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These activities are not only great for developing gross motor skills but also provide a range of sensory experiences. All activities are chosen as they require limited resources and are therefore accessible to most children.

Long jump - Get children to practise jumping as far as they can, indoors or outdoors. Jumping is an activity that promotes motor planning, balance, muscle development, and coordination. For extra proprioceptive input, children can crash land into pillows, foam blocks or similar.

Balloon Volleyball - Hang a string or ribbon horizontally between two chairs to make a “net”. Blow up a balloon and hit the balloon back and forth across the net with your child or children. You can also play without a net and try to keep the balloon in the air without dropping it. A great activity for developing hand/eye coordination and oculomotor control, the ability to use the eyes to efficiently scan and locate an object in the field of vision.

 

Obstacle race - A fun activity that can be altered according to children’s motor ability. Select obstacles like chairs, pillows or tunnels that children can go through, over, around or under. Besides developing motor skills, obstacle courses also help with the development of motor planning skills.

Ring toss - Whilst the plastic rings bear a visual resemblance to the Olympic rings, it is also a fun activity to develop eye-hand coordination. You can start with placing the stand on which the child is to toss the rings close by and increase the distance over time as your child’s ability improves.

Straw or blow football - For this game you can use masking tape (or similar) to place a line across the middle of a tray and create a goalbox on each side. To play this game, two players use a straw to blow a ping pong ball and to try and score a goal.  Blowing is a calming, regulating activity and in this game children have to blow hard enough to move the ball.

In conclusion, these five Olympics-inspired motor activities offer a variety of fun and engaging ways to enhance children's gross motor skills and provide valuable sensory experiences. These activities not only promote physical development but also encourage children to enjoy active play in a creative and supportive environment.