A Stroll Through Our Gallery

With the mural we just painted hung up or laid out, children stroll slowly like museum visitors, look at the marks, and pick a favorite. They calm down, practice careful looking, and appreciate everyone's work.

How to play

1. We hang or lay out the mural, and the teacher explains how people act in a museum: slowly, hands behind their backs, using quiet voices (1 min).
2. We stroll very slowly around the mural with our hands behind our backs, like museum visitors (1 min).
3. Each child stops in front of their favorite mark and copies it with their body, frozen like a sculpture (1 min).
4. A few children whisper which mark they picked and which body part they think made it (1 min).
5. We sit facing the mural, take three deep breaths, and give it a silent cheer by waving our hands in the air (1 min).

Rules

• In a museum, we walk slowly.
• Hands go behind your back: we look at the painting, we don't touch it.
• Use a quiet voice and listen to whoever is talking.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: hang the mural at wheelchair height and leave wide aisles.
• Autism: let them choose their mark before starting, and don't make them speak in front of the group.
• Visual impairment: describe the mark in front of them and let them touch the paper once it's dry.

Learning goals

• Calm down by walking slowly.
• Look at and appreciate group work.
• Express what they see through their bodies.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Mural painted in the session: 1

Teacher tip

If the paint is still wet, hang it up or tape a line on the floor that no one crosses. Praise the group's piece rather than one child's mark.

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