Sneaky Sheep (Locomotor)

sneaky sheep

A fun and imaginative game to develop different locomotor skills. Children will love sneaking around.

sneaky sheep locomotor set up image
Set up

Set out two squares with cones approximately 20 metres away from each other. Each square should be large enough to fit your group - these will be the pens. The educator stands in between the pens. Children start all together in one of the pens.

How to play
Step 1:
  • Start by building the story. The educator is the farmer and has locked up all the sheep for the night in the pen. The sheep are all asleep (the children can curl up and pretend to sleep). Now the tired old farmer can go home to bed as well. The farmer goes home (goes and stands between the two pens) and sets their alarm.
    • (Yawn) "I'm getting tired! I will set my alarm for 6 o'clock. Goodnight!"
Step 2:
  • When the farmer falls 'asleep' they count the hours till the alarm out loud: " One o'clock, two o'clock, three o'clock....:
  • The children (sheep) will sneak out of their pen and cross to the other pen quietly and quickly using the locomotor skill you have nominated e.g., galloping. 
Step 3:
  • The farmer wakes up once they get to their alarm time, pretends to inspect the pens, and see what mischief the sheep have been up to all night!
  • If the farmer catches the sheep outside their pen, they need to do 3 frog jumps or similar
  • Play again, and set a 'new alarm' for less time than the previous alarm e.g., 5 o'clock, so the farmer can try and catch the sneaky sheep!
Variations
Make it easier
  • Make the distance between the pens shorter
  • Have an empty pen somewhere between the two, children can quickly run into here if they think they might not make it across before the farmer wakes up
Make it harder
  • Make the distance between the pens greater
  • Set up an obstacle course between the pens - agility poles to zigzag, or hurdles to jump over can be fences or gates on the farm
  • Start half the children in one pen and half in the other. Designate one group as 'sheep' and one group as 'cows'. During the night, when the farmer goes to sleep, the 'sneaky animals' swap pens!
Activity information
Age: Three year olds, Kindergarten / Pre-school, Foundation, Year 1, Year 2
Participants: 6 +
Equipment: Cones (optional)
Duration: 10 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Balancing Running Jumping Hopping Skipping Galloping Sliding
Skill teaching

Before starting the activity, practice your focus locomotor skill and remind children of the teaching cues. As an example, try galloping;

  1. Step (with front foot)
  2. Together
  3. Step (with front foot)
Activity summary
Physical literacy tips
  • Change up the kind of animal! Instead of sheep, say goodnight to the horses (gallop), frogs (frog jumping), or emus (fast running).
  • Build the story! Feed the sheep during the 'daytime', 'lock the gates' to stop the sheep from getting up to mischief, tell the sheep "No tricks tonight sheep!"