Doors are brimful of possibilities for supporting physical development. They are found in a multitude of settings and environments, made of many different materials including wood, glass, plastic, paper and cloth, and can be brand new or historical.
Outside, they may be huge, imposing and permanent or small, inviting and moveable, painted, decorated or plain. They often have numbers written on them and may include welcoming or warning messages. Accessories such as wind chimes suggest who may be behind the door and what lies within.
Inside, doors can designate ownership of space. They can be firmly shut, opened wide, or just left ajar. How and when they are used by different people is highly significant and children pick up on these cues very early on.
In their play they will often re-enact our behaviour around doors as they welcome in, peep around or guard and prevent entry. Banging and slamming may feature!
THE DOOR-WAY
Immediately babies are on the move they will crawl towards open doors at speed – and when faced with a closed door will pull themselves up to standing and pat hard.
They soon become familiar with ‘door behaviour’: that you must get out of the way to allow it to open and that people say certain things when they open and close them, and that waving ‘bye-bye’ happens when standing in the doorway itself.
For the lower body (shut the door and take shoes off)
- Invite children to lie on their backs and walk their feet up the door as high as possible, then drum their feet very loud.
- Keeping the same position, change from foot to foot on the door. Make this movement really big.
- Lie flat on backs, bend knees and place feet at base of door. Now push away as far as possible. Repeat.
- Ask children to face the door. Stand on tiptoes, place fingertips on the door. As they squat and stand, slide fingers down and up.
For the upper body (keep the door open)
- Place some heavy objects behind the door. Now invite the children to push it open. Place resources on the other side; push it shut again.
- Stand in the doorway with feet together. Ask children to place their hands on the doorframe and push very hard.
The art of knocking and using the right amount of force to turn knobs and handles, and what to say and when, are all acts which require social awareness and social and physical skill. Children may also share the many culturally different ways of meeting and greeting that support inclusive practice.
AS CHILDREN GROW AND DEVELOP
- Put a strip of masking tape on the floor across the doorframe. Practise a version of French skipping: with feet together, jump back and forth over the tape. Now try side to side, scissor feet, feet wide and cross. Make the sequence faster and more complex/challenging.
- How far can you go? Place three stickers in a long line either side of the tape. Start on the one nearest. Now jump over the tape and see which sticker you land on. Eventually start on the furthest away. Can you reach the furthest sticker on the other side?
- Stick a strip of masking tape across the doorway at knee height. Invite the children to crawl underneath without tearing it. How low can you go?
- Now stick a strip of masking tape across the middle of the doorframe. Using a ball of wool or rolled-up tights or socks, practise throwing and catching over the ‘net’.
TAKING IT FORWARDS
- Stick a strip of tape on the floor across the doorframe. Now invite two children to sit either side, with legs wide. Using a small ball, ask them to pat the ball back and forth, then give them a small ruler to bat the ball. Use both hands and get faster.
- Make some large targets to stick on a closed door, or use masking tape again. Choose small, light objects to throw and hit the targets (cotton wool balls will stick).
PD FOR ADULTS
Doorframes are a brilliant resource for supporting our posture and ensuring our backs are as pain-free as possible throughout the day.
- Whenever you pass through a door, stretch up and touch the top of the doorframe with one or both hands.
- Place feet and hands in the four corners of the doorframe. Press firmly and breathe deeply.
- Place hands either side of the frame at shoulder height. Take one step back and wiggle hips side to side.
Dr Lala Manners is a physical development trainer and director of Active Matters
