Make
Foot Play
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Time Length
1-2 hours
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Mess Level
A Little Messy
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Cost
Materials or Fees
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Difficulty
easy
Question and Wonder:
- I wonder if my feet can do what my hands do?
- How are my toes different from my fingers?
- Why do we walk on our feet and not our hands?
- What would the world look like if we walked on our hands?
Place a large piece of paper or cardboard on a hard floor surface (you can also use a plastic tablecloth to protect the floor from the paint and crayon marks). Challenge your child to put a crayon between their toes and draw. Try the same thing with paint and a paint brush.
After they have drawn a design with their feet, put splotches of paint on the paper and let them walk through it and add to their design.
Imagine and Design:
- Do you think it will be hard to draw with your feet? Why?
- How will you hold the crayon? The brush?
- What kinds of design do you think you can make?
- How do you think the paint will feel on your feet?
- What texture will the crayons make on the paper?
Test and Discuss:
- What happened? Was it as hard as you thought or easier?
- Do you think if you practiced it would get easier? Why?
- Try picking up the crayon or brush with your toes. How did it work?
- What other parts of your body do you think you could paint with?
Did You Know:
The feet are the most nerve-rich parts of the human body, which means they contribute to the building of neurological pathways in the brain. This is a great article on the benefits of going barefoot: https://www.natureplayqld.org.au/the-benefits-of-being-barefoot
Kick off those shoes and try these other barefoot activities:
- Pick up marbles with your toes… and if you are very clever, drop them in a small container.
- Fold a scarf with your toes instead of your fingers.
- Ride your trike, bike or scooter bare footed.
- Go on a barefoot nature walk in your yard or a local park.