The right equipment for active play
A lack of equipment is often reported as a barrier to encouraging active play. If this is an issue for you, try creating active play equipment from every day/recyclable products such as those listed below:
| Object |
Alternative item |
|---|
| Rolling wedge |
prop one side of a couch cushion up on pillows |
| Beanbags |
scrap material sewn in a square or rectangle and stuffed with dried beans, dried corn or sand inside |
| Buckets |
ice-cream containers, boxes or a washing basket |
| Skittles |
empty plastic bottles and cartons |
| Markers |
empty ice-cream containers |
| Parachute |
an old bed sheet or blanket |
| Potato sacks |
old pillow cases or they can easily be made out of Hessian material |
| Building blocks |
empty food or milk cartons |
| Soccer goals |
simply laying out markers to kick between or cutting the front out of a large box laid on its side |
| Goal rings |
hula hoops can be secured with tape between the backs of two chairs or simply use an upright box with a hole cut out at the bottom of one side |
| Horse sticks |
pool noodles, cling-wrap cylinders or any long objects |
| Totem tennis pole |
suspending a tennis ball in an old stocking from a tree branch or veranda cross beam (away from any windows) |
| Balls |
balloons or beach ball |
| Balance beam |
masking tape; a line drawn with chalk; a skipping rope |
| Tunnel |
cardboard boxes |
| Target |
old sheet with a target drawn on it, target drawn on a wall with chalk |
| Throwing items |
bath sponge, scrunched up scarf or paper bound with masking tape |
| Bats |
rolled up newspaper bound with masking tape; inside tubes of cling wrap or cut up pool noodles |
Stagnitti, van Herwerden, Sanigorski, Wolfe and Kenna (2007). Romp and Chomp Structured Active Play Program: A program for early childhood settings in the City of Greater Geelong.
For a printable list, which also includes ideas for equipment you may wish to purchase, download this equipment list.
