Face the Wall and Count to Ten

Children practice the hide-and-seek counting ritual without hiding yet: one counts facing the wall while the others do one movement for every number they hear. It warms up the body and teaches them to count slowly and call “Ready or not!” before playing on their own.

How to play

1. Everyone faces the wall with hands over eyes and counts slowly from one to ten with the teacher (1 min).
2. Now the teacher counts alone while kids, backs to the wall, jump once for each number (1 min).
3. One child counts facing the wall while the others take a giant step away for each number (1 min).
4. On “Ready or not, here I come!”, the counter turns around and everyone freezes like a statue; switch counters (1 min).
5. Repeat with two more counters, sneaking away on tiptoe, on one foot or like crabs (1 min).

Rules

• The counter keeps eyes covered until ten.
• Count slowly so everyone has time.
• On “Here I come!”, everyone freezes like a statue.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: be the counter, or move away by turning the wheelchair or scooting while seated.
• Hearing impairment: the counter raises a finger for each number and ends with a big visible slap on the wall.
• Autism: a child who would rather not cover their eyes can look down or press both hands on the wall.

Learning goals

• Activate the legs with jumps and big steps.
• Learn to count slowly out loud, as in hide-and-seek.
• Respond to the “Here I come!” signal.

Teacher tip

This is the first step toward hide-and-seek: once kids can count slowly with eyes covered, the game runs itself at recess. They tend to count at top speed, so model it with a slap on the wall for each number.

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