MANOA — Four-year-old Christopher Petrides grabbed hold of a rope and pulled it until the bucket attached to it reached the top of the basketball hoop.

He looked around excitedly, as volunteers manning the game applauded his effort.

Through this simple exercise, Christopher, who attends Kilauea 'Ohana Playschool, was practicing simple pulling and socialization skills.

"I think this is awesome," said his mom, Marti, a full-time mother of three from Hawai'i Kai. "You can't beat something like this."

About 300 preschoolers from 39 programs, including a few Head Start programs, took part in the annual Honolulu District Preschool Play Day yesterday at the Manoa Valley District Park gym. The theme was "Dinosaur Daze."

This program, which has been around for at least 15 years, is geared toward special-needs preschoolers.

Put on by the Honolulu District office of the state Department of Education, the play day is all about teaching students basic motor and socialization skills through fun activities and games.

"I think that a lot of parents think that kids learn things naturally, and that's a myth," said Lolly Romano, an adapted physical education resource teacher who helped organize yesterday's play day. "They have to learn and practice those skills."

There were more than a dozen stations scattered through the gym, each meeting preschool and physical education standards in some way.

Swinging a pendulum to knock over plastic bowling pins, for example, gets kids to practice aiming for objects. Hitting a suspended ball with a sponge paddle teaches them hand-eye coordination.

Other games incorporated throwing, catching, kicking, rolling and striking.

But the students also practiced other skills, like waiting patiently for their turn, standing in line, sharing and saying thank you to the volunteers.

"This is an opportunity for the students to socialize as well as work their motor skills," said Michelle Palafox, a 27-year-old special-education preschool teacher from Haha'ione Elementary School.

The needs of these students range from physical disabilities to language barriers to not knowing how to hold a pencil correctly, she added. But they can all benefit from being around other students from different schools.

"Socialization skills are one of the most important things to learn at this age," Palafox said. "It helps them develop mentally and gets them ready for school."

One of the newest additions to the annual play day was a huge plastic bubble that resembled an igloo. It was made out of plastic sheeting taped together and inflated by several fans. Inside it, volunteers played techno music while the kids danced around with hand-held streamers, toy drums and cymbals.

"Most children will respond to music naturally," said James Little, a retired education professor at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa, who has taught adapted physical education for 35 years. "But this is setting up an environment where everyone is doing it. The other students will copy and mimic. Anything we can do to stimulate (their sense) will help the children more."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.