Around the World
Different areas of the playground become continents, and students travel between them using the locomotor move the teacher calls out. At each continent they do a quick themed exercise, warming up while practicing spatial orientation.
How to play
- Use existing landmarks or court lines to define 4 or 5 areas, name each one after a continent and show students where they are (1 min).
- Start in the middle of the playground; call a continent and a way to travel, for example “Walk to Africa!” (1 min).
- Gradually increase the pace: skipping, galloping, jogging, side-shuffling (2 min).
- On arrival, do a quick themed exercise: kangaroo jumps in Oceania, penguin waddle in Antarctica, eagle arms in America (1 min).
- End with a slow walk back to the center and deep breaths before the main activity (1 min).
Rules
- Travel only with the move the teacher called.
- Look ahead and avoid other travelers; no racing to arrive first.
- Wait inside the continent until the next call.
- Stop at the whistle wherever you are.
Variations
Easier
Use only three continents close together and walking or skipping moves for 7- and 8-year-olds.
Standard
Six minutes using all the continents, with varied moves and a themed exercise at each stop.
Harder
Call two continents in a row (“Asia then Europe”) or point in a direction (north, south) instead of naming the continent.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: student becomes the travel agent who calls continents, or travels with a shorter route.
- Hearing impairment: hold up a card with the continent and a picture of the move for each call.
- Low fitness: allow walking at any time and shorten the distance between continents.
Learning goals
- Warm up through varied locomotor skills.
- Develop spatial orientation by locating areas in the playground.
- React quickly to verbal instructions.
Teacher tip
Choose areas that students already recognize, such as the basketball hoop or the fence, so they spend less time asking where to go. Keep distances short at first and increase intensity little by little.
PatioLab has "Around the World" and 599 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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