Fast Pot, Slow Pot
The grown-up drums a pot with a wooden spoon and the child dances and moves to what they hear: fast beats, run; slow, giant steps; soft, tiptoes; and silence, freeze like a statue. Then they switch and the child becomes the musician. It works rhythm, listening and body expression with the pots and pans every home has.
How to play
- The teacher plays their pot and teaches the code: fast-run, slow-giant, soft-tiptoe, silence-statue (2 min).
- Each grown-up sits with a pot and spoon; the child moves around the room following their grown-up's rhythm (3 min).
- Grown-ups add two new sounds: a tap on the rim (hop on one foot) and rubbing the spoon (spin) (2 min).
- Switch: the child drums and their grown-up dances to the rhythm the child plays (3 min).
- Big finale: kids take turns playing three beats each on the teacher's pot while the grown-ups dance together in a circle (1 min).
- Total silence: freeze like statues, then slowly let the body go, like melting ice cream (1 min).
Rules
- Listen to the pot before you move.
- Silence means statue: freeze.
- The spoon hits the pot, never people.
- When I play, I play so my grown-up can dance.
Variations
Easier
Age 3: only two rhythms (fast and silence), and the teacher plays the same pot for everyone.
Standard
Age 4: all four rhythms and switching roles.
Harder
Age 5: all six sounds, and the child invents a new sound with its own movement.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the child moves arms, trunk and head to the rhythm, or the grown-up pushes the wheelchair fast or slow.
- Hearing impairment: the grown-up plays where the child can see and lifts the spoon high before each change; touching the pot lets them feel the vibration.
- Autism or noise sensitivity: use noise-reducing headphones, or play with a hand or brush instead of a spoon.
Learning goals
- Match movement to different rhythms and volumes.
- React quickly to sound signals.
- Express themselves through movement and create their own rhythms.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Pots or saucepans: 25
- Wooden spoons: 25
Teacher tip
Twenty-five pots at once get very loud: ask grown-ups to play softly and take frequent silent breaks. At home, one pot and a spoon are all you need to play anytime.
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