Fun with Fabric

Props can have a profound influence on how children (and adults) move. This week I am using left over fabric to create a "bridge"  for a preschool movement class. The fabric is long and rectangular with dramatic colors and patterns. It can be transformed into whatever I need it to be; this week it is a bridge!

The Bridge Game

Lay the fabric across the floor. Each student has a turn to cross the bridge with a movement challenge like hop, skip, slide, across the bridge (locomotor movement- traveling). The rest of the class each has a spot sitting around the bridge. Their movement is to act like various things that could be in the moat like alligators, fish, waves, lava, and whatever the kids come up with. Their challenge is they cannot move from that spot while acting out the movements (axial movement - in place). When the student makes it across the bridge, they next have to tap out someone in the moat and take their spot. That student is the next to cross the bridge. This game  invites students to explore different kinds of movement and creative expression.The game also allows me time to observe each student's movement individually and make assessments about their gross motor development.


What else can fabric do?

I have used blue tulle as water and waves, and white tulle and white fabric as snow. Fabric in movement and drama can help develop language and pre-math skills because you can explore concepts like under, over, around, inside, outside, through, on, in between, next to, near, and far. You can also just bring in fabric and let the children discover what it can be. They are great at that!