Ingredients:
- Flashlights (1 for every player)
Prep Time:
Recipe for Fun!
For kids who need to play in a stationary position, tag with flashlights is a fun way to reach beyond the boundaries of their bodies.
Turn on your flashlights and move them around the room. Try to catch your friend’s beam with yours. Alternately, lie on your backs and chase the beams on the ceiling.
Benefits:
- Strengthens visual tracking skills. Tracking a moving object helps develop the eye muscles needed for reading and writing.
- Develops visual scanning skills. Being able to move your eyes smoothly left to right, up and down is critical when navigating through your environment and avoiding obstacles.
- Increases social interaction opportunities. This “levels the playing field” thus allowing kids of all abilities to move and play together.
Modifications:
- For children who have trouble grasping objects, place several strips of self-adhesive hook and loop fastener (e.g., Velcro) to the shaft of a lightweight flashlight. Then have the child wear a knit mitten. The Velcro will stick to the mitten and help the child maintain a grasp.
Variations:
- If one child requires stationary play and others can move about, have the seated child hold and move the flashlight around the walls and floor, or outside on grass, and trees. The other players race around to step on or touch the beam of light. Note: do not shine flashlights directly in the face of others. Only play in a secure, safe environment without obstacles.
- Hide letters around the room. Turn on the flashlights and call out one letter. The children with the flashlights have to scan the room to find the letter and shine their light on the letter. Once they find it, say the name of the letter (or a word starting with that letter). Then the next letter is called, and play continues.