Cars, Trains and Planes

Grouping game where the teacher calls a type of vehicle and students form a group of the matching size and travel like it to a garage. Students practice varied locomotor skills, crawling, quick decisions and cooperation.

How to play

1. Place 4 colored cones in the corners of the playground as garages. Everyone moves freely to the beat of a hand drum.
2. Introduce the vehicles (3 min): plane, alone with arms out; motorcycle, in pairs, one behind the other with hands on shoulders; car, groups of 4 holding hands; train, lines of 5 holding waists; submarine, alone, crawling on the belly.
3. When a vehicle is called, students form that group as fast as possible and travel that way. Anyone without a group joins the teacher as the tow truck and joins the next group.
4. After about 20 seconds, add a color: 'Cars to the red garage!' The group must reach that cone without letting go.
5. Play for 8 minutes, mixing vehicles and garages. At the end, students invent a new vehicle and explain how it moves.

Rules

• Groups don't let go while traveling.
• Trains and cars move at the speed of the slowest member.
• Nobody refuses a classmate who wants to join their group.
• Submarines only crawl on surfaces with no gravel.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a wheelchair user is the train engine or car driver who sets the pace.
• Deaf or hard of hearing: each vehicle has a picture card that the teacher holds up.
• Fitness level: between calls, very active students run as planes while tired students walk.

Learning goals

• Travel in different ways, including crawling, following the call.
• Form groups quickly without leaving anyone out.
• Coordinate movement with classmates without letting go.

Equipment for a class of 25

• colored cones: 4
• hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Mix group sizes so the same friends don't always end up together. If someone is often left out, make them the station master who picks the garage.

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