Movement Activities
Weight (heavy/light): (grades 4-6)
As the teacher, describe the scene for the students. They are moving into a new house and have to move everything all by themselves. First they must move the refrigerator – when you describe this, the students should be acting as if they are pushing or trying to lift a large and heavy object. Next they must move the television – it is still kind of heavy, but not as heavy as the refrigerator. Then they must move something light, such as pillows and put them on the bed. The students may demonstrate this by easily “tossing” a pillow on to the bed. You can change it up by having them move different items often found in the home. There are no props, the students must use their imagination and act out the scene. Time (fast/slow): (can work for any grade)
The teacher has 3 signs, a red one for stop, a yellow one for slow, and a green one for go. The teach will then stand about 20 feet away from the students. The students will then line up next to each other facing the teacher. When the teacher holds up the green sign the students will walk towards her at a normal pace. When she holds up the red sign the students will stop where they are. When the teacher holds up the yellow sign the students will tip-toe towards her. The first student to reach the teacher can become the new “traffic light” and be the person to control the signs. If you want to change it up a bit, the green sign can signal “skip forward”, the yellow sign can mean take two steps forward and one step back. This activity teaches about the movement element of time. It includes both slow and quick movements. |
Flow (free/bound): (grades 4-6)
Have the students stand up and move around the room as if they were ocean waves. Then (the teacher) describes the scene to them. For example: “it is a clear day, the sea is calm, the clouds are rolling in, and it’s starting to rain… the rain is getting faster, the wind is picking up. A hurricane is near. The storm has passed.” As you are describing the scenario the students should adjust their wave movements accordingly. The students should start out as slow and continuous waves. As the wind is picking up, the waves may be moving a little bit faster. When the teacher announces that the hurricane is near the students movements should be choppier. Then as the storm moves away, the waves become calmer, so the students should then return to more relaxed and continuous waves. Space (self-space/group-space): (grades 3+)
The teacher will split the class into two groups; trees and animals. The kids that are designated as trees will find a spot in the room and stay there. As the music plays they will sway along with it like branches in the wind. The kids designated as animals (monkeys, elephants, whatever you want to call them) will move around the room and act as whatever animal you have said. They cannot touch the trees as they move throughout the room. After a few minutes, the kids can switch places. The trees become the animals, and the animals become the trees. The teacher is controlling the music and dedicating certain animals to certain kids (if you want more than one type of movement from the “animals”). Here are a few songs to use during this activity: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ga-ufXRCXCE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOFO772F8vE You don’t have to use music, you can just have them sway around as trees and move as animals if you do not have access to any type of music. This activity helps students become aware of their surroundings and stay within their own space while being close to others. |
Photo courtesy of: http://twistynoodle.com/music-and-movement-coloring-page/