Themes, glorious themes!
Are you thinking about incorporating themes to freshen up your camps or classes? I’ve mentioned on RGP before about how my relationship has evolved over time when it comes to themes – but I truly believe a well done theme keeps kids (and staff) engaged and thinking outside the box.
If you aren’t sure where to begin, here are 6 themes to get you started (and a couple ideas to get you on your way…)!
1. OUTER SPACE!
Ideas to get started:
– Blast Off Casts (thx Happy Gymnastics!)
– Hula hoops make great UFOs – for floor games or beam walking
– Squat to straight jumps with a countdown (taking off like rocket ships)
– Moonwalking on the TumblTrak or trampoline
– Building Spaceships (small equipment or foam blocks)
2. UNDER THE SEA
Ideas to get started:
– Use bubbles! Kids love to pop them!
– Play the game Octopus
– Hang sea-weed from bars (green streamers) or on pylons and kids can crab walk around them.
– Go on a mission to Find Nemo/Dory – hide a stuffy in the pit and send ’em looking!
– Swimming legs while in long hang/front support
– Move to under the sea music – like this one on youtube!
– Draw chalk jellyfish on your tumble track and bounce on them (like in Finding Nemo!)
3. BEAN BAG BONANZA!
Ideas to get started:
– Search youtube for bean bag songs – there are so many!
– Balancing bags on body parts while moving on beams, doing static positions, hanging on bars, etc.
– Set up a target for a bean bag toss station
– Quick bean bag pick up – like 52 card pick up, but with bean bags. Make it a race!
– Listen & pass the bean bag to these songs: (Faster and Slower) or (Whose Got the Bean Bag?) — they are both so wonderfully 1990’s!
4. GOING TO THE ZOO!
Ideas to get you started:
– Check out “We’re going to the Zoo Tomorrow” as a warm up song – move like the animals!
– Another song that’s fun to act out “Let’s Go to the Zoo“
– Just about every basic gymnastics skill can relate to an animal or is already named after one! (bear walk, stork stand, skin the cat, wolf jump, bunny hops…etc.)
– Try the Zoo Animal Dice Roll Activity!!
– Make cardboard wings and the kids can flap them while walking on beam!
– Chalk paw prints all over the place!
5. SUPERHEROES!
Ideas to get you started:
– Set up “enemy targets” and toss bean bags at them
– Wear capes
– Set up an agility race – superhero training
– Warm up game – put out blocks and equipment (these are the “buildings”) and have kids jump from building to building without touching the ground
– Put “fire” (pylons, red/yellow streamers) under the beam (optional: rescue stuffed animals on the beam)
– Check out the ideas over at Gym Kiddos
6. CIRCUS/CARNIVAL
Ideas to get you started:
– Make a parachute circus tent!
– Use the classic circus theme or the Animal Fair song for warm up!
– Decorate with balloons – see these ideas for Balloon Play!
– Simple carnival games scattered throughout, like: ball toss, ring toss, mini-bowling (use empty water bottles), etc.
I hope that sparked some ideas for rocking themes for your pre-school programs!
Don’t forget to check out some of our other theme weeks featured on RPG, like Minion Week and Teddy Bear Week!
Sign up for our mailing list and get a free & editable version of:
