Action Cards: Jump, Spin, Crawl

The teacher holds up picture cards of actions (jump, spin, crawl on your belly, crawl on hands and knees, tiptoe, roll) and everyone does what the card says while saying the word. Children connect pictures with action words and warm up their basic movements.

How to play

1. Seated, show the cards one by one; children say the word and act it out briefly with their hands (1 min).
2. Everyone stands: "tiptoe" and "jump" come up, and we move around saying the word on every jump (2 min).
3. "Spin" and "crawl" come up: we turn slowly in place and crawl like kittens (1 min).
4. "Slither" and "roll" come up: we slide on our tummies like lizards and roll like logs (1 min).
5. Switch cards faster and faster; everyone changes action and says the word (2 min).

Rules

• I do what the card says, not what my friend is doing.
• I say the word while I move.
• When I slither or roll, I check that nobody is in front of me.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: each card has an arm version (jump = clap overhead, spin = windmill arms).
• Visual impairment: say each word with its own sound effect (boing for jump, whoosh for spin).
• Lower skill level: allow crawling on hands and knees instead of slithering.

Learning goals

• Connect an action picture to its word.
• Perform jumps, spins, slithering and rolling.
• Warm up through quick changes of action.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Action picture cards: 6

Teacher tip

Make the cards large, with a simple stick figure, an arrow showing the movement, and the word printed underneath. Use a clear area or mats for slithering and rolling.

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