Copy My Way Partner Course

In pairs, one leads and chooses how to get past each obstacle in the gym while the other follows, copying exactly how they move. Kids work on coordination, imitation and paying attention to a partner.

How to play

1. Spread several obstacles around the gym: 6 hoops, 2 mats, a low bench, 4 cones, the tunnel and 3 foam blocks.
2. Demonstrate with one child: you roll across the mat and the child copies; then you hop through the hoops on one foot and they copy again (2 min).
3. In pairs: the first is the "engine" and the second is the "train car," following and copying everything. Say: "The train car does exactly what the engine does" (3 min).
4. Tambourine: switch roles. The train car moves to the front and chooses how to get past (3 min).
5. Now the engine must invent a new way for every obstacle: "No repeats!" (3 min).
6. Closing circle: each pair shows its favorite way of getting past and the whole group copies it (3 min).

Rules

• The train car waits until the engine finishes the obstacle.
• Safe ways only: no jumping off the bench.
• If an obstacle is busy, go to another one.
• When the tambourine sounds, switch roles.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child leads as the engine so the partner copies the ways they can move.
• Shyness: pair with a trusted friend and start as the train car.
• More skilled: copy tricky moves like crawling backward along the bench; less skilled: floor obstacles only.

Learning goals

• Imitate a partner's movements.
• Invent different ways to get past an obstacle.
• Pay attention to another person while moving.

Equipment for a class of 25

• hoops: 6
• mats: 2
• benches: 1
• cones: 4
• fabric tunnel: 1
• foam blocks: 3
• tambourine: 1

Teacher tip

Three-year-olds tend to just run together without copying: give concrete examples and cheer out loud for every new way they invent.

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