You may have found it a little tough going back to work and getting into the swing of things.  You may also have found that your students had a similar experience.  Settling back into the old routine is rough after parties, vacation, indulgent relatives and more.  Then there’s the weather and colds.  Lethargy may hang from the rafters and permeate the general culture of the class. 

A nice way to get students re-energized, have fun and build critical foundation skills all at the same time is by introducing a simple balloon.  Before you roll your eyes and click to a new site, consider what can happen with this inexpensive object when structured the right way.

Here are some of the benefits:

1. 1. Visual attention and visual tracking are activated-important for paying attention, reading and math.
   

2. 2. Using two hands to bop the balloon requires bilateral integration.  Both sides of the brain are activated
   

     thereby increasing neurological organization. (A more organized brain thinks and learns better)

   

     

3. 3. Movement is a general arousal and organizing stimulus.
   

4. 4. Team building and sense of cooperation is fostered.
   

5. 5. The students will have fun and be delighted that you have new tricks to share!
   

Here are some strategies to prevent havoc from ensuing:

1. 1. Delineate a specific area for each person or pair of students to stay in.
   

2. 2. Determine the age abilities and structure the activity to correspond.  Here are a few suggestions:
   

     1-3 years: Adult directly passes the balloon to each child. Depending on the child’s capability it might

      be slowly tossed for the child to grab.

     3-4 years:  Simple bopping can occur.  Try a simple circle for the children to bop the balloon around the

     circle in turn, or make pairs and help them practice giving it back and forth.

     4-6 years: Simple lines with partners facing each other and bopping back and forth.

     6+ years:  Add challenges such as counting how many times the balloon can be relayed back and forth

     without falling on the floor.

3. 3. Always make it a team effort between pairs so they work to keep the balloon in control-the more they are
   

     able to feed the balloon back and forth the better they do.

4. 4. If you want to be ambitious you can have older students attempt to travel while keeping the balloon up
   

     in the air, much as you would in a relay race.

5.  Keep the activity to no more than 10 minutes, less time for younger children.

Here are some ways to jazz up the activity:

1. 1. Say the name of the student before or while passing the balloon to him or her.
   

2. 2. Add counting how many times the balloon gets bopped before it touches the floor.  Older students can
   

     be required to count by 10’s, etc.

3. 3. Add another cognitive component.  For example- bop the ball to someone wearing red;  name begins
   

     with the letter A, etc. 

4. 4. Even foreign language classes can do this- try having each student bop the balloon and count in the
   

     language being taught-much more difficult than rote counting!

Where to buy inexpensive balloons:  Any discount pharmacy,  grocery store (in the party section-with candles) or any box type store that sells everything.  I bought mine at a chain drug store for $2 a year ago.  I still have some left.

                                  

  

next >

< previous