Winter Olympics for Kids!

It is time for my favorite Dinosaur Physical Therapy trademarked activity – Winter Olympics for Kids! A great way to involve children in creative and active play, incorporating a wide range of gross motor skills!

Ice Skating/Speed Skating

Use tactile footprints to eliminate friction from floor (bumpy on one side/smooth on the other!), and colored cones to designate pathway. Have child remove socks and speed skate their way to the Gold! You can perform skating sprints or even fun free skating routines.

Snowboarding

Incorporate balance board to encourage child to find balanced middle ground or allow them to shift weight side to side for active range of motion challenge! 

Curling

Slide discs across the “ice” towards a target! We use the colored cones to mark the distance traversed. Instead of a curling broom, have the child generate their own force from a strong bilateral push forward.

Skeleton

Utilize scooter boards, have the child lie on stomach and use arms to propel forward. Try symmetric lower body push off from wall for added boost!

Mogul Skiing

Use tactile pods to represent “moguls”, jump side to side in between or over pods. Ski poles are an optional accessory! 

With minimal equipment and a whole lot of creativity, you can have fun training for and competing in your very own Winter Olympics for Kids! I think that is worthy of the gold!