Activity Idea – Clixo Games (Part 2)!
By Mr. Andy
Clixo x Mr. Andy presents: Another set of fun Clixo games that are great to play solo or in groups! Play this with family or friends, young or old(er). 🙂 (In case you missed the first set of game ideas you can access it here).
Games are fantastic for children to partake in. It will help establish understanding of rules and in group settings, it will help kids learn to take turns. These games in particular target gross motor skills and help develop eye hand coordination.
Clixo Shake it off Game
This activity is a fun way to really get the wiggles out! It incorporates full body movements and a dash of high energy silliness.
Step 1: Create a Clixo Ball with 6 Quad Shapes
Step 2: Fit as many tiny items inside as possible.
Note: the items should be able to stay inside the ball but should be able to slide out if moved around. A good item for this would be small plastic figurines, matchbox cars, or Jenga blocks (pictured above)!
Step 3: Once you have a decent amount of items inside, loop a belt or a string into the Clixo ball and tie it around the waist of your shaker.
The goal of the game is to shake the loose items out of your Clixo ball without using your hands! Don’t be afraid to get silly with it!
Clixo Target Practice
Develop (or in a grownup’s case, test) hand-eye coordination with this fun activity.
Step 1: Stack up toilet paper rolls or milk cartons like a pyramid for the pitcher to practice their throwing skills. The target should be elevated using a table, chair, box, or stack of books.
Step 2: Decide how far you want to be from the pyramid. Younger kids can start closer to the pyramid. Adults should demonstrate proper throwing technique if necessary. Once the child has gotten better, you can slowly move further away from the target.
The goal of this game is to knock down the stacked items!
Variations for Older Kids/ Grownups:
(1) Assign the goal of only knocking down the top paper roll or milk carton
(2) Stack the pyramid with items that are not as “tall” as milk cartons or toilet paper rolls. Other suggestions can include Tupperware, which are lower in height and slightly heavier.
Helpful Information for Parents
Gross motor skills are abilities that allow people to do things that involve using the large muscles in the torso, arms and legs to complete whole-body movements. Getting your Clixo Builder to move is always great!
The behavioral schemas that may be witnessed during these activities fall under the trajectory schema, studying the movement of an object, or their own body, through the air. The concept they are developing through play would be linear progression, sequences, etc.
It is important for the adult to model good sportsmanship by praising the child’s efforts and celebrating their successes. Show your child how to set up each game and allow them to set up and clean up every time afterwards. This will establish the routines and rules that come along with playing games at home or outdoors.
About Mr. Andy: Andy Yung is an NYCDOE pre-Kindergarten teacher at P.S. 244Q. He has been teaching pre-K for 8 years. His programs include a Reggio-inspired play based curriculum where children’s interest drives the learning and a Tinkergarten program which is an outdoor, nature-based play program. Besides being a pre-K teacher, he is also a father of 2 boys, an advocate for play, and a toy enthusiast. He enjoys bringing in new toys and materials for his students to explore and sharing his child development knowledge and activities with parents and teachers. To learn more about Andy check out his Instagram, his classroom account, or support his DonorsChoose projects.
Clixo x Mr. Andy is a series of creative activity ideas developed by Mr. Andy for Clixo to help parents and kids get even more fun out of their Clixo packs. Try out some these activities in your play group today and share pictures with us! We’d love to see it! 🙂
