Beanbag Town and Its Streets

Together the children use beanbags to build the streets of a town (curbs, intersections, a town square) and then travel through it as pedestrians and cars, staying on the road and using crosswalks. It works building a shared space, orientation and first road-safety rules.

How to play

1. Show a simple street drawing and decide where the square goes (a hoop) (2 min).
2. In groups, lay beanbags in rows to make the street curbs (4 min).
3. Stroll down the streets as pedestrians without stepping on the curbs (2 min).
4. Now we're cars: drive down the street, stop at intersections and look both ways (3 min).
5. The teacher adds a hoop crosswalk: cars stop and pedestrians cross (3 min).
6. Cars park in the square and turn off their engines very slowly (2 min).

Rules

• I place beanbags touching so the street has no gaps.
• I stay inside the street without stepping on the curbs.
• At the intersection, I stop and look before going.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: make the streets wider for the wheelchair, and the child is the car in charge of the intersection.
• Visual impairment: double-thick beanbag curbs they can feel with a foot, plus a partner to hold hands with.
• Autism: give them the set role of crossing guard with a stop/go card.

Learning goals

• Build a play space together.
• Find their way along a route with intersections.
• Practice stopping and looking before crossing.

Equipment for a class of 25

• beanbags: 40
• hoops: 4

Teacher tip

Sort the beanbags by color for each group so everyone knows which street they're building. Make the streets wide enough for two children to pass without bumping.

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