‘Moving to the groove’ of the changing weather during spring time in the Pacific Northwest can be a challenge at times. There are days when the sun is shining for the whole day and it is the perfect time to get some vitamin D and play outside with your family. However, sometimes there are those times when it is a wet day with rain constantly falling urging us to stay indoors to be kept dry.
Yet, no matter what the weather is in Washington, there are activities to keep you and your child active and have fun bonding moments. Here is one example that can be done inside or out.
Red Light, Green Light
- Cardio and body awareness
- Impulse control
One person is the “stop light” and the other family members try to touch him/her. It is a good idea for the parent to start as the “stop light” so the child will get to do the cardio and body awareness tasks first and it is more fun for the child when the parent plays along.
As the “stop light” is turned around and faces away from the other family members, the other participant(s) form a line about twenty feet behind. When the “stop light” yells “Green light,” the participant(s) are allowed to walk, run, jog, crawl, etc. towards the ‘stop light’ until he/she yells “Red light”. At “red light”, the ‘stop light’ will turn around and if any of the participant(s) are moving, then they are out. The activity continues when the ‘stop light’ turns back around and yells, “Green light!” The stop light wins if all the participants are out before he/she is touched, but the first participant to touch the stop light wins the game and is now the new ‘stop light’ for the next game.
- This physical activity is fun for both indoor in a large living room or around the house, or outdoors in a field, park, or even your backyard.
- To lengthen the game, you might incorporate more from “Mother May I” and the Stop Light gets to tell people if they can walk, hop, crawl, or some other form of movement—but no real running if you are inside and don’t have a lot of space.