Backyard Bugs Movement Story
Students shrink down to bug size and explore a backyard garden, turning into ants, grasshoppers, spiders, bees and ladybugs. Each bug has its own way of moving that warms up the legs, arms and core.
How to play
- In a circle, the teacher says we drink a shrinking potion: lower slowly until crouched in a tiny ball (30 sec).
- Ants: in lines of 5, carry a giant crumb on your head and walk fast behind the leader (1 min).
- Grasshoppers: long two-foot jumps, crouching low before each one, 3 sets of 6 (1 min).
- Spiders: crab walk (hands and feet on the ground, belly to the sky) a few yards, then rest; repeat 3 times (1 min).
- Bees: jog from flower to flower with buzzing arms; on "Honey!", stop and circle the arms (1 min).
- Ladybugs: lie on your back and roll slowly side to side, then stand up and grow back to normal size (1 min 30 sec).
Rules
- Every bug moves without bumping into others.
- Land jumps with bent knees.
- In the ant line, nobody passes the leader.
- On a long clap, everyone stops.
Variations
Easier
Skip the spider and make the grasshopper jumps short.
Standard
Visit all five bugs in story order.
Harder
The teacher names the bug without saying how it moves and students must remember.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: does each bug with the arms and trunk (bee arms, ladybug turning the trunk in place).
- Hearing impairment: the teacher shows a card or drawing of each bug when naming it.
- Fitness level: students who can't hold the crab walk do a bear crawl instead.
Learning goals
- Explore varied locomotor moves by imitating bugs.
- Warm up legs, arms and core gradually.
- Follow a story by listening to the teacher's cues.
Teacher tip
The crab walk is hard for little ones: keep the distance short with rests. If the floor is dirty, swap the ladybug roll for standing turns.
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