Kids love to move and run around. Especially when they are young, it’s important to have your kids learn through playing so that they can practice their gross motor skills.
And this fun paper sea creatures race activity does just that! Prepare for some exercise and lots of laughter!
How to Set Up the Paper Sea Creatures Race
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Materials:
- Sea Creatures Template
- Paper
- Printer
- Scissors
- Crayons, markers, or colored pencils
- Paperback books
Instructions:
- Download the Sea Creatures Template and print out the creatures of your child’s choosing.
- Cut out the sea creatures.
- Design the sea creatures with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
- Set the starting line and finish line (ours was the door, but feel free to use painter’s tape on the floor).
- Start the race!
- Flap the paperback books (one per player) behind the paper sea creatures to make them move.
- First to the finish line wins!
This activity was super exciting for my 5-year-old son, but a little difficult for my 3-year-old daughter. She had trouble getting the paper to move, so we ended up letting her blow on the paper with a straw. That works too!
But my 5-year-old son had a blast. He was better than me at getting the paper sea creatures to move and kept winning!
You’ll find that in order to really make the paper move, you need to squat down and fan the paperback book like crazy. There are three basic techniques:
- You can flap the book really fast up and down.
- You can do a huge gust of wind by slamming the paperback book on the floor near the sea creature.
- You can use the underhand technique and lift the book quickly upward to get the paper off the floor.
Another tactic to use is to try and fan the opponent’s paper sea creature backward instead of focusing on propelling your own forward. **Warning: Depending on your kid’s temper, you may want to hold off on using this tactic.
Final Thoughts on the Racing Sea Creatures Activity
How are those arms and legs? I was surprisingly out of breath and feeling even some muscle burn in my arms from this activity. My son was so determined to win and went nuts flapping his book that I had to go 110% as well.
Sometimes the simplest activities bring the most joy for our kids. Try using different sea creatures to see if one, in particular, go faster than others. Your kid can even draw and create his own sea creature to race!