Chalk Body Outline Homes
Kid-size outlines are chalked on the playground and become little homes. While the tambourine plays, kids move freely; when it stops, they find an outline and place the body part the teacher names. Kids practice body awareness on the move.
How to play
- Before class, the teacher chalks about 22 lying-down outlines (more than kids), a couple of steps apart.
- Spread out, kids walk among the outlines while the tambourine plays, without stepping on them (2 min to try it out).
- When the tambourine stops, the teacher says: "Find a home and put your feet on its feet!" Each child picks a free outline.
- Next stops: "Now your hand on its hand!", "Your bottom on its bottom!", "Lie down all the way inside!" About 10 stops (8 min).
- Change how kids travel between stops: on tiptoes, crawling like a cat, hopping like kangaroos.
- To finish, each child stays in an outline and "cleans" it with a finger, naming each part they touch (3 min).
Rules
- Walk outside the outlines while the tambourine plays.
- If two kids reach the same home, share it or one finds another; no pushing.
- Look ahead while moving so nobody bumps.
- When the tambourine stops, everyone freezes and listens.
Variations
Easier
Only big parts (feet, hands, bottom) and walking between stops.
Standard
Combine two parts: "one foot and one hand in the home."
Harder
Ask for small parts or one-sided parts, and two kids must share a single outline.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: draw outlines closer together; the child meets the cue by touching the outline with a hand or wheel.
- Hearing loss: besides the tambourine, the teacher raises both arms to freeze and points to the body part on themselves.
- Different skill levels: confident movers pick faraway outlines and hop there; others use the nearby ones.
Learning goals
- Match their body position to an outline.
- Identify body parts on themselves and on a drawing.
- Move through space without bumping into others.
Equipment for a class of 25
- sidewalk chalk: 6
- tambourine: 1
Teacher tip
Draw outlines in different sizes so everyone finds a fit. If you have time, trace a few kids beforehand: they love hunting for their own outline.
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