Musical Balances
Musical Balances
Age:
3-5 years, 5-8 years
Participants:
2+
Setting:
Home, School, ECEC
Speaker & music player (phone), Cones , Flat markers or star markers

Skills
Set Up:
- Set up a large 10m x 10 m square
- Place as many markers out as there are children
- Coach controls the music
- Some songs we like to use are: Justine Clarke songs: Roar Like a Dinosaur, Do the Hullabaloo, Everywhere’s a Dancefloor and I like to Move it from Madagascar or songs from this website: https://www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au/campaigns-programs/munch-move-resources/music.aspx
Note: Musical Balances can be used for any skill focus by adjusting the activities you do when the music stops.
Description:
Ask children if anyone has played musical statues – then explain that in Musical Balances, when the music stops you have to freeze and then go and stand on a marker and make a balance like one of the animal poses (see attached Balance Animal Poses diagram). The coach demonstrates the balance pose and the children copy.
In between balance poses the coach plays the music and the children move around (different movements e.g. run, skip, hop, jump, sidestep, gallop). When music stops they need to make balance that is shown.
- Turtle
- Giraffe
- Snake
- Lion
- Dog
- Flamingo
- Monkey

Variations:
- Increase the amount of time the balance is held for
- Add in additional balances such as a ‘bridge balance’
Teaching Points:
Balance
- Head up
- Eyes forward looking at something ahead of them e.g. tree