Creative Family Fun

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Gross Motor Play

Outdoor ABC Game on the Driveway

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With a preschooler, sometimes you just need to get them moving.

So, I decided to sneak a little learning in with our moving and created a simple outdoor abc game.

This Driveway ABC Game is easy. It’s fun. And, it’s a great way to review the alphabet.

Grab your sidewalk chalk, go outside, and have some fun learning the alphabet with this fun outdoor abc game you can play on your driveway.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Supplies Needed:

Sidewalk chalk

Large dice (can be played with small dice if that’s all you have)

Large stretch of concrete. You can use a driveway or a sidewalk.

Set-up and play your outdoor ABC game

I drew a long, winding path on our driveway and divided it up into sections.

I then wrote one letter in each section.

When it was time to play, my preschooler threw our giant die and moved that many spaces.

When she stopped, she had to say each letter she stepped on out loud.

The concept was easy and she had a blast. We played it again and again. Not only was she reviewing her letter, but she was running all over the place chasing the die.

When I drew our game, I wrote the letters in alphabetical order ending at “k”.  I didn’t make a very long game board. Feel free to mix up the letters and add additional letters if you want to make a more challenging game.

Other variations of this outdoor alphabet game:

Use lower case letters instead of upper case

Use the letters in your child’s name for an easy name recognition game

Write the entire alphabet or only the ones that are challenging to your child

Use sight words instead of letters for kids who are already alphabet experts

Grab your sidewalk chalk, go outside, and have some fun learning your ABCs with this fun outdoor alphabet game you can play on your driveway.

Our outdoor abc game got rained away after only playing it once, but I know we’ll do this again. After all, it’s so much fun to learn while playing a gross motor game!

Grab your sidewalk chalk, go outside, and have some fun learning your ABCs with this fun outdoor alphabet game you can play on your driveway.

You may also like one of these fun outdoor learning ideas:

Outdoor Shape Activity: Driveway Shape Maze

Go Outside: Shape Hopscotch

Go Outside: Counting Walk

Garden Flower Ten Frame at Rainy Day Mum

My recommended alphabet resources

It’s so much fun to learn your ABC’s with a game. If you don’t want to head outside, here are some fun game you might want to try.

Do you want to do more activities with your kids?

Join our fun Facebook community, Creative Family Fun for Busy Families, for daily activities that are great for kids and families. We’ll chat, share, and have fun. It’s a safe and private place to share ideas for family and kids activities.

I’d love for you to join me! Just click the link below, request to join, and answer the questions (they’re easy, I promise). Come join the fun! Join the Creative Family Fun for Busy Families community here.

Outdoor Shape Activity: Driveway Shape Maze

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We recently started reviewing shapes with my youngest (age 3).

One thing I love about learning shapes is that there are so many fun ways to teach them… endless ways to learn about them!

So, while the weather was nice, it was time for an outdoor shape activity. This Driveway Shape Maze is perfect for kids who like to move and learn outside.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

Grab some sidewalk chalk and set up your shape maze

This outdoor shape activity takes a little effort to set up, but you’ll be able to play with it for days (at least until it rains). Grab your sidewalk chalk and let’s get going.

One beautiful morning, I ran outside, grabbed the sidewalk chalk, and started drawing shapes. I filled in a substantial section of our driveway.

We have been working on one shape at a time and the current focus is squares.

So, I made sure to include more squares than any other shape. You can focus on any shape or draw a variety of all the shapes.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

It’s time to play!

When the girls came outside, I explained the game to them.

They each stood in a square on the first row, then they had to get to the other side, stepping only in squares.

Ready, set, go!

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Both girls had a lot of fun with this game.

Even my oldest (age 5), who knows her shapes really well, loved the physical aspect of the game.

She soon challenged herself with all the shapes and also tried to see if she could jump over shapes and make giant steps.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Extend the fun of this outdoor shape activity with a few variations:

*Go through the maze many times choosing a different shape each time. First step on squares, next step on triangles, and then step on circles.

*Instead of just walking a maze, challenge your child to jump on all of the squares or all of the circles.

*Adapt this for older kids, by adding more challenging shapes like octagons and hexagons or 3-D shapes like cones or cubes. You could also make a maze identifying the different types of triangles, like equilateral triangles and right triangles.

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

It’s easy to add a little physical movement to learning. You can play the same game using numbers or even the letters of your child’s name. Have fun learning!

Make it a Family Adventure

Cost: Free (Under $5.00 if you don’t already have sidewalk chalk)
Planning Time: 5-10 minutes to draw the maze on the driveway
Ages: 2-5
Time Needed: At least 15 minutes to play.
Notes: This is a great project for some spur-of-the-moment fun. And, if you don’t want to draw the whole maze yourself, enlist the family and get out there together!

Move and learn at the same time with the fun outdoor shape activity, a driveway shape maze. It's fun for both preschoolers and toddlers.

Find more shape activities here:

Get Crafty: Shape Collages

Shape Hunt

Sewing Circles: Simple Shapes to Sew

Outdoor Shape Activities for Kids

10 Shape Activities for Toddlers at Hands On As We Grow

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Movement Spelling: Walk Your Spelling Words

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Sometimes, the best thing to do after a long day in school is to get outside.

So often, homework means that the kids are stuck inside even longer.

Luckily, practicing your spelling words doesn’t have to happen inside. We can go outside and do some movement spelling.

Grab the sidewalk chalk, head outside, and get the whole body moving while you walk your spelling words.

Go outside to learn when you practice this fun movement spelling idea: walk your words. It's a great idea for kids who need to move.

Disclosure: This post contains Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links. Please see my Disclosure Page for more details.

How to set-up this movement spelling activity

All you need is some sidewalk chalk and a large area of concrete. Write your child’s spelling words all over the driveway. Write them big!

Tip: Have your child write the words for a little bit of extra practice. So, with one simple activity, you’ve practiced your spelling words twice.

Go outside to learn when you practice this fun movement spelling idea: walk your words. It's a great idea for kids who need to move.

Walk your spelling words

Now, it’s time to practice. Have your child walk along all the words, spelling it in their head along the way.

This works so well for kids that need to move while learning (kinesthetic learners).

If your child’s learning style, like kinesthetic learning, is not being met in school, give them as many opportunities as you can at home to learn their own way. Let them walk their spelling words if that is the way they learn best.

It’s also great for any kid who is tired of sitting all day long. Movement spelling is a great way to get outside, get moving, and get learning.

Go outside to learn when you practice this fun movement spelling idea: walk your words. It's a great idea for kids who need to move.

You may also like one of these spelling activities:

Car Word Tracing

Spell With a Driveway Letter Grid

Make Words With Play Dough

Buy the 31 Ways to Practice Spelling Words Ebook

You can purchase a printable form of this book for $7.50 The book is designed to print and turn into a half-page size booklet. It’s perfect to keep at your homework station. Your kids can flip through and find a fun way to practice their spelling words.

The ideas will be convenient and ready to use. No need to turn on the computer every day for ideas.

Most activities require little to no prep time. And, if you make sure you have all the supplies on the Master Supply List (included in the book) on hand, you’ll be able to do any of these fun spelling word ideas any time.

Move Like a Figure Skater

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I have always been fascinated by figure skating. My girls are the same.

The costumes are beautiful, the jumps spectacular, and the spins amazing.

I always wanted to be a figure skater, even though I can barely stand up in a pair of ice skates.

And let’s face it, most of us won’t be donning a pair of ice skates and doing a triple axel anytime soon.

But nothing’s stopping us from pretending to be a figure skater!

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Pretend to glide across the ice. Move your arms artistically. Who can do the prettiest spin?

I came up with 8 simple moves to help your child get moving and pretend to be a figure skater.

It’s a perfect game for when you’re stuck inside this winter. Blow off some steam, have a little fun, and move like a figure skater.

Download the game here

Are you ready to play? Click the link above to download and print (for free)!

Print on card stock for extra durability, but that’s certainly not necessary.

How to play? There are no rules. Cut the cards out and have your kids pick one at a time. They can take turns doing the moves or do them together.

Go through your dress-up clothes and let them create figure skating costumes.

Put on some pretty music. Cheer for each other.

But most of all, have fun and move like a figure skater!

For More Figure Skating Information:

The U.S. Figure Skaing YouTube channel has a lot of great videos posted of current and past figure skating routines. Watch a few to find some new movements for this game.

What do all those technical terms mean anyway? I watch a lot of figure skating, but still couldn’t tell you the difference between a salchow and a toe loop. This article from Global News does a great job explaining the different terms.

Make an ice rink for your toys! Check out this fun idea from I Can Teach My Child.

Best Kids Activities of 2013 – Driveway Games

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A couple of days ago, I published the 10 most popular posts of 2013.

Today, I’m going to join in with some of the very best kids bloggers from all over the world and share some of my favorites.

It was hard to choose. Believe me when I say, I really love all the posts I shared in 2013.

But, one thing jumped out at me, the three driveways games I shared.

They get your kids moving and learning. But the best part is that they require no special supplies.

All you need is some sidewalk chalk and your driveway (or sidewalk). Easy to set up and fun to play!

This is just the type of activity I plan to show you more of in the coming year.

Disclosure: There are Amazon Affiliate and other affiliate links in this article which means, at no additional cost to you, we could receive compensation for our recommendations. You can read our full disclosure policy on our Disclosure Page for more details.

Sight Word Islands is a fun game that I used to review my daughter’s sight words. You can use it to review sight words, color words, or even the alphabet.

I used our Driveway ABC Game to help my youngest daughter learn her letters. This one is a bit like a giant board game… on the driveway.

I also shared an old favorite of ours, Shape Hopscotch. This is just like the traditional game of hopscotch, except it uses shapes instead of numbers.