Fireworks in Order and the Grand Finale

Children are fireworks in three colors, crouched and waiting, and they only burst when the teacher lights their color, in a set order; at the end they all go off at once for the grand finale. It works on waiting your turn, order and starting together.

How to play

1. Hand out scarves in three colors; each color group crouches together somewhere in the space like unlit fireworks (2 min).
2. The teacher lights a color with the fuse (a finger moving closer and a “tsssss”): that group shoots up with a jump, spins and tosses the scarf in the air (2 min).
3. Fireworks in order: first red, then blue, last green. Each group waits until the one before finishes (3 min).
4. Change the order and have children say it before starting: who goes first? (2 min).
5. Grand finale: “three, two, one…” and all colors burst at once, jumping and tossing scarves (2 min).
6. The sparks drift down slowly: sink to the floor like a falling scarf (1 min).

Rules

• I wait crouched until my color is lit.
• I burst upward without bumping.
• In the grand finale, we all go at once.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: bursts from the wheelchair with arms, scarf and a firecracker sound.
• Hearing impairment: the teacher points to the group with a scarf of their color.
• Autism: warn that the finale is noisy and offer a silent burst.

Learning goals

• Wait your turn within a sequence.
• Start moving at just the right moment.
• Jump and toss with energy and control.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Scarves in three colors: 25

Teacher tip

Spread the color groups well apart so bursts don't collide. Kids tend to burst every time, so when one group goes, the rest watch and clap: that's part of the show too.

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