As spring approaches, everything on earth is coming back to life. It is the perfect time for kids to get outside and enjoy the fun of play.

In Chunhui Children’s early education pro-grams across the country, Chunhui mamas rolled out a rich variety of outdoor activities for the children.

Combining sports, rehabilitation exercises, education with pleasure, these fun activities meet the children’s needs for physical development, increased their eye-hand coor-dination, and improved their social-emotional, language and cognitive skills.

【Tug of war】

Chunhui mamas also invited caregivers, rehabilitation therapists, dietitians, and social workers to the tug-of-war activity. Each child was paired with an adult that assisted him/her. The mamas designed different ways of playing and provided developmentally appropriate materials. Based on their special physical needs, the children engaged in two-person, two-team, or three-way tug of wars. During a three-way tug-of-war game, the one end of three ropes tied together in a knot, under which a basket of table tennis balls was placed on the ground. Each ball was marked with a number. The other end of each of the three ropes was tied around the waist of an adult. Within specified time, the three adults each picked up a ball from the basket and ran in three designated directions to the spot where they met their little teammate and gave him/her the ball. When time was up, the children counted the balls they had received and the one who received the most won the game. Then the children and adults swapped their roles for the next round.

【Relay race】

The children had a great time racing while holding a ball or a bottle of water, or even jumping a rope. The Chunhui mamas stayed by their side to offer support when necessary. 

【Catching “tails”】

In order to enhance the children’s fine motor skills, Chunhui mamas designed a “tail-catching” activity. A "tail" (an object like a balloon or a piece of colored paper) was attached to the lower backside of each child’s T-shirt. Then all the children competed to catch each other’s “tail”, and the one who caught the most "tails" would win. Those who had physical impairment were asked to collect and tidy up the "tails" that fell on the ground. They also served as cheerleaders and, after the game ended, presented awards to the winners.

【Fun with “big shoes”】

Each child paired up with a Chunhui mama for a race. The mamas sat at the finish line with their shoes off, and the children stood ready at the starting line. When the order to start was given, the children took off their shoes, put on the fake big shoes (made of paper boxes or other waste materials) and raced for their Chunhui mama. When a mama met her child, she got her shoes on, put the child on her back, ran to the starting point, and then helped the child change into his/her own shoes. The team that completed all these tasks the fastest would win.