Elbow to Elbow, Knee to Knee

Children move around the room and, at the signal, find a partner and gently touch together the body part the teacher calls. It builds recognition of body parts on oneself and others, and respectful touch.

How to play

1. With a child helper, the teacher shows how to gently join "hand to hand," "elbow to elbow" or "foot to foot" (1 min).
2. Everyone walks to the drumbeat; when it stops, the teacher calls "Hand to hand!" and each child finds someone nearby (2 min).
3. Keep going with new parts: shoulder to shoulder, knee to knee, back to back, ankle to ankle (2 min).
4. Change the way of moving (little hops, tiptoes, giant steps) before each meeting (1 min).
5. To finish, "Hand to hand with everyone!": make a big circle and breathe together (1 min).

Rules

• Join parts slowly, as if they were made of glass.
• If someone has no partner, make a group of three.
• If a friend doesn't want to touch, we high-five in the air.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: classmates come to the child in a wheelchair and join parts at their height.
• Autism or touch aversion: allow bringing parts close without touching, a hand's width apart, or put a scarf between the two parts.
• Visual impairment: the partner says their name and guides the child's hand to the part.

Learning goals

• Locate a body part on oneself and on another person.
• Move around the space without bumping.
• Practice gentle, respectful physical contact.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Before starting, talk about how each person's body belongs to them and it's okay to say no. Skip head to head; it's the one that causes the most bumps.

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