Up, Up, and Away! Outdoor Frisbee Camp
A 3-Week Outdoor Play Curriculum for Little Campers (Ages 3–6)
Camp Overview & Master Materials List
Welcome to Outdoor Frisbee Camp! This 3-week, play-based curriculum is designed specifically for 3-year-olds (and adaptable up to age 6). It focuses on fundamental gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and cooperative play using a flying disc. Each weekly lesson is structured for outdoor environments like backyards, parks, or school playgrounds.
🎒 Master Materials Needed:
- Soft Flying Discs: 2–3 soft foam, fabric, or lightweight silicone frisbees (essential for safety and confidence-building; avoid hard plastic for 3-year-olds).
- DIY Discs: Heavy-duty paper plates and colorful markers/stickers.
- Targets: 2 hula hoops, 4–6 plastic sports cones (or empty plastic bottles), and colorful sidewalk chalk.
- Imagination Props: 1 laundry basket ("The Disc Monster") and a beach towel.
- Celebration: Bubble solution with a wand, and a custom printable "Frisbee Champion" ribbon or certificate.
Week 1: Meet the Disc! (Grip, Balance, and the Slide)
| Weekly Objective | The camper will demonstrate a correct thumb-on-top grip and balance a disc while walking, running, and sliding it across grass. |
| Success Criteria | The camper can hold the disc flat like a "pizza tray" without dropping it and can slide it across the grass to a target 3 feet away. |
1. The Hook (5 Minutes)
The "Steering Wheel" Warm-Up: Hand the child a soft foam disc.
2. Active Instruction & Play-Based Practice (15 Minutes)
Step 1: The Magic Grip ("I Do")
- Show: Hold the disc. Place your thumb flat on top and curl your fingers underneath the rim.
- Explain: "Look, my thumb is a little bug sitting on top of the pancake. My other fingers are hiding underneath to keep it safe!"
Step 2: The Pizza Delivery Walk ("We Do")
- Action: Place a small toy (like a plastic animal) on top of the disc. Walk together from one cone to another across the grass without letting the toy fall off.
- Coaching: If the disc tilts, say, "Keep your pizza flat! Don't let the puppy fall off!"
Step 3: Grass Sliders ("You Do")
- Action: Sit facing each other on the grass about 4 feet apart. Show the child how to place the disc flat on the grass and slide it like a hockey puck.
- The Game: Slide the disc back and forth. Encourage them to push it with enough force to reach you.
3. Fun Outdoor Game: "Feed the Hungry Monster" (10 Minutes)
Setup: Place a laundry basket (the "Monster") on its side on the grass. Draw a chalk line (or put a cone) 3 feet away.
How to Play: The camper stands at the line and slides their foam discs across the grass, trying to get them inside the open mouth of the laundry basket. Give silly eating noises ("NOM NOM NOM!") whenever a disc goes in.
4. Wrap-Up & Formative Check (5 Minutes)
- Recap: Ask the child to show you their "thumb bug" on top of the disc.
- Quick Check: Do they naturally place their thumb on top and fingers underneath, or do they hold it by the edge with two hands? Guide them gently back to the "thumb bug" grip.
- Scaffolding (Struggling): If the foam disc is too hard to hold, use a decorated paper plate. It is lighter and easier for tiny hands to grasp.
- Extension (Advanced): Have them balance the disc on one hand while walking backwards.
Week 2: The Super-Spinner (The Backhand Toss & Release)
| Weekly Objective | The camper will swing their arm across their body and release the disc forward to make it fly in the air. |
| Success Criteria | The camper can step forward, pull the disc to their tummy, and fling it forward into the air towards a target. |
1. The Hook (5 Minutes)
The "Elephant Trunk" Swing: Stand in a grassy space.
2. Active Instruction & Play-Based Practice (15 Minutes)
Step 1: The Tummy Hug ("I Do")
- Show: Hold the disc with your grip. Bring the disc back to hug your tummy/opposite hip.
- Explain: "We hug our tummy first, like giving the disc a big squeeze before it flies!"
Step 2: The Point and Release ("We Do")
- Action: Stand next to the child. Together, hug your tummies, step forward with the foot on the same side as your throwing hand, and extend your arms straight out toward the open grass.
- Coaching: "Hug your tummy... step... and wave hello to the grass!"
Step 3: Fly, Little Bird! ("You Do")
- Action: Set up a hula hoop flat on the grass about 5 feet away. Let the child try throwing their soft disc, aiming to make it land inside or near the hoop.
- Focus: Praise the *effort* of throwing forward, even if the disc rolls or goes sideways.
3. Fun Outdoor Game: "Knock Down the Castle" (10 Minutes)
Setup: Stack 3 or 4 plastic sports cones or empty plastic bottles on top of each other (the "Castle") on a garden table or flat grass. Draw a chalk throwing line 4 feet away.
How to Play: The child gets three soft discs. They stand at the line and throw their discs to try and knock over the castle! After each turn, encourage them to run, gather their discs, and rebuild the castle themselves (great for physical stamina!).
4. Wrap-Up & Formative Check (5 Minutes)
- Recap: Have the child demonstrate the "tummy hug" before pretending to throw.
- Quick Check: Are they throwing with one hand across their body, or are they throwing it overhand like a baseball? (Two-handed overhead launches are common; gently redirect them to the side swing).
- Scaffolding (Struggling): Stand behind the child, gently holding their hand/wrist to guide them through the "tummy hug to release" motion together a few times.
- Extension (Advanced): Put the target further away (7–8 feet) or raise the target (e.g., throwing over a low bush or hedge).
Week 3: The Pancake Catch & Camp Celebration
| Weekly Objective | The camper will catch a gently tossed soft disc using two hands in a clapping motion (the "pancake catch"). |
| Success Criteria | The camper can watch a gently tossed soft disc or paper plate and trap it between their two hands at least twice. |
1. The Hook (5 Minutes)
The Crocodile Crocodile Clapping Game: Stand facing the child.
2. Active Instruction & Play-Based Practice (15 Minutes)
Step 1: The Pancake Trap ("I Do")
- Show: Hold your hands open, one on top of the other (spaced 6 inches apart). Toss a disc up slightly to yourself and clap your hands together to trap it.
- Explain: "One hand is the bottom pancake, one hand is the top pancake. We trap the disc in the middle! Clap!"
Step 2: The Soft Toss ("We Do")
- Action: Stand very close to the child (approx. 2–3 feet). Gently place/hand the disc directly into their open "pancake" hands so they get the feel of trapping it.
- Progress to: Take one step back and toss it with a very soft, upward arc directly to their chest level. Encourage them to clap their hands together to trap it.
Step 3: Pop the Bubbles Catch ("You Do")
- Action: To build tracking skills, blow some bubbles toward the child first. Have them "pancake clap" the bubbles out of the air. Then immediately transition back to tossing the soft foam disc.
3. Fun Outdoor Game: "The Ultimate Camp Run" (10 Minutes)
Setup: Create a simple outdoor obstacle course. 1) Step over a beach towel. 2) Run around a cone. 3) Pick up a foam disc. 4) Throw it into a hula hoop. 5) Run back to the start and get a high five!
How to Play: Time the child with a playful stopwatch or hum some action movie music. This lets them combine all their skills (running, coordination, tossing) in a fun, high-energy environment.
4. Camp Graduation & Celebration (10 Minutes)
Gather on a beach towel in the yard for a graduation ceremony!
- Recap: "You learned to grip it, slide it, throw it, and catch it like a pancake!"
- Award Ceremony: Present the child with a custom paper ribbon, high-fives, and a round of bubble-blowing play as their "applause."
- Scaffolding (Struggling): If catching a disc is too frustrating, use a soft beach ball or a crumpled piece of paper first to practice the "two-handed trap."
- Extension (Advanced): Throw the disc slightly to their left or right so they have to take a step to catch it.
🎯 Parent/Teacher Observation Checklist
Use this simple, non-stressful assessment to track your 3-year-old's physical progression over the three weeks. Check off milestones as you see them occur naturally during play!
| Skill Checked | Not Yet | With Help | Woohoo! Got It! |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Grip: Places thumb on top of the disc. | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ |
| The Balance: Can walk 10 feet balancing a disc. | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ |
| The Toss: Swings arm across body to throw forward. | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ |
| The Catch: Tracks a tossed disc and snaps hands. | ⬜ | ⬜ | ⬜ |
Remember: At age 3, development varies wildly! The primary goal is finding joy in outdoor movement, building spatial confidence, and having fun together.