This game can help children develop muscle control, while dealing with rules of a game, as well as the feelings of winning and losing.

Materials:

• Laundry Basket
• Masking Tape
• Beanbags

Directions:

Place a laundry basket in an area that is free of breakable items. Attach a piece of masking tape to the floor, approximately 2 feet from the basket, where you think the children can be successful. Show the children how to stand behind the tape and toss a beanbag into the basket. It could be helpful if you miss the basket the first time and say something such as, "Nobody gets the beanbag in the basket every time." That lets the children know that it is okay to miss the basket, too. Give the children plenty of opportunities to make a basket.

Next, let the children do other activities, such as:

• Balance a beanbag on a variety of body parts, such as their head, hand, and foot.
• Toss a beanbag in the air and catch it. For an extra challenge, have the children spin around while the bag is in the air and try to catch it after they spin.
• Line up and pass a beanbag from hand to hand as quickly as possible.

You can ask the children if they remember a time when they lost a game, like running a race, catching a ball, playing a board game. How did they feel? You could point out that winning games can seem more fun than losing, but playing the game is what's meant to be the most fun of all.

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