Spider Web Race Track

I recently saw an awesome activity on the site No Time for Flash Cards, and although it was too advanced for my Baby Bear, I saw a chance to adapt it for him. Plus, the original activity looks like so much fun, I wanted to share that, too.

The original activity is meant to encourage gross motor skills in young children. I'm guessing it is best suited for ages 2-5. It is basically a Halloween version of hopscotch in which the child walks along a spider's web laid out in tape on the floor. There are obstacles (ghosts) to walk over and objects (spiders) to pick up without falling off the web.

This game reminded me of the duct tape roads Baby Bear and I have played with a few times before, so that is what I adapted this game into. Like in the game from No Time for Flash Cards, I used colored tape to create a spider's web on the floor (I kept ours small and simple). Rather than having Baby Bear try to walk on the lines, though, I had him try to keep his cars on the roads. This sounds super easy, but trying to get an energetic 14-month-old to focus enough to do this task is harder than it sounds. ;)

The web and vehicles

Every shot I got of Baby Bear came out blurry because he was moving so fast. Right now, this activity only holds his attention for about a minute at a time because playing with cars is still fairly new, and he likes to just push them to see how far they can go. I like this activity, though, because it is an exercise in focusing his attention.

I love the original game, and I see this as a goal to work toward as Baby Bear gets older. We can go from driving cars, to walking/balancing, to maneuvering obstacles and scooping up objects. It is a Halloween activity that we can use for several years to come!