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At the Hair Salon: Scissors, Comb and Dryer

Children copy salon tools with their bodies: scissors open and close the legs with jumps, the comb travels down the body, the dryer blows and turns, and shampoo makes suds. It warms up the joints through imitation.

Illustration of the PE activity At the Hair Salon: Scissors, Comb and Dryer
PhaseWarm-up
Duration6 min
Ages3–6
SpaceAny space
Equipmentmusic
IntensityModerate

How to play

  1. We walk into the salon and sit in the chair; the teacher is the stylist and shows a gesture for each tool (1 min).
  2. Shampoo: rub your head, make suds with your hands and rinse by tipping the head back and forward (1 min).
  3. Comb: comb your hair with your hand, then comb down shoulders, arms and legs to your feet (1 min).
  4. Scissors: jump legs open and closed, “snip, snip,” then do it with your arms (1 min).
  5. Dryer: blow hard, turn your head side to side and wave arms like warm air (1 min).
  6. Look in the mirror: strike a pose with your new hairdo and wave with a big smile (1 min).

Rules

Variations

Easier

For 3-year-olds, shampoo, comb and dryer, no scissor jumps.

Standard

For 4-year-olds, all tools and scissor jumps.

Harder

For 5-year-olds, pairs pretend to style each other, then swap; scissors become crossing the legs.

Adaptations

Learning goals

Equipment for a class of 25

Teacher tip

Neck moves are always slow, with no full head circles. Remind them stylists can be boys or girls, and rotate who plays the stylist.

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