Play on a Hill
Illustration from ‘Aroha’s Way’ by Rebekah Lipp and Craig Phillips. This wonderful book is all about connecting with nature for wellbeing.
There is nothing more fun than rolling down a big hill! Find a nice grassy hill with no sticks or stones, and a safe area to roll onto at the bottom. Lie down with your arms up straight above your head, and then roll! Try other ways of rolling down. Which way is the fastest? Rolling down hills is great for developing vestibular systems and sensory systems. It uses strength, control and coordination of all parts of your body. So, rolling down a hill is not only lots of fun, it’s good for you!
Have races to the top of the hill and then roll down. You could do team relays, each member of the team runs to the top and rolls down before tagging the next person.
For extra fun make up games on the hill using balls. For example, one person in the team might run to the top of the hill and roll the ball down to the next person, who can then run to the top. Which team can finish first?
When you’ve had enough of rolling, or you’re feeling a bit dizzy, try ‘flying’ down, running as fast as you can with your arms spread wide. It’s such an awesome feeling to run so fast, thanks to gravity’s help. Have fun!
