Bear There, Frog Back

In short lines, children run there-and-back relays moving like a different animal each way, and the whole class tries to finish before the sand runs out. It practices animal walks and whole-body coordination.

How to play

1. Set up five lines of four or five kids behind a cone, with another cone about 20 feet away. The teacher demonstrates the bear (hands and feet) and the frog (low hops) (1 min).
2. Practice round with no timer: each child goes there as a bear, comes back as a frog and high-fives the next child (2 min).
3. Flip the sand timer: all lines go at once, and the challenge is for the whole class to finish before the sand runs out (2 min).
4. Switch animals: crab there, kangaroo back, and try again with the timer (2 min).
5. Sit down, check whether we made it and celebrate with a bear roar and a frog croak (1 min).

Rules

• I wait behind the cone until my friend high-fives me.
• I stay my animal the whole way, even if it's slow.
• When I finish, I cheer for the friends still going.
• No line wins: the class wins if we all do it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: act out the animal with the arms (wings, claws) while covering the path their own way.
• Autism: tape picture cards of the going and returning animals to each cone.
• More skilled kids: carry a beanbag on the back as a bear without dropping it.

Learning goals

• Move by imitating different animals.
• Wait for a turn and tag in a teammate.
• Experience success as a whole-group achievement.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cones: 10
• Large sand timer: 1

Teacher tip

Keep lines to five kids so nobody waits long. Kids tend to stand up and run near the end, so put the return cone a little closer so they arrive still being animals.

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