Every Animal to Its Pen by Sound

At night on the farm, the animals have escaped: an animal sound plays and everyone heads to that animal's pen, moving like it. Children practice recognizing animal sounds and imitating the way animals move.

How to play

1. Make four pens with jump ropes on the ground and place a picture in each: cow, sheep, chicken, and pig (2 min).
2. Listen on the speaker to the moo, baa, cluck, and oink, and try out how each animal moves: the cow slowly on all fours, the sheep with little hops, the chicken flapping, the pig crawling and sniffing (3 min).
3. It's nighttime and the animals escape: everyone wanders freely around the playground (1 min).
4. An animal sound plays: everyone goes to its pen moving like that animal, then makes its sound on arrival (4 min).
5. Add other country animal sounds (dog, horse, duck) that don't have a pen: when you hear one, freeze and listen (3 min).
6. Morning comes: the rooster crows and all the animals lie down in the sun to rest (2 min).

Rules

• Listen to the sound before you go.
• There's room for everyone in the pen; no pushing.
• If an animal with no pen sounds, freeze like a statue.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: moves in their own way; just ask for the animal's sound and an arm gesture.
• Hearing impairment: the teacher shows the animal picture as the sound plays, or makes the sound up close with a gesture.
• Visual impairment: each pen has an object to touch (soft fabric for the sheep, a big feather for the chicken), and a classmate goes along.

Learning goals

• Recognize farm animal sounds.
• Imitate the ways animals move.
• Find their way to a specific area.

Equipment for a class of 25

• cuerdas: 4
• láminas de animales: 4
• altavoz: 1

Teacher tip

If you don't have recordings, make the sounds yourself, but turn around so kids can't read your mouth. Pens need to be big: jump ropes laid in a circle fit the whole group.

More main activities for Elementary