Animal Walks
Take a trip to the zoo! Children move around the play space performing different animal movements in response to your instructions.
Set up
Choose an open space indoors or outdoors.
How to play
Step 1
- Begin moving like an animal of your choice (e.g., kangaroo) around the designated area and the children copy
Step 2
- Change to a new animal movement. Ideas of animal walks to try out include;
- Hop like a kangaroo
- Jump like a frog
- Crawl like a bear (on all fours, belly button facing down)
- Walk tall on tiptoes like a giraffe
- Stomp like an elephant
- Run fast like a cheetah
- Walk like a crab (on all fours, belly button facing up)
- Jump and swing arms around like a monkey
- Gallop like a horse
- Slither like a snake
- Fly like a butterfly
- Zoo! Be any animal that you like
Step 3
- Call out 'Zoo' and children can choose to move like an animal of their choice
Variations
Make it easier
- Start with simple, familiar animal walks such as jump like a frog, run like a cheetah
- Shorten the distance
Make it harder
- Perform animal walks over a larger distance
- Introduce some more tricky animals. Try a donkey kick, bear crawls, or an inchworm!
Activity information
Age: 0-12 months, 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years, Kindergarten / Pre-school, Foundation, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3
Equipment: Cones (optional)
Duration: 10 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Skill teaching
Before starting the animal walks activity, practice jumping. See how far children can jump and remind them to do their 'motorbike landings'.
Jumping teaching cues:
- Land like you are riding a motorbike – arms forward, ankles, knees and hips bent, feet apart
- Start with your arms stretched behind you like a superhero
- Swing & Spring
- Reach for a star and bring it down again (for vertical jumps)
Activity summary
Physical literacy tips
- Join in with the children
- Make the animal noises while doing the actions
- Let a child choose the animal
