Gross Motor Turkey Trot Activity
All that yummy Thanksgiving food has been eaten and now it’s time to get the whole family moving with the Turkey Trot! This fun tradition has a different twist and turns the race into an obstacle course to incorporate motor skills and is fun for all ages.
Getting started:
To do the Turkey Trot obstacle course you’ll need a football, a basket, and some cones to get started. Anything can be used in place of cones here, like cups or sticks, they are just markers to know when to move to the next part of the race!
Set the cones up spaced apart in a row a few feet away from each other. Next, place the football before the first cone, then make a finish line (this is where the basket will be placed.)
How to race:
- Pick up the football and run it to the first cone!
- Jump your way to the second cone! Try to see if you can get to the second cone in as few jumps as possible.
- Once you get to the second cone, turn around and walk backwards to the third cone.
- At the third cone, try to toss the football into the basket. If you miss, run to get the football and try again! After you make the basket, do your best turkey walk all the way to the finish line.
- Finally, make sure you have your victory dance ready!
You can watch one of our physical therapists complete the Turkey Trot activity here.
What skills are we working on during our Turkey Trot?
- Balance Skills: jumping and walking backwards both require use of your leg and tummy muscles to keep you upright and maintain your balance.
- Throwing Coordination: tossing the football requires coordination of your whole arm to release the ball at just the right time in order to make it into the basket.
- Proprioception: the awareness of your body and its position in space. To perform controlled movements like animal walks our body needs to be aware of the position and angles of our limbs while moving. These skills help to further work on coordination and the connection between our brain and our muscles.
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