We’ve talked some about opening up our senses (on Day 9: Sit Spots), but today’s activity is about restricting one of our dominant senses (sight), and seeing how our other senses, including our intuition, might compensate.
Go for a walk with your child and lead them down the trail while they’re blindfolded. Start slow, as they find their footing. If they feel comfortable, they can let go of your hand and walk a bit on their own, with you as their spotter. You could decide on an end point for the blindfold walk, then switch and have your child lead you!
On your walk, if you stop in an area that could be good for playing games, you could play this game:
“Giant’s Treasure”
First, gather a small pile of either sticks or pinecones (the treasure). One person (the Giant) should be blindfolded and siting in front of the pile of treasure, but is not allowed to touch the treasure. The other players should go to a spot a short distance away (maybe 20-30 feet?) and make a starting line. There should also be a referee watching the game. When the blindfolded person is ready, the people at the start line can start sneaking toward the giant. If the giant hears them, they will point at them. Giant must make sure they really hear a sound, and aren’t just pointing indiscriminately. The person who gets pointed at will have to head back to the start line and start again (referee can help make sure this happens). The sneaking people are trying to steal the giant’s pinecone/stick stash. In this particular game, make sure to sneak and not run, as running makes a lot of noise and also makes the game less fun! When all the pinecones/sticks have been stolen, the game is over and you can play again with a new giant.
*note: this is even more fun (especially for grown-ups) to play if the giant has a pool noodle to tag the sneakers with.
EXTEND THE ACTIVITY
*Do some blindfolded drawing. Your child could do this alone, or with you or a sibling as a partner. Describe in detail the picture you want them to draw, and have them draw while wearing a blindfold. Then switch and have them describe the picture they want you to draw.
*Eat lunch blindfolded! It’s fun to do and even more hilarious to watch.
*Do a blindfolded sit spot. This gives a chance to focus on sense of smell, hearing, touch, and taste while sitting at your spot. After taking blindfold off, sit a little longer and observe the difference.
*Set up a blindfold string walk in the house or front yard. To do this, tie a continuous piece of string or yarn from place to place in your house/front yard. It should be at hand level for your child. Then, have your child put on a blindfold and lightly grip the string, using it to guide them around. They follow the string till the end, like a maze. It could be fun to switch and have parents try, too!