Invitation to Play - Motivating Movement

Children are often encouraged to move through the use of their imaginations and imagery. Using images of animals, vehicles, fairy tales and TV characters to name a few can kick start this imagination. Using this imagery in activities prior to the invitations to play can encourage the children to continue to explore the way their bodies move.

• Print out images of animals and place them around the area. When the children see the images they may move like that animal. 
• Create a ‘scavenger hunt’ around the space with clues to the next location in each poster.

If engaging in this invitation to play, do not leave the images up for a long time. When imagery is in an environment for a prolonged period of time it begins to become invisible. By placing these images in the space only on certain days the excitement to engage with them stays at a high level.