots Adventures

Jamaican Games for Fine and Gross Motor Skills from Learning 2 Walk

Family Footprints from Capri +3