On the very last day of 2011, Hongxiang Kindergarten held its second Mummy&Me Sports Game.
 
Among all the opening performances, the most interesting one was the fashion show, in which parents paired with their children to show costumes made of recycled materials. It not only gave the children an opportunity to create things with their parents, but also promoted awareness of environmental protection. How proud and happy they looked on the stage!
 
The first competition was called "little porters", designed for children from junior classes. The rule is to run to the other side of the playground and take toys from baskets and carry them back. Each child can only take one toy at a time and whoever brings the most in 1 minute wins. It was a nice warm-up game and the participants had a lot fun doing it.
 
The second was hoop jumping. Mum or dad is to place hoops in front for the child to jump in and move forward. The first to reach the finish line is the winner. It requires good cooperation and everyone was engaged. The atmosphere started to heat up and cheering could be heard from time to time. 
 
Next came roll&crawl, which demanded the children to scramble over obstacles to reach the other side, where their mum or dad would be waiting to carry them back. Reddened from running, many parents' faces lighted up, just like the beaming little ones in their arms.
 
The chair fight was another funny game. Both the parents and the children had a good laugh, so was the audience.
 
Most parents didn't really know each other because of their busy work. To help them get acquainted and bond, tug of war was introduced. First were dads against dads, then mums against mums. It was such a magic game which brought the whole crowd on its feet. All the parents seemed to loosen up and went back to their childhood. They enjoyed the game thoroughly and all children got excited as well, running up and down cheering their mums and dads up.
 
Afterwards, it was time for children from middle classes, who were itched to go. Their first competition was ball relay. Each child is to carry a ball to the other side and give it to mum or dad, who holds it between legs and hops back. Though looked a bit clumsy, the parents all gave their best and enjoyed it just as much as their kids.
 
Next was "tail pulling". Every parent had a "tail" attached to their back, and their job was to dodge from the children carried by other parents. When time is up, the only one who keeps the tail wins. Oh my, what a happy chaos! Each and every young competitor had such a wonderful time, particularly those with a trophy "tail" in their hand. Though exhausted, the parents all had the brightest smile.
 
Finally it is time for the senior classes. Most of us are familiar with "two persons & three feet", which is to tie the parent's foot with the child's and see who runs the fastest. The pair who passes the finish line first is the champion. The parents got more motivated than their children and really enjoyed themselves. 
 
The last game was "small feet on big feet". Each child needed to place their feet on their parents' feet and held tight to their parent's waist. The parents should stretch out their arms while running. It takes both strength and techniques to excel. Some parents proved to be quick learners and caught up real fast. Once again, it added more laughters to the event.
 
Upon closing, each child received a gift from You Dao for their excellent performance at the Game and said goodbye to each other with great satisfaction on their faces.
 
The Game greatly strengthened the ties between the parents and kids, among the parents as well as between the parents and the teachers. In addition to good exercise, the children learned about team work, fair play as well as other good qualities.
 
What a wonderful way to say goodbye to 2011 and embrace the new year!