Math & 123s
Move & LearnToddlers34 Comments
Every child I know has a fascination with balloons.
At every birthday party, every kid wants to take one home.
They are usually the highlight of the party… (unless you have one of these – affiliate link – at your party.)
So this week I thought: Why do the balloons only come out at birthday parties?
They bring lots of entertainment in just being balloons. But there’s so much more you can do with them!
Also check out our fun with Balloon Badminton!
I asked Henry what he wanted to do today.
As usual, his answer was to build a road with his mat.
This has been a daily request, and almost a daily activity since we started using our ABC Mat for a road. Check out this post and this post to see what fun can be done with your ABC Mat.
I wanted him to be more active today and I’ve been wanting to build him an activity course for awhile now.
So we compromised.
An activity course built with our ABC Mat! And balloons!
We built the road of the activity course with the ABC Mat. To extend our course, we didn’t connect them all.
Just had to make sure they were close enough to jump from one to the other!
We used our large mat squares as our activity spots.
3 Rules to our Activity Course:
- Stay on the mat at all times. (This was not adhered to, but made it fun to try)
- Transfer the balloons from the beginning of the course to the end.
- Do the activities on the course.
Activity Spot 1:
Hit 3 hanging balloons.
Henry liked to use the balloon as his hitting device.
Activity Spot 2:
Jump 3 times!
Henry has just learned to jump and actually clear the ground- it may be only an inch or two – so this was great practice.
Activity Spot 3:
Spin 3 times!
Activity Spot 4:
The Tunnel
Henry experimented with pushing, kicking and hauling the balloons throughout the activity course.
The course ended with Henry putting each balloon into his barn.
Henry also tried taking more than one balloon at a time.
Was it easier? faster?
Henry tried it to find out.
He quickly found that it was too hard to hold onto more than one balloon at a time.
Henry also experimented with hauling the balloon in his dump truck and pushing it with his blue tractor. His dump truck made it through the course time after time. Proving very easy to haul the balloon.
However, Henry found the balloon had a hard time staying in front of the blue tractor to be pushed. It only made it through the first half of the course.
There were 7 balloons to be transferred to the barn.
Henry hauled 3 balloons in his dump truck. Pushed 1 balloon with the tractor half way through the course, finished with carrying it himself. Kicked 1 balloon. And carried 1 balloon through the entire course.
Blue dog even tagged along did the course once.
The tunnel was a favorite at first. But it quickly turned into a ‘let me try this’ activity. The experiments were much more fun.
Henry’s mind thinking hard trying to figure out the best and easiest way to accomplish a task.
Problem solving at its best. And burning off a lot of energy in the meantime.
WANT TO SAVE THIS ACTIVITY?
Enter your email below & we'll send it straight to your inbox so you can access this activity later! Plus, you'll get simple activities from us every week!
Janice West says
I’m bothered every time I see an activity using latex balloons with preschoolers. Balloons are near the top of the list of choking hazards on many reliable websites. This is what I found on one site that quotes The March of Dimes:
Although a mainstay at children’s birthday parties, balloons account for nearly half of all choking related fatalities. The March of Dimes describes balloons as “one of the most hazardous toys for children.” Latex balloons pop easily and when bits of latex are swallowed inadvertently, they can easily conform to the trachea and completely obstruct a child’s airway. (babygooroo.com)
Even older children can be harmed when they bite a latex balloon because the same thing can happen as with a younger child. A dear friend attended a church where the pastor’s 12-year-old child died when a balloon she was inflating with her mouth popped and a large piece went inward and blocked her airway. Paramedics were called and even they weren’t able to get the piece removed. I just don’t think it’s worth the chance EVER. Mylar is an option or beach balls are cheap enough, too.
Thank you for hearing this slightly-less-than-paranoid grandmother who isn’t a fan of balloons.
Rachel says
Thank you for sharing. We would not recommend having young children attempt to blow up balloons and they should not be played with unsupervised.
Amanda N. says
Do you have a link for your ABC mat?
vera bernard-opitz says
Great ideas, which can be adapted for different skill levels of children with ASD.
Thanks
Meaghan says
Thanks for posting this great idea. I tried an obstacle course today with my almost 3 year-old. I laid scarfs along the floor for him to follow. We too tried the course in different ways. I didn't quite understand what to do, but he had fun and was active. I'm a new follower!
Meaghan
http://raisingourfamily.blogspot.com
Michelle says
Awesome! My girl loves balloons! Have to give this a try!
Thanks for participating in High paw last week! Hope to see you there this week too! :)
Candace @NaturallyEducational says
Great idea–I will definitely remember this for our next rainy day. What fun!
Jodie says
This looks so fun! Now I am kicking myself for popping all the balloons last night that were left over from our most recent bday party, they just weren't getting played with anymore. But you are right, who needs to save balloons for birthdays :)
TP Craft says
I'm totally bookmarking this idea for our next rainy day. Thanks for sharing!
teachmama says
love, love, love how much fun you made this activity! so cute, so exciting, and so inspiring!!
thanks for linking back to new for us friday–and I'm betting that you will get a lot of other mama's moving with their kiddos!!
Phyllis says
Oh, he is so cute. He looks like he had so much fun.
Anonymous says
This is so neat and looked like so much fun. We will have to try this soon. I can't wait now.
Amber
Elle Belles Bows says
What fun! Love this idea!
Kerri
Mommy Ramblings says
Just found your blog. I am a new subscriber. My little ones love balloons and we have them around all the time. If you have a chance visit me at my blog, "Mommy Ramblings" carly67.wordpress.com. Thanks.
Nina says
great idea. my son loves balloons…I pick up packs for cheap at walmart after holidays and usually have some in the car and about the house for when we are bored and I want the tv off! one thing we also do – keep it up in the air (though a 3 year old doesn't always get this concept), kick it around the yard and box with it, as long as we don't hit faces. we also play a game where we each hold it and one sits with our arms out and the one holding it switshes it through the other's arms as fast as they can and the other tries to clap and catch it between their hands. even tough for mommas!
Melissa says
I think I will have to snag some of your awesome ideas! We love balloon fun too! For birthday parties, we put a piece of candy in the balloon. Then blow it up and let the kids bounce in them and pop them.
Melissa
MeloMomma
ArtsyNina says
The simplest objects make the best toys :) My 2yo LOVES balloons. I'll have to try an activity course!
stopping by from m3lb friday link party!
Kara says
I loved obstacle courses as a kid. This one is fabulous.
Our Country Road says
Great idea! I love how you added the experiments to the activity!
my3littlebirds says
A great idea. I'll have to try this with my crew! Thanks for sharing it on my3littlebirds today!
Jessica says
What a fun obstacle course! I wish I'd have thought of this during the winter when I was racking my brain for ways to burn off energy indoors. We will have to add this to our activity list. Thanks for sharing!
Alicia Stucky says
Oh my gosh, my sons a nut for balloons. We did something similar to the mat jump when we were introducing our vowels. We set up AEIO and U from one end of my bedroom to the other and we just jumped along, singing their names as we went. I wasn't sure if he'd be into the game, but he LOVED it.
Chandra Chinnis says
Hey Jamie, I wanted to tell you that I finally got the subway arts framed and will posting pics of the.
Lindsay says
Excellent job! I love that it turned into an experimenting job!
Rachele says
Fantastic job! I think you put my course to shame ;)