Kindergarten students played a game from Mexico today. The game, in English, is called "Keep the Ball" and is similar to our game of "Keep Away." Students were divided into two teams. The game started with a kind of jump ball and the team catching the ball then attempted to continually make overhead passes to teammates for a designated period of time. If the ball was dropped, the other team got possession. If a ball was intercepted, then that team started the passing. The winner of the game was the team in possession of the ball at the end of the designated time. Students learned they need to move around to get open for passes and have hands ready for receiving.
A ball is passed to a teammate. The opposite team attempts to intercept the pass
and retain possession of the ball as it is passed around the floor.
A member of the white team passes to a teammate.
Students spread out and move around the floor so
the person with the ball can see his teammates easier.
Preschool and Prekindergarten students played a game from Venezuela called "Trompo." A trompo is a spinning top. Although the real way to play this game is with the type of top that has a string that winds around the top and children throw out the top to let the string unwind and the top spin, my students simply used their fingers to spin the top. This is actually a very good fine motor skill for young children and they had to work hard to make the top spin. Children worked with partners to see who could make their top spin the longest. In the game of Trompo, the top must stay within a designated circle and a player is allowed to use his top to knock his opponent's top out of the circle or make it stop spinning. We will work on this skill again when we get ready for Early Childhood Pioneer Day in January.
This student finds Venezuela on the map and lets me
know it is on the continent of South America. Great job!
Students compete against each other in a game
of "Trompo." They changed partners often.
Students use their fine motor skills to make the top spin.
