Butterflies Landing on Flowers

Children fly around like butterflies and, when they stop, land on a paper flower and do butterfly pose: sitting, soles of the feet together, knees flapping. They switch between moving and a hip stretch.

How to play

1. The teacher spreads paper flowers on the ground, one per child, and shows butterfly pose sitting in a circle (2 min).
2. Flap the knees slowly, then fast, like a butterfly getting ready to fly (2 min).
3. Fly around the yard flapping the arms like wings, on tiptoes, without bumping (2 min).
4. When the teacher says «to the flowers!», each butterfly lands on a flower, does the pose and sips nectar by leaning forward a little (3 min).
5. Repeat, changing flowers each time; on the last one, the butterfly closes its wings (knees together) and falls asleep (3 min).

Rules

• Butterflies fly without bumping or rushing.
• Each butterfly finds an empty flower.
• When I sip nectar, I only lean as far as I can.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: fly by flapping the arms from the chair and make the butterfly with the hands (palms opening and closing).
• Visual impairment: use hoops they can feel with their feet instead of flowers, and fly holding a buddy's hand.
• Autism: the child has a fixed flower with their name and always returns to it.

Learning goals

• Open and loosen the hips.
• Switch between movement and stillness.
• Move with control through the space.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cartulinas de colores: 25

Teacher tip

Tape the flowers down so they don't slide when kids sit. Never push knees down: every butterfly's wings sit at their own height.

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