Physical development on a budget: Table the motion

Children are in daily contact with tables in a wide range of environments. Different materials may be felt, including wood, plastic and glass, and tables may also be moveable or static.

TOP TABLE

Tables are a very effective resource for promoting overall strength, balance and co-ordination. Early pulling up to standing may be followed by bobbing, cruising, crawling and hiding under. In time, you may observe a child climbing on, jumping off, pulling along and running around one.

Tables can be anchoring: they are places that are reliable and permanent; a source of comfort, creativity and concentration. The sharing of space and resources encourages positive interactions, in which social skills may be practised.

Use of a communal surface for sharing food is an opportunity to explore cultural norms and exposure to different traditions and rituals. Group tabletop exploration of familiar resources like playdough offers children opportunities to push boundaries, to challenge, negotiate, collaborate and initiate.

HOW TO USE TABLES TO SUPPORT PD

Tables provide a useful support for practising gross motor and locomotor skills indoors. They are very effective for promoting overall strength. The language possibilities are significant, especially for maths.

Children can:

• Pull up to standing.
• Crawl underneath, go backwards and forwards.
• Sit under and be still/quiet. Make a private ‘den’.
• Work out how to climb onto, maybe by pushing up on a knee.
• Stand and balance on top.
• Jump off – with help.
• Arrange materials on, under and beside tables.
• Push/roll resources across the top, e.g. a small ball.

Remember: be very open minded. Watch out for children's new ideas, be clear what is appropriate behaviour, and what may be acceptable only at specific times. Also, safety is essential. Remove tablecloths and ensure the space around and under tables is hazard-free.

ACTIVITY IDEAS

All the following ideas are easy to organise, suitable for small groups, may take anything from three to ten minutes and provide ideas for active transitions throughout the day.

Invite children to place both hands flat on the table and keep them in this position for all the following activities.

HOP AND JUMP

• Ask the children to squat down and look at each other underneath the table. Now stand up and look over the top. Repeat, getting faster each time.
• Now ask them to hop from one foot to the other, making the movements as big as possible.
• Hop on one foot only until tired, then try the other foot.
• Suggest children keep their feet tight together, and jump on their tiptoes as fast as possible.
• Ask children to think of different jumps they could do: feet out/in, back and forth, twisting, side to side, etc.
  
  

RUN

Running is possible to do indoors, if you ensure complete safety and the children know what your signal is to stop, e.g. clap hands or call ‘freeze’.

• Invite children to place one hand on the table. Don't remove it!
• Keeping the hand on the table, run around the table until the ‘stop’ signal sounds.
• Change hands and direction.
• Make this more challenging by shortening the time between changing direction.

‘Swimming’ on tables promotes overall strength and co-ordination.

• Invite children to lie on their tummies on the table. Lifting their legs and arms simultaneously, kick legs and practise the following strokes: doggy-paddle, front crawl, breaststroke and butterfly.
• Now ask them to lie on their backs. Try back-crawl.
  
  

TAKING IT FORWARDS

• All stand around the table. Now change places by crawling underneath.
• Roll a small ball across the table-top and stop it. Now roll it to someone else. Go faster!
• Blow a cotton wool ball from one to another.
  
  

PD FOR ADULTS

• Place hands shoulder width apart on the table, feet wide, gently ease hips side to side.
• Place feet together and bounce on heels. Maybe try a little jump!
• When sitting, slide hands forward as far as possible and blow. Breathe in as you pull back. Repeat.
  
  

Dr Lala Manners is a physical development trainer and director of Active Matters