You need to have several “tricks” to pull out of your back pocket when kids need to have a break, to expend some energy, to divert attention from something else going on in the room (a potential meltdown for ex.), to prepare them for a high-concentration activity, or when you the teacher need to have a mental break yourself.
And so, the Jumping Game was born!
- Stand in a circle
- Play a song with a good beat (see Spotify playlist below)
- T stands on the outside of the circle and taps a child on the shoulder.
- That child goes into the middle and begins to jump
- Prepare kids for the jumping game by talking about how they can be creative by using feet together, feet apart, 1 and 2-foot jumping/hopping, use of arms, bending knees, turning as you jump, etc.
- Everyone in the circle imitates the leader in the middle
- T occasionally comments about some of the fine points of the jumper. “Ooh, did you see how they alternated bending their elbows as they jumped?”
- Tap the next child in the circle after about 10 seconds, continuing to make your way around the circle.
- In a class of 25, this gave the class about 4 minutes of jumping.
The Music
I used anything with a good beat that I knew would engage the kids. If we were near a seasonal event, I’d play something related.
Here’s my Spotify list of some possibilities or use the player below!
