Fun with mobility, part one

Did you know that you can have fun with learning mobility skills? Any mobility instructor who works with children will tell you that games can be a valuable part of a lesson. I like to share games and fun activities with parents so you can see how you can work on mobility skills without it having to feel like work. Another bonus is that the games that I like to share are whole family activites. These are are things that everyone in the family can do. In fact, the more people playing, the more fun and the better the skill development can be!

One game that I like to play with my students is called Streets & Alleys. It's a game that I learned back when I was in grade school. It's a great game that teaches 90 degree turns and directions. I play it with my middle through high school students but I bet kids in primary grades can play it, too!

Here's how you play Streets & Alleys:
1. You need a large group of people to play this game. It's a great game to play with classrooms or at family reunion. 12 or more people is best.
2. Create the game board. You do this by making rows with the players. Players stand arms length apart. If you are playing with 12 players, you would make 4 rows of 3. The more rows, the better.



3.In the position where the players are standing side by side with their hands out is called the "streets" position.

4. Next, make the "alleys" position. Players make this by making a 90 degree turn to their right. The board should look the same as it did in "streets" just turned.



5. Now that you have the game board set up, you select the chaser and the chasee. This part is just like the classic game of tag where one person chases another. In Streets & Alleys, the chasee enters the "streets" and does their best to stay away from the chaser.

*You cannot run through the arms of the players. The players who are making the game board stand with their arms up as a guard rail. You cannot run through their arms,

6. The last thing you need is the caller. The caller is someone in the game board who calls the board to change from "streets" to "alleys" position. For example, you start with eveyone in "streets" position. The chasee starts running up and down the aisles (created by the players with their arms up). The chaser sets off to get the chasee. The caller can change the board at any time. It's kind of like a moving maze.

*I play this game with students of all vision levels. If the chasee is totally blind, we give them a guide to run with them. The same goes for the chaser. They can also be the caller because they are totally impartial!

I love playing this game with my students! The lovely ladies featured in the pictures are two of the best mobiity instructors I have ever had the pleasure of working with. The brunette is my best friend and co-worker, Jessica Eichfeld and the other lovely lady is also my co-worker, Terry Heyl.

Do it at home: Play Streets & Alleys!!