Cones Up, Cones Down

Children roam among cones spread around the playground and, at the signal, knock over the ones standing or stand up the ones lying down. Lots of squatting and standing gets the body moving while children practice listening for the cue.

How to play

1. The teacher scatters the cones, half standing and half lying down, and shows how to tip one over gently with a hand, never a kick (1 min).
2. To the beat of the drum, everyone walks between the cones without touching them; when it stops, each child squats and stands up a lying cone (1 min).
3. Now the opposite: when the drum stops, each child gently tips over a standing cone (1 min).
4. Mix it up: the teacher calls “Stand them up!” or “Lay them down!” and everyone hurries to a different cone each time (2 min).
5. To finish, we all stand every cone back up together and sit next to one to catch our breath (1 min).

Rules

• Cones get tipped over with your hand, never your foot.
• One cone per friend: if someone already has it, find another.
• When the drum stops, squat down carefully without bumping anyone.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: place some cones on a bench or low table so a child using a wheelchair can stand them up and tip them over at their height.
• Hearing impairment: pair “Stand them up” with an arm raised high and “Lay them down” with a flat hand toward the floor.
• Autism: start with few cones and plenty of space, and show a picture card of the next command before each round.

Learning goals

• Warm up with movement, squatting and standing.
• React to a sound or verbal signal.
• Find their way around the space, avoiding objects and classmates.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cones: 35
• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Put out more cones than children so nobody is left waiting. The usual mistake is kicking cones and sending them rolling: model using your hand from the start and praise children who do it gently.

More activities like this

More warm-ups for Elementary