Inuit Owl Hop
Skills:
Physical: upper and lower limb coordination, gross motor skill, balance
Cognitive: sustained attention, selective attention, visual processing, working memory
Social: awareness of personal space
Number of participants:
1 or more
Equipment:
none
Description:
- children adopt the following starting position: balance on one foot with the other foot behind the knee of the standing leg
- bend the knee of the standing leg to approximately a 45 degree angle
- put arms out to the sides with hands clenched into fists and thumbs pointing upward
- children can hold the balance position for as long as they can or they can hop in this position across the room
Modifications to make the activity easier:
Change the environment: have the child hold onto a parent or adult during the activity to decrease physical demand
Change the task: allow the child to put their hand or foot down to help them get into the starting position to decrease physical demand
Modifications to make the activity harder:
Change the environment: have the child complete the activity on soft ground (i.e., grass field) to increase physical demand
Change the task: have the child balance for a few seconds, then hop twice, then balance for a few seconds to increase physical demand
Goal examples:
- child is able to balance for 10 seconds independently or 20 seconds with support by holding a friend’s hand
- I can balance all by myself
