THE BALLERINA
THE FROG
THE CLOWN WALK
HOP ALONG
THE CATERPILLAR
THE HUNTER’S WALK
Hop Along
The Ballerina
The children hop along from one foot
to the other, alternately.
The children move around on tiptoes
with their arms extended above their
heads.
The Frog
The Caterpillar
First, the children put their hands on
the floor near their feet. Next, they
bend their knees slightly, move their
hands out in front of them, and bring
their feet up toward their hands.
The children crouch down and put their
hands on the floor slightly ahead of their feet.
Then they leap forward using their hands and
feet at the same time.
The Hunter’s Walk
The Clown Walk
Walking slowly, the children take big
steps, bending and putting their
weight on their front leg while
extending their back one, with both
arms down at their sides.
The children walk on the outside edge
of their feet and then on the inside
edge.
THE TURTLE
THE DUCK
THE CRAB
THE MOUSE
THE ALLIGATOR
THE CAMEL
The Turtle
The Mouse
The children get around by taking
quick, little steps on tiptoes.
The children walk on their hands and
knees. They pretend their back is their
shell and try to keep it as straight as
possible!
Variation
•The children can do the same thing
with an object on their back.
The Alligator
The Duck
The children lie on their stomachs.
They bend one knee and slide it up
while looking in the direction of their
foot. With the opposite arm straight
out, they push themselves forward with
their flexed knee.
The children walk in a suit position,
with their hands on their hips and their
feet and knees turned outward.
The Camel
The children put one foot in front of
the other and bend at the waist. They
clasp their hands behind their backs
and lift their heads and chests every
time they take a step.
The Crab
The children sit on the floor and move
sideways by lifting their pelvis off the
floor.
THE TIGHTROPE WALKER
THE PINK FLAMINGO
THE GORILLA
THE GALLOP
THE RABBIT
THE KANGAROO
The Pink Flamingo
The Tightrope Walker
The children get around by hopping
several times on one foot and then on
the other foot.
The children walk as if on a tightrope,
putting one foot in front of the other
and bringing the heel of one foot up
against the toes of the other.
The Gallop
The Gorilla
The children gallop around, always
leading with the same foot. Then they
switch to the other foot.
The children bend their knees and lean
forward from the waist, letting their
arms hang to the sides. Each time they
take a step, their fingers have to touch
the floor.
The Rabbit
The Kangoroo
The children jump around with both
feet together.
The children crouch down and put
their hands on the floor in front of
their feet. They move their hands
forward first, then make a small hop
and bring their feet up toward their
hands.
THE SEAL
SPEED SKATING
THE ROBOT
THE PENGUIN
SKIING
THE SNAKE
.
Speed Skating
The Seal
The children slide from one foot to the
other while swinging their arms back
and forth.
The children lie on their stomach, raise
their chest, and keep their arms
straight. With their legs straight out
behind them, they drag themselves
along on their hands.
The Penguin
The Robot
The children walk with their feet turned
outwards.
The children walk in a stiff manner,
moving their arms and legs out
straight.
The Snake
Skiing
The children hold hands and pretend
they’re a long snake, undulating and
changing direction.
The children get around by gliding on
their feet and pushing with makebelieve ski poles.
THE SOLDIER
THE HUMAN SLALOM
THE SCISSORS
THE ELEPHANT
THE BEAR
THE SPY
The Human Slalom
The children stand on designated spots
lined up on the floor (hoops, pictures,
shapes, etc.).
The child at the back of the line slaloms
between the other children until reaching
the front of the line, and so on.
The soldier
The children bend their knees up high
every time they take a step.
The children can either walk or run.
The Elephant
The Scissors
The children bend forward from the
waist. They put their hands together
and make a trunk with their arms.
Keeping their legs straight, they walk
slowly, taking big steps. They swing
their trunk from side to side.
The children walk sideways by crossing
their legs.
The Bear
The Spy
The children walk along
without making a sound.
the
wall
The children bend down and put their
hands on the floor. They move their
left hand and foot forward at the same
time, then their right hand and foot.
They have to keep their arms and legs
straight.
THE GIANT STEP
THE SIDE STEP
MOVEMENT VARIATIONS
ON HEELS
CAT PLAY
« MAY I, Teacher ? »
The Side Step
The children get around by sliding
their feet sideways or by side-stepping
(sliding followed by a small jump).
Variation
The Giant Step
The children take big steps
extending each leg out in front.
by
•The children look straight ahead, in
the direction in which they’re going, or
in the opposite direction.
On Heels
The children walk on their heels with
toes pointed upward.
Movement Variations
•Walking backwards
•Walking with their hands on their head
•Walking with an object between their
knees, on their head, etc.
•Walking in circles, forming letters as
they
walk, walking while holding a scarf
« May I, Teacher? »
The children stand side by side in a straight
line.
The teacher gives an instruction to one child
at a time: « Take three small steps ».
The child has to say, « May I, Teacher? »
before complying.
Variation
•All the children move at the same time.
Cat Play
The children get down on their hands
and knees and push a paper ball
around with their hand, their nose,
their head, etc.
THE BALL
LARGE BALL MASSAGE
FIREWORKS DISPLAY
THE CLOCK
THE PIZZA GAME
SMALL BALL MASSAGE
The Ball
The Clock
The children lie on their backs on the floor.
Step 1 : They twist their pelvis toward their nose,
then toward their feet.
Step 2 : They swing their pelvis from left to right.
(This can be made easier by giving the child an
object to hold in each hand and saying the name
of the object toward which he/she has to move
the pelvis.)
Step 3 : They combine steps 1 and 2
The goal is for the children to eventually be able
to rotate their pelvis and make smaller
movements.
The children lie on their backs, bend their knees,
and cross their hands above their chests to form a
ball. Next, they move the ball to the left and to
the right, and then hold the ball above their
heads. (A stuffed toy can be used instead of a
ball).
Variations
•They turn their head in the same direction as the
ball or in the opposite direction.
•They bring their knees down on the same side as
the ball or move the ball to one side and their
knees to the other.
The Pizza Game
The children are placed in teams of two.
One child lies on the stomach. The other
makes the pizza. He/she:
• Spreads the sauce (rubs the friend’s
back)
• Adds the pepperoni (pats the friend’s
back)
• Adds the vegetables (makes cutting
movements on the friend’s back)
• Puts the pizza in the oven (gently shakes
the friend)
Large Ball Massage
The child lies on his/her stomach on a
mat. Using firm pressure, the teacher
rolls the ball over the child’s body,
beginning with the feet and going all
the way to the head.
Small Ball Massage
Fireworks Display
The children roll a small ball on their arms,
legs, head, etc.
The children put their hands together
in front of them. As they inhale, they
raise their hands above their heads in a
wave-like motion. Then, with a clap of
their hands, they set off the fireworks.
They bring their arms back down to
their sides as they wiggle their fingers
and exhale.
Variation
*The children are in teams of two. They take
turns rolling the ball on each other’s body.
*They can use tennis balls or balls with a
textured surface
THE ROLLER
ROCKABYE
BABY PLAY
THE POMPOM
THE FROG
CONTRACTION/RELAXATION
Rockabye
The Roller
The children lie on their back with a
stuffed toy on their stomach. They
make the toy go up and down as they
breathe (breathing in makes their
stomach rise, breathing out makes it
fall).
The children lie on their back with knees
bent. A rolled blanket is placed along
their spine. The children roll over it from
side to side.
Variation
• A rolled blanket is placed under the
children’s pelvis and they have to roll over
it in wave-like motion.
The Frog
The children lie on their backs with their
legs out straight. They turn their right leg
to the right, their left leg to the left, and
bring both legs up toward their bodies
(bending their knees, with the soles of
their feet facing each other) to resemble a
frog. Then, they go back to their original
position with legs out straight. This
exercise can be repeated several times.
Contraction/Relaxation
The children lie on their backs and
close their eyes. They’re asked to
contract and relax one part of their
body at a time in order to be able to
contract and relax their whole body.
Baby Play
The children lie on their backs, slide
their with hand down their right leg
and, bending, try to grab hold of their
right foot. They can have fun
stretching their leg toward the ceiling
and rolling from side to side. They can
repeat this move with their left leg and
then with both legs at the same time.
The Pompom
The children lie on their backs and
bounce their pelvises up and down.
VISUALIZATION
BREATHING AWARENESS
THE FLYING TISSUE
STRETCH LIKE A KITTEN
THE TENNIS BALL
MECHANICAL TOES
Visualization
Breathing Awareness
The children breathe in through their
nose in a single breath and out their
nose in several short breaths.
Then the opposite: Breathing in
through their nose in several short
breaths and out in a single breath.
The children lie on their backs with their arms
alongside their bodies and their eyes closed.
As they listen, they try to picture a light or a
colour as it travels throughout their body.
«The light is in your foot. It makes its way to
your ankle, then goes up to your knee. It
travels up along your thigh. It reaches your
hand and moves on to your forearm and
continues on to your shoulder. It reaches your
neck, touches your ear and stops when it
reaches the top of your head».
The Tennis Ball
The children are in teams of two. One child lies
on the stomach with his/her arms stretched out
on the floor above his/her head. The other child
rolls a tennis ball over the latter’s body, starting
at the right heel, moving up to the right calf, on
to the right knee, up the back of the right thigh
and along the spine. He/she then rolls the ball
crosswise over to the left shoulder and up to the
left elbow and forearm, until it reaches the left
hand. Then he/she does the same thing on the
opposite side.
The Flying Tissue
The children lie on their backs. A paper
tissue is placed flat over their mouths.
The children have to blow on the tissue
to make it fly. This works best with a
single layer of tissue.
Then they switch roles.
(They can try to picture the ball as it rolls over
their body before it actually does.)
Mechanical Toes
The children sit on the floor and try to grab
hold of a piece of tissue with the toes on their
right foot. They release the tissue and try to
grab hold of it with the toes on their left foot.
Variation
• They try to pass the tissue from one foot to
the other.
• They lie on their backs, with the tissue
between their toes, and make a pedalling
motion with their legs.
Stretch like a Kitten
The children lie sideways in a ball and
slowly roll onto their backs as they
stretch out their arms and legs. Then,
in the reverse order, they roll back
onto their other side.
WALKING ELBOWS
THE WAVE
THE BOAT
FINGER KISSES
THE CAT
POMPOMS
Walking Elbows
The Wave
The children lie on their backs, with their
knees bent, and push on their feet to get
their lower backs to hug the floor. Then
they pull on their feet in order to arch
their backs.
They repeat the move.
The children can pretend they have to
flatten their backs against the floor in
The children sit at the table and cup their
cheeks with their hands. They move their
elbows forward one at a time, then
backward.
Variations •They slide their elbows sideways.
•They create geometric shapes with their
Finger Kisses
The Boat
The children touch the tip of each
finger with their thumb.
The children sit on their hands and
rock their bodies back and forth
and side to side.
Pompoms
Standing with their knees slightly bent,
the children lift their heels off the floor
and bounce gently twice while saying
the word «pompom»
Variation
•Sitting: they sit on the edge of a chair
The Cat
At the table: the children put their
hands on the table and round their
backs as they tilt their heads
forward, then arch their backs as
they tilt their heads back.
HAND GAME 1
TONGUE GAME
BLOW OUT THE CANDLES
HAND GAME 2 SING-A-SONG
THE LITTLE MONKEY
Hand Game 2
Hand Game 1
•The children put their palms together
and try to lift up opposing fingers: first,
their thumbs, then their index fingers,
and so on.
The children shake their hands, rub their
palms together vigorously, then slowly
separate them, keeping only their
fingertips and lower palms together.
•They try different ways of clapping:
with open hands, with closed hands,
with the edges of their hands, with their
thumbs, with their wrists, etc.
The children can rub their palms
together again and pretend they’re
playing with a piece of bubble gum,
stretching it this way and that.
Tongue Game
Sing-a-long
The children say or sing the words
to a song with their tongue
sticking out.
The song could be Brother John,
The Wheels on the Bus, or any
other familiar children’s song.
1.The children run their tongue along the inside
of their upper teeth, from one side to the other,
then along the inside of their lower teeth,
starting on the opposite side, in order to form a
circle in their mouth.
2.They slide their tongue downward from their
palate.
3. With the tip of their tongue, they draw circles
on the inside of their left cheek, then the right.
4.They stick out their tongue and move it from
side to side, up and down, and in a big circle.
Variation
• They move their eyes in the same direction as
their tongue, then in the opposite direction.
The Little Monkey
The children have to pretend they’re
a little monkey who was bitten by a
flea and itches all over. Can they
scratch their head and their stomach
at the same time? Their ankle and
their knee? Their ear and their elbow?
Their shoulder and their nose? etc.
The children can stand, sit, or lie on
Blow Out the Candles
Position : sitting
The children place their hand in front of
their mouth, palm toward them, and
spread their fingers to simulate five
candles. They blow gently of their thumb
- the first candle - and fold it down.
They do the same thing with the other
fingers, blowing on them one by one,
with a short pause between each one.
THE FROG ON THE LILY PAD
WAKE YOUR BODY
THE TISSUE GAME
HEAD TO TOE WARM-UP
ROCKING IN TWOS
PASS IT ON
The Frog on the Lily Pad
The Tissue Game
Each child is given a paper tissue
and has to blow on it to make it
move.
Variations
•The children can use a feather
instead
The children each have two lily pads
(pictures only). They set them down
on the floor and stand on one of
them. They jump onto the other.
They pick up the first one, set it down
in front of them, and jump onto it.
They do this over and over again.
Key words : jump, pick it up, set it
down.
Wake Your Body
Head to Toe Warm-up
Position: standing or sitting
The children rotate their hands,
their eyes, their head, their ankles,
their hips, their shoulders, their
elbows, their mouth, etc.
Pass it On
The children stand in a single line.
The first child is given an object
and has to hand it to the child
behind by passing it over his/her
head, between his/her legs, to the
side, etc.
The children pat their inner arm from their
shoulder to their fingertips, then pat their
way back up on their outer arm. Next, they
pat their outer thigh and leg down to their
toes and come back up along their inner leg.
Finally, they pat their thorax, their back and
their stomach.
Variation
•They can tap their body with their
fingertips or run their hand along their body.
Rocking in Twos
The children are in teams of two.
They sit on their knees, back to
back, and rock back and forth
against each other, alternately
curving and arching their back.
THE WRINKLED APPLE
GAME ON A CHAIR
SOUND EFFECTS
THE MOUTH GAME
THE MIRROR GAME
DRAW ME A PICTURE
The Wrinkled Apple
Game on a Chair
The children wrinkle up their face, then
stretch it.
The children sit on the edge of
their chairs and move their feet as
if they were walking, running or
skiing.
Variation
•Each time they move their hands across
their
face, they covey a different emotion.
For instance: joy, anger, sadness,
Sound Effects
The Mouth Game
•
The children stick
tongues
• They purse their lips
• They make a smile
out
their
Variation
•If they have a mirror, they can use
it to look at themselves.
The Mirror Game
The children form teams of two.
One of them moves and the other
has to copy the move.
•The children make a motor sound
with
their lips
•They pretend they’re chewing gum
and
make a lot of noise
•They imitate a horse’s gait by
clicking
their tongue
•They roar like a lion
Draw Me a Picture
The children are in teams of two.
One child draws on the other’s
back and the latter has to guess
what the drawing is. Then they
switch roles.
DOG SHAKING OFF
THE BARBECUE
FOOT BALL
RUBITY RUB
CRAWLING
TWIRL A SCARF
.
The Barbecue
The children lie on their stomachs or
backs on a mat. They’re pressed tight
against one another to simulate a BBQ
grill. The child at the head of the line
(simulating a sausage) rolls over the
other children and comes to a stop at
the end of the line. Then the next child
in line has a turn.
Dog Shaking Off
Standing, the children shake their
hands, their forearms, their elbows and
their shoulders, then their bottom and
their head, until they’re shaking their
whole body.
Foot Ball
Rubity Rub
Standing in place, the children rub their
hands together, naming a different part of
the body each time (forehead, nose,
thighs, etc.), after which they clap their
hands and say: «We have to move on».
The children then change places.
They repeat the sequence, going faster
every time.
The children sit in a circle. The first child
takes the ball with his/her feet and passes
it to the next child. The children keep
passing the ball around in a circle.
Variation
•The children pass around two balls one
after the other or use a different toy.
Twirl a Scarf
Crawling
The children grab a scarf and twirl it
around their head, their arms, their
legs, etc.
Several chairs are lined up in a row and
the children have to crawl under them.
COPS AND ROBBERS
OTHER ACTIVITY IDEAS
RIP THE PAPER
MONKEY ROLL
Rip the Paper
Each child stands on a flyer or a
newspaper and tries to rip it with his/
her toes.
Cops and Robbers
One child is chosen to be the cop and is
blindfolded. Four objects are placed
nearby. The other children are at the
opposite end of the room. They take turns
crawling or walking over to retrieve an
object without the cop hearing them. If
the cop hears them, he/she points at
them and they have to go back to the
starting point. When all four objects have
been stollen a new cop is chosen.
Monkey Roll
The children sit with their feet together. They grab
one foot and move it outward, then up and down.
Then they lift their foot toward their head and bend
their head toward their foot (to form a circle), then
return to their initial position. (They do the same thing
with the other foot)
They lie on their back and hold their foot with their
hands. They lift their head toward their foot and bring
their foot down toward their head (to form a circle),
then lie back again. (They do the same thing with the
other foot)
They sit and hold their foot with both hands. They
bend their head down toward their foot, rest their
elbow on the floor, then their shoulder, and roll onto
their back. They roll back up on the opposite side,
doing the steps in the reverse order.
Other Activity Ideas
-Talk about «Positive Pete» and the
importance of a positive attitude
-Share tales of explorers
SIT BONE EXERCISE
EYE MOVEMENTS
HUG YOURSELF
NECK RELAXATION
THE BALL
THE WASHING MACHINE
Neck Relaxation
Slowly turn your head to the right, then the
left.
Feel the tension.
Place your hand over your cheek on the side
that feels most tense. Inhale and gently push
your head toward the opposite side as you
exhale.
Sit Bone Exercise
Sit on the front of your chair with your feet on
the floor. Shift your weight to the left, lift up
your pelvis on the right side and move your
sit bone forward (2 or 3 small «steps»).
Return to the starting position. Next, move
your sit bone backward. Come back to the
center. Repeat this routine on the other side
and end by alternating between sides
Repeat a few times.
The Ball
Sit on a chair and form a circle in front of
your chest with your arms. Roll the circle to
the left and to the right while keeping your
head in the centre.
Afterward, try moving your head in the same
direction as your arms or in the opposite
direction.
EYE MOVEMENTS
Without moving your head, look up, then
down. Then look to your left and to your
right. Next, move your eyes in circles to the
right and to the left. Repeat the routine, with
your head moving in the same direction as
your eyes and then in the opposite direction.
Hug Yourself
The Washing Machine
Stand with your feet slightly apart and turn
your body on its axis to the right and to the
left while swinging your arms.
In a sitting position, cross your arms over
your chest and put your hands on your
shoulder blades. With each hand on the
opposite shoulder blade, make small
movements with your elbows. Move them to
the right, then to the left. Make small circles
with your elbows.
TONGUE EXERCISE
JAW EXERCISE
POMPOMS
PEDAL WITH YOUR ELBOWS
WALKING ELBOWS
THE VIOLIN
.
.
Jaw Exercise
Open your mouth by dropping your lower
jaw. Next, with your fist under your chin,
open your mouth by tilting your head back
slightly and moving your upper jaw. Then,
look up as you do this and bend your neck
back. Finally, open your mouth by moving
both jaws.
Tongue Exercise
Run your tongue from left to right along the
inside of your upper teeth, then your lower
teeth.
Slide your tongue from top to bottom inside
your mouth (vertically). Move your eyes in
the same direction as your tongue, then in
the opposite direction.
With the tip of your tongue, draw circles on
the inside of your right cheek, then your left.
Pompoms
Pedal With Your Elbows
Position: sitting or standing
Place your fists one on top of the another,
below your chin and against your sternum,
and make circles with your elbows,
alternating between the left and the right.
Then do the same thing while bending
forward and straightening back up.
The Violin
Standing with your arms to your sides, bend
your knees slightly and bounce twice on your
heels while saying the word «pompom» (3
sets of 10).
Variations
*Do it with your arms crossed; with your
hands joined in front or behind your back;
with your hands together above your head;
with your legs crossed.
*Do it on a chair: sit on the edge of the chair
and bounce up and down on your sit bones.
Walking Elbows
Cross your arms in front of your chest.
Slowly slide your left arm up and down the
inside of your right arm. Then slide your
right arm up and down the outside of your
left arm.
Sitting at the table, place your hands on your
cheeks and rest your elbows on the table.
Move your elbows forward alternately, then
backward.
Slide both arms up and down against each
other at the same time.
Variation
*Trace circles, squares, letters, etc., with your
elbows apart and together.