Small Finger Labyrinths

Yesterday I showed you how we built the labyrinth to fill an empty area on the preschool grounds. After installing it we sat back and watched how the kids would use it. I had fears that since it's not really a maze or "tricky" at all they would get bored. Maybe they would just kick over the bricks and ignore the path? Would there be many hands pushing?

Yet, once again I'm reminded of how I underestimate our little ones. They quickly caught on to the purpose of the labyrinth. To them it was "tricky" because the path had to be followed to make it to the end. They respected (for the most part) that the person in front of them got to lead because next time they could lead their friends. They reminded each other to be careful with the bricks so that they didn't fall over.
Wanting to extend the labyrinth exploration indoors I cut out the same pathway onto a block of wood. I added a small stick stylus. The stylus was an afterthought but proves to be valuable as to hold it correctly in the grooves they use a pincher grip and are working those writing muscles.

If you want one of your own you can buy one through the Etsy store tab on this site.

Following in the path of little feet

Space Before:

Space After:

 

The preschool had an empty space that I brainstormed for months about developing it into a useful area. The church that the preschool is affiliated with uses a canvas labyrinth during certain seasons of the church year. After googling labyrinths for preschoolers I got that swift heartbeat that told me God had put a desire into my heart. I asked my engineering brother if he could come up with a design that would fit in the spot. His plans were far more ambitious than anything I could have come up with one my own.

One morning in November several members of my family gathered to install the new labyrinth path.
1. Spray paint the labyrinth design path on the ground
2. Set the square boundaries using 2 x 4's
3. Place the bricks lengthwise (for more stability) along the path
4. Fill and pack the sand around the bricks.
The whole process took about 3 hours.

The paths are just wide enough so that the children cannot walk side by side or pass one another. The are forced to follow behind their friends and everyone gets the feeling that they are the leader. If they try to run they quickly lose their balance and revert back to walking. Some kids will continue entering the labyrinth several times while some chose to walk it only once. The path's narrowness requires them to constantly look at their feet, concentrate and focus. They enjoy and invite teachers to follow them and are quite proud of leading them through the "maze".