Crawl Patterns: Bear, Crab, and Lizard
A warm-up in 10 m lanes where students learn and link three crawling patterns: bear, crab and lizard. It activates the shoulders, core and hips together and improves arm-leg coordination and body control close to the ground.
How to play
- Mark 6 lanes of 10 m (about 33 ft) with cones, 4 students per lane in a line. Warm up the wrists on all fours with forward-back rocks and circles (1 min).
- Bear crawl: hands and feet on the floor, knees a hand's width off the ground, moving the opposite hand and foot together. Bear crawl down and walk back (2 min).
- Crab walk: sitting with hands behind and hips lifted, move backward without letting the hips sag. Crab walk down and bear crawl back (2 min).
- Lizard crawl: from a plank with bent elbows, move forward by bringing each knee toward the elbow on the same side. Just 5 m down and walk back (2 min).
- Combo: 3 m bear, turn into crab for 3 m, turn back to bear and lizard crawl the last 4 m. Each line goes in waves with 2 m between students (2 min).
Rules
- In the bear crawl, knees stay off the floor and the back stays flat.
- Move slowly and with control: this is not a race.
- Safety: warm up the wrists first and keep 2 m behind the student in front.
- If your wrists hurt, crawl on closed fists or take a break.
Variations
Easier
Bear crawl with knees down, and crab in place lifting the hips five times.
Standard
Bear, crab and lizard crawls in 10 m lanes plus a final linked combo.
Harder
Balance a cone on the lower back during the bear crawl sections without dropping it.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: a seated version with hip lifts, hands planted behind, and walking the hands along the floor.
- Autism or shy students: teach each pattern separately with a peer model and let the student choose the end lane.
- Lower fitness: crawl half of each lane and walk the rest.
Learning goals
- Coordinate opposite arms and legs while crawling.
- Activate the shoulders, core and hips before the main activity.
- Control the body close to the ground with a stable back.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cones: 12
Teacher tip
This is a great lead-in to gymnastics, wrestling or floor games. The usual bear crawl mistake is hips too high: tell students to imagine a cup of water resting on their back.
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