Construction Trucks Haul the Bricks
Children are trucks hauling blocks from the warehouse to the building site in different ways, alone and in pairs, and finally build a big corral together to sit inside. They practice carrying objects with different body parts and cooperating on a shared project.
How to play
- Mark the warehouse with all the blocks on one side of the playground and the building site on the other with cones; each child is a truck with its own engine noise (1 min).
- Little trucks: each child carries one block in both hands to the site and goes back for another (3 min).
- Special trucks: carry the block on your head, under your arm, or on your back while crawling (3 min).
- Big trucks: in pairs, two children carry two blocks together, each holding one end of both (3 min).
- At the site, everyone lays the blocks on the ground to make a big round corral (2 min).
- We all step into the corral, sit down and admire what we built together (2 min).
Rules
- Trucks stay in their lane and don't crash.
- Each truck carries its load without throwing it.
- In two-person trucks, we move together: if one stops, both stop.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, only little trucks and head-carrying; the teacher starts the corral and they finish it.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, use every way of carrying and build the corral together.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, each pair carries a pole between them with two blocks threaded on it, and the corral gets a gate.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a child in a wheelchair is the crane truck, carrying several blocks on their lap while a buddy pushes.
- Autism: give a fixed route and a set number of trips with a visual count (five blocks, five stickers).
- Less strength: use light foam blocks instead of plastic agility blocks.
Learning goals
- Carry objects with different body parts.
- Coordinate with a partner to carry a load.
- Take part in a group building project.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Agility blocks: 40
- Cones: 8
Teacher tip
Don't put the site too far away: many short trips beat a few long ones. Take a photo of the finished corral and show it the next day; they love seeing what they built together.
PatioLab has "Construction Trucks Haul the Bricks" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
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