The Hokey Pokey is a traditional and easy game that teaches gross motor skills. A preschool teacher simply sings the Hokey Pokey song and asks the children to play along. The song goes like this: You put your right foot in, you put your right foot out, you put your right foot in and you shake it all about, you do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around, that's what it’s all about. The body part changes every round of singing. The children stand in a circle and put the correct body part in the circle, by reaching out their hand, foot, etc. Then, they turn themselves around when prompted by the song.
Simon says is another classic game that children love to play and is quick to learn. Preschoolers stand up in front of the instructor who acts as "Simon." The teacher states a direction beginning with "Simon says." For example, Simon says jump on one foot, or Simon says move your arms in a circle. The children follow every direction that begins this way. If the teacher gives a direction without saying "Simon says," the student is not supposed to follow the direction. If she does, then she would sit down and be out of the game. The last child standing wins the game.
Having students follow a yellow brick road, made out of yellow index cards, will help with their gross motor development. The teacher tapes different colored index cards on the floor, ensuring that there are enough yellow cards for each student. Students hop, dance, or walk around the room to music. When the music stops, each student scrambles to ensure he is standing on a yellow card. All the students have the job to check whether the others are on correctly colored cards.
Preschoolers love to be outdoors and enjoy using sidewalk chalk. Hopscotch is an excellent game that aids gross motor skills. Teachers can draw hopscotch boxes on the cement and have students practice hopping on one foot from one box to the next. Preschoolers can also use the sidewalk chalk to practice drawing large animals on the cement. Big pieces of chalk work best for this, as it is easier for small hands to hold and helps develop pre-writing skills.