As a young mother I worked at Parent Cooperative Preschool
in Salt Lake City. One tradition at this popular preschool was a favorite of
the two-year-old class. It was the annual Foot Parade. You can have your own
foot parade at home or with a playgroup of friends. This activity works best
outside for reasons that will soon be made clear. It is perfect for a long
summer afternoon. All you need are some shallow containers (disposable cake
pans work great) and a variety of items your toddler can walk on or step in.
Line up your items in a row and let the foot parade begin. Mom or Dad should
help their child step in each container and cross each surface in the parade.
Ask your child which surfaces she likes to feel on her feet and which ones she
doesn’t. Be sure to have a camera handy to capture all the funny facial
expressions.
Here are some ideas to get you started in creating your own
foot parade. Think up some of your own.
Textured Surfaces:
Grass
Cement
Plush Carpet Square
Silk Throw Pillow or Silk Scarf
Quilt Batting
Fuzzy Scarf or Sweater
Square of Artificial Turf or Rough Door Mat
Piece of Plywood (Step carefully to avoid splinters)
Cool Marble Cutting Board
Big Bubble Wrap
Items in shallow containers:
Feathers
Wood Chips
Cotton Balls
Jello
Warm water
Sand or Salt
Potting Soil
Paint
The tray of paint was always the last item in the foot
parade. The children would step from the tray of paint onto a roll of paper and
then march down the paper, leaving a set of darling footprints as a priceless
memento of the day. Be sure to add the date and age of your child.
Pin It
This such a fun idea! I am going to have to gather some materials, but this is going on my to do list.
ReplyDeleteIf you're interested, I'd love if you'd link up to my Teaching Time for Toddlers post!
http://philwife.blogspot.com/2012/06/teaching-time-for-toddlers-tuesdays-zoo.html