Follow the Leader
A great brain break, or transitional activity! Suits any environment or number of children.
Set up
Children line up behind the leader (you start as the leader).
How to play
Step 1:
- Begin moving around the space, while the children follow.
- Try different locomotor skills, ideas for movements include;
- Running
- Jumping
- Walking backwards
- High knees
- Heel flicks
- Hopping
- Skipping
- Walking on tip-toes
- Animal movements (crawl like a bear, jump like a frog)
- Transport movements (fly like an aeroplane)
Step 2:
- The children must remain in the line, following along
Step 3:
- Continue playing, swapping leaders and changing locomotor skills as desired
Variations
Make it easier
- This game can be done inside, as a transition activity - use smaller, more controlled movements
Make it harder
- This game can be done outside, as a warm up activity - you can allow children to move more freely (in the line!), and get creative with their movements
- Change movements quickly, or call out trick challenges, such as "walk like an elephant", but you walk on your tiptoes like a giraffe, to encourage children to keep their eyes on you
Activity information
Age: 1-2 years, 2-3 years, 3-5 years, Kindergarten, Pre-Primary, Year 1, Year 2, Year 3
Participants: 1
+
Duration: 5 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Skill teaching
Explore balance teaching cues, or any trickier poses before playing. Use the following teaching cues to support this;
- Head up
- Aeroplane arms
- Eyes forward looking at something ahead of them e.g. tree
Activity summary
Physical literacy tips
- Choose movements accessible to all children
- Let a child have a turn at being the leader
- Call out "change directions!" and the line flips, with the back of the line becoming the leader
