PREVIEW THE LATEST BOOK

This is an excerpt from a new book being written called
Sensory and Social Games: Using Children's Natural Love of Play to Improve Social Skills and Inclusion

PLASTIC BOTTLE GAMES

This game is from the INCLUSION GAMES section in which one recyclable
or easy to get material is used to provide a variety of games.

Plastic bottles have turned out to be a problem. At first it seemed great that so many people were now drinking water instead of colas but the excess of bottles are now an environmental hazards.
You certainly hear about recycling them and you are warned not to reuse them for drinking water.
What you don’t hear—and should—is how to reuse them to make a children’s game.
Da dum—here is that missing info!

LESSONS BEING TAUGHT:

• MOTORIC SKILLS;
  • Vestibular feedback: There is an element of vestibular stimulation when throwing as there is in weaving one’s body between obstacles. Both activities are done in these games
  • Proprioceptive feedback: Knowing which muscles to use to throw a ball far or fast requires body awareness. Knowing how far and high to jump to go over an obstacle also takes knowing which muscles to use to accomplish the task. KNOCK DOWNS and OBSTACLE COURSE utilize these learned skills.
  • Spatial Awareness: The IN & OUT games are about understanding directionality and spatial awareness. To weave in and out and around the bottles take a sense of which direction one needs to move to form this in and out pattern

• SOCIAL SKILLS:
  • Awareness of others: Watching others take their turn and getting the chance to cheer them when they do well promotes an awareness of ones classmates
  • Taking turns: Waiting for one’s turn in this game is easy as the turns are quick. The fast pace also makes it easier to notice how others do.
  • Cognitive: How many bottles are knocked down? Children are asked to notice and count.

GAME 1:  KNOCK DOWNS

Watch the video

SET-UP:

Preparing the bottles:

• How easy or how hard it is to knock bottles down depends upon two things: how close the bottles are to each other and how heavy or light they are.
• To make the bottles heavier, add water. How much water will affect the weight and ease in falling over.
• If bottles are clear, you might want to get the children involved in adding color. Start the session by having children put drops of food coloring in the bottles (this is a good teachable moment to learn that, for example, a drop of red food coloring and a drop of yellow make orange colored water)
• If you do add water, tighten the caps on well or seal with crazy glue or wrap with tape to prevent possible leaking when they are knocked down.

Preparing the site:

• Place a mat or piece of paper to indicate where the thrower should stand. This gives the adult the option to move the mat closer or farther away to make the task easier or harder.
• Since children get to throw the ball two times on each turn, the adult can move the mat closer on the second turn to increase the chances for success for the less skilled child.
• The adult can also move the mat farther away on the second turn for the child who needs more challenge.

Choosing the ball size:

The size of the ball can vary from a tennis ball size to soccer ball size in the same game. Start with the larger size. Remember when using the smaller size ball, it is a bit easier if the bottles are closer together

DIRECTIONS:

• Option 1: Place the bottles in one long row facing the thrower. How far apart to place the bottles depend upon the amount of challenge wanted. The closer the bottles are to each other, the easier they are to knock them down
• Option 2: Bottles can be placed in a typical bowling pin pyramid configuration
  • Ask the child to knock the bottles down. You can demonstrate you preference for rolling the ball as in a bowling games. Some children, not yet skilled in underhanded throws, might prefer to throw the ball overhand before they understand the difference.
  • Have the child count how many bottles are knocked down

VARIATIONS:

1. One or two children are assigned the tasks to stand the bottles back up after being knocked down. In this variation, each child has all the bottles to knock down on his or her turn.
2. The bottles knocked down stay down until everyone has had a turn. This increases the challenge for the last kids in line, as they have to aim the ball more accurately to hit the few remaining bottles.

GAME 2: IN AND OUT CAR

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SET-UP:

Place the bottles in a wide oval or circle pattern. The spaces between the bottles need to be wide enough for a child to be able to walk between the bottles.

DIRECTIONS:

Demonstrate the skill of walking in and out of the circle by going around the bottles (see illustration or video clip)

Sing or chant words to go with the movements and encourage the rest of the class to do the same.

I use words like these to a simple tune:

Go in and out the bottles
Go in and out the bottles
Go in and out the bottles
All on a beautiful day

VARIATION:

You can eventually add the challenge of body awareness by placing the bottles close enough to each other that the child has to turn her or his body sideways to go in and out of the circle. But, at first, make sure there is plenty of room to go around the bottles without knocking them down. When they get knocked down, they have to be reset up for the next team and that takes a little time away from the flow.

GAME 3: IN AND OUT VAN

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SET-UP:

Same set up as above—the bottles in a circle or oval pattern. You might need to widen the space between the bottles by making the circle a little bigger to accommodate the extra person.

DIRECTIONS:

Have two children do it together. Invoke the image of a van rather than an individual car going in and out of the circle.

This is especially useful if one child does not have the spatial understanding to do the movement on her own. The other child can be the leader and the less experienced child can place hands on the leader’s shoulder or on the waist

VARIATION:

You can change the mental image from a van to a horse and rider by putting a rope, scarf or ribbon around the leader’s waist. The follower can hold on to the reins as the horse leads him in and out and around the bottles.

GAME 4: IN AND OUT TRAIN

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SET-UP:

See above set-up directions

DIRECTIONS: 

A small train of 3 children can also hold on to each other and go in and out of the circle. Any more than three and bottles get too easily knocked over and the circle or oval pattern is lost

VARIATION:

If you want to form a larger train and use more than three players, place the bottles in a straight line instead of a circle or oval. Make sure there is a lot of room in between the bottles.

GAME 5: OBSTACLE COURSE

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The obstacle course contains two motoric elements

• High jump: standing bottles to jump over,
• Broad jump: lying bottles to jump over (1-4 bottles)
• Spatial awareness: standing bottles to weave in and out of

SET-UP:

• Place the mat down at one end of the play area. In front of the mat, lay two bottles down on their sides. Leave a space or mat for a player to land on after they jump over the two bottles.
• Next, lay a set of three bottles down for the player to jump over. The bottles are also lying on their sides, close together and touching each other. Leave a space or mat to land on.
• Next, stand two bottles up for the player to weave through.
• Lay a final mat to mark the ending. Encourage the players to jump on the final mat.

DIRECTIONS:

Ask the players to jump over the two sets of laid down bottles and to weave in and out of the others.

VARIATIONS:

You can change the order of the obstacle course using these same motoric elements

• Broad jump: lying bottles to jump over (1-4 bottles)
• Spatial awareness: standing bottles to weave in and out of

GAME 6: OBSTACLE COURSE CHALLENGE

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SET UP:

To keep interest high, add an additional bottle after each person has had one turn. I like to say something such as “You were so good at jumping over two bottles, do you think you could jump over three and weave through four?” I find children get excited about the challenge and are happy to prove to me that they can!

DIRECTIONS:

When appropriate, ask children to vary their movements by jumping sideways or backwards. This is a little harder to do but even the trying to do it is a good motor control experience.

VARIATION:

Since this version of OBTACLE COURSE is about increasing the number of bottles lying down, you could add the variation of standing another set of bottles upright to jump over. This adds a new motor element—high jumping: standing bottles to jump over.

Since plastic water bottles come in different sizes, this is a good use for the smallest size.

GAME 7 :OBSTACLE COURSE CIRCLE

Using the elements of high jumping, broad jumping and weaving, place the obstacles in a circle. Widen the circle by adding other elements such as a balance beam or rocker board.

By forming a large circle, all the children can do the course at the same time. No more waiting for ones turn! I like to do this version after everyone has had two turns each. I figure they have done enough patient waiting and get to just go!

GAME 8: CREATE A VERSION

Allow one or more children at a time to reset up the obstacle course in a pattern that they create.