Game: Colour Jump
Instructions: Ask the children to look at their clothing. Ask them to notice the colors they are wearing. Tell the children that when you name a color they are wearing, they will jump up and then sit back down. Be sure the children have enough space to move without hurting other children. If your space is limited, they can all stand and then hop when their color is called. Call out one color. Help children by drawing attention to the colors they are wearing. Example: “Mara, is that red on your shirt?”
Game: Alphabet Jump
Instructions: Tell the children that you are going to name a letter of the alphabet. When a child’s name begins with that letter, that child can jump up and then sit back down. Recite the alphabet, and pause when you reach a letter that begins a child’s name. If that child hesitates, repeat the letter and look at the child. You can prompt a child by saying, “B. B. I think Bryan starts with B.” If a child jumps on the wrong letter, say, “Oops, Janna, you jumped to
Game:The Shake it Song
Instructions: As you sing this little song, move your body with the words. (i.e. when you say “shake it high!” shake your arms and head up high. When you say/sing “shake it low”, bend down and shake your body in a low crouched or squat position – a pile for my ballet trained friends!)
SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
SHAKE, SHAKE, SHAKE
Shake it HIGH!
Shake it LOW.
Shake it all about!
(repeat at least 3X)
You can choose to turn around when you sing “Shake it all about” – or you can simply shake your whole body. Allow whatever movement happens freely as you play with your child. Sing the song at least three times. You really want to get into the fun like to end my 3-4 and 5-6 classes with what I call “body awareness freeze game”. So it’s like freeze dance except no one’s out if they move during a freeze moment. Instead, I shout out directions every time the music stops. There are two categories: directions that affect how they move, and directions that will affect the shape they will form with their bodies when the music stops.
For example, I may say: “until the music stops you will make a hand dance” and dance mostly with their hands. Then the music stops and I say “Now you will make a shoulder dance”. etc.
With the other variation, I let them dance however they want, and then I say “Next time the music stops I want you to make straight lines with your arms and legs” and then they do it when the music stops. Then I give them something else “Next time the music stops you have to have one foot and one hand in the air”… It can be anything really, I just want them to be creative and start problem solving with their bodies… When there’s a holiday coming up I ask them to shape their body like a star, like a Christmas tree, or like a heart for valentine’s day. They love it and that way they are still developing skills and body awareness while having crazy loads of fun!
