A Busy Day on the Farm

Children spend a day on the farm doing chores around a course: carrying the egg along the henhouse path, jumping hay bales, ducking under the fence, climbing into the hayloft and scattering grain for the hens. On each lap they play a different farm character.

How to play

1. The teacher introduces the farm: henhouse path (a rope on the ground), hay bales (foam blocks), fence (sticks resting on chairs), hayloft (stacked mats) and chicken feeder (a hoop with beanbag “grain” beside it) (2 min).
2. The teacher plays the farmer and walks the farm carrying an egg (tennis ball) on a plate without dropping it (2 min).
3. First lap as farmers: each child carries an egg on a plate along the rope, puts it in the basket, jumps the bales, ducks under the fence, climbs the hayloft and tosses a beanbag into the hoop (5 min).
4. Second lap as sheepdogs: the course on all fours wherever possible (bales, fence and hayloft), with a soft bark at the end (4 min).
5. Third lap: each child picks a farm animal and does the course their way (piglet, bunny, duck) (3 min).
6. Sit together, count the eggs in the basket and say which animal everyone was (2 min).

Rules

• The egg rides on the plate: if it drops, pick it up and keep going.
• Go under the fence crouching or crawling; if a stick falls, put it back and carry on.
• One child at a time in the hayloft.
• Grain goes in the feeder, not at friends.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child carries the egg in the lap, goes beside the fence touching the sticks and tosses grain from the chair.
• Autism: a picture at each station showing the task (egg, jump, duck, climb, grain) and the same order on every lap.
• Visual impairment: swap the rope for a path of thin mats that can be felt underfoot, with a buddy clapping ahead.

Learning goals

• Link balancing, jumping, going under, low climbing and throwing.
• Explore different ways of moving by imitating animals.
• Cooperate on shared farm chores.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cuerdas: 3
• platos de plástico: 25
• pelotas de tenis: 25
• bloques de gomaespuma: 6
• picas: 3
• sillas: 6
• colchonetas: 3
• saquitos: 15
• aro: 1
• cesta: 1

Teacher tip

Sticks just resting, never tied, so they fall harmlessly if bumped. Outdoors, put the hayloft mats on smooth ground and check there's no sand underneath. A tennis ball on a plate is tough at 3–4: cheer every try.

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