Big and Small, Up and Down
Children learn pairs of opposites (big-small, up-down, fast-slow, open-close, loud-quiet) by doing them with their bodies and switching when the drum sounds. They practice simple concept words and controlling their bodies between extremes.
How to play
- In a circle, teach big (stretch huge, arms and legs wide) and small (curl into a ball); alternate (2 min).
- Teach up (tiptoes, arms high) and down (squat and touch the floor) (2 min).
- Walk around the space: fast (quick steps) and slow (slow motion) to the drumbeat (2 min).
- With hands and mouth: open and close, loud (big clap) and quiet (silent clap) (2 min).
- Say a word and children do its opposite (you say big, they go small) (3 min).
- Finish on small and quiet, very still on the floor (1 min).
Rules
- I show the word with my whole body.
- On small and down, I lower myself slowly without flopping.
- I move with the drum and stop when it stops.
Variations
Easier
Age 3: only big-small and up-down, with the teacher doing it too.
Standard
Age 4: all five pairs.
Harder
Age 5: the opposite game plus combos (big and slow, small and fast).
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: big-small and up-down with arms and trunk from a chair.
- Hearing impairment: each word has a gesture and card; loud and quiet become watching the drum.
- Autism: preview the pairs with pictures before starting.
Learning goals
- Understand opposite concepts.
- Move from one extreme to another with control.
- Adjust muscle tension and speed.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
Opposites are vocabulary and motor control at once. A common mistake on down is flopping, so ask them to sink like an elevator. For Spanish learners, use grande-pequeño, arriba-abajo.
PatioLab has "Big and Small, Up and Down" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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