Body Part Train

In groups of four, students form trains where each car connects to the one in front using the body part the teacher calls: shoulders, waist, elbows or a hand on the back. The trains travel a cone course without breaking apart.

How to play

1. Make groups of four in a line. Use cones to mark a course with curves and stations about 100 feet long around the playground (2 min).
2. First connection: hands on the shoulders of the person in front. Trains walk the course without letting go (3 min).
3. At each station, the teacher changes the connection: hands on the waist, pointer finger on the elbow, one hand on the back, or a hand on the opposite shoulder (4 min).
4. When the teacher calls switch engineers, the leader goes to the back and the new engineer picks the step: tiptoes, long strides or crouched low (3 min).
5. To finish, two trains join into an eight-car train and must complete the whole course with a connection they choose (3 min).

Rules

• Always walk or jog gently, never run.
• No pulling or pushing the car in front.
• If a train breaks, stop, reconnect and keep going.
• The engineer looks ahead and calls out the curves.

Variations

Adaptations

• A student in a wheelchair can be the engineer or a car with the student behind touching their shoulder and walking alongside.
• For students with autism or who avoid contact, allow connecting with a scarf or a short rope held by both.
• For fitter students, add stretches of light jogging and two-foot jumps at some stations.

Learning goals

• Use different body parts as a connection point with a partner.
• Match moving pace to the group.
• Take turns as leader and follower while respecting classmates.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cones: 10

Teacher tip

Demonstrate each connection before switching; watch for trains that go too fast and slow them down with the rule that the slowest car sets the pace.

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