Cone Simon: Growing Color Sequences
A movement version of the Simon game: each cone color goes with a gentle movement, and the group must remember and perform a sequence that grows every turn. It blends working memory, easy walking and joint mobility.
How to play
- Groups of five with four colored cones in a 3-meter square. Agree on one movement per color: red, slow squat; blue, overhead reach; yellow, reverse lunge; green, trunk rotation (1 min).
- The first student walks to a cone and does its movement; the second repeats that cone and adds another, and so on (3 min).
- When someone makes a mistake, the group helps them remember and the sequence continues from there, with nobody out (2 min).
- Final challenge: the whole group performs the longest sequence together, in sync (2 min).
Rules
- Walk between cones only, never run.
- Each movement is slow and controlled, about 3 seconds long.
- Nobody is eliminated: mistakes are fixed as a group.
- Groups stay at least 12 feet apart.
Variations
Easier
Use only three colors and the movement is just touching the cone.
Standard
Four colors, each with a mobility movement.
Harder
Recite the sequence backward, or add a fifth cone with a single-leg balance.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the movements are done with the upper body from the wheelchair.
- Visual impairment: replace the cones with four spots with different textures (hoop, rope, mat, cone) that are named aloud.
- Autism or memory difficulties: place a card with the four colors and movements next to the square.
Learning goals
- Train sequential motor memory in a playful setting.
- Lower intensity with walking and controlled mobility.
- Help classmates remember without penalizing mistakes.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 24
Teacher tip
Have groups write down their sequence record and challenge it next class. If intensity creeps up, swap the squat for an ankle bend.
PatioLab has "Cone Simon: Growing Color Sequences" and 5176 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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