Flip the Sock Pancake
We're chefs: the paper plate paddle is the frying pan and the sock ball is the pancake, which we toss up a little and catch back in the pan. It builds controlling the push, tracking with the eyes and catching with a tool.
How to play
- Each chef gets a pan and a pancake, and we learn to carry it around the kitchen without dropping it (2 min).
- Move the pan slowly forward and back, up and down, with the pancake on it (2 min).
- Give the pancake a little hop, just a hand's height, and catch it in the pan (3 min).
- Flip it: a slightly higher hop, catching it while looking only at the pancake (2 min).
- Switch hands and try passing the pancake to a classmate's plate (2 min).
- Serve the pancake: drop it in the basket saying "Enjoy your meal!" (1 min).
Rules
- The pancake hops a little, not to the ceiling.
- I watch the pancake until it lands back in the pan.
- Every chef stays in their own kitchen, apart from others.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, just carry the pancake in the pan and move it without dropping it.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, do small hops and catch it on the plate.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, hop it higher, use the other hand, or pass it to a classmate's plate.
Adaptations
- Less dexterity: use a paper bowl or box lid as the pan, with a higher rim so the pancake stays in.
- Limited mobility: play seated; a classmate hands the pancake back if it lands far away.
- Autism: provide picture cards of the chef steps (carry, move, flip, serve) and a marked personal space.
Learning goals
- Control force when tossing with a tool.
- Receive an object with a tool.
- Enjoy pretend cooking play.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Paper plate paddles: 25
- Sock balls: 25
Teacher tip
If the plate is floppy, tape two together for stiffness. Teach them to flip with the wrist, not the whole arm; that's the hardest part for them.
PatioLab has "Flip the Sock Pancake" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More main activities for Elementary
"Al Pasar la Barca" Parachute Rowing
Sitting around the parachute, children row by pulling the fabric toward them and letting it go toward the middle to the rhythm of the traditional Spanish song "Al pasar…
"Corro de la Patata" Parachute Circle
Children circle with the parachute while singing the traditional Spanish song "Al corro de la patata" (Potato Circle), and on "achupé, achupé" everyone sits down…
"El Patio de Mi Casa" Parachute Song
Children sing the traditional Spanish ring song "El patio de mi casa" while circling with the parachute and lowering it to the ground on "agáchate" (squat down).
"Que Llueva" Parachute Rain
Using the traditional Spanish children's song "Que llueva, que llueva" (Let It Rain), children make rain, clouds and sun with the parachute, and some hide underneath as…
«A la Zapatilla por Detrás»: The Slipper Behind Your Back
Sitting in a circle with eyes covered, one child walks around the outside with a slipper singing the traditional Spanish rhyme «A la zapatilla por detrás» («the…
«A Tapar la Calle»: The Chain That Blocks the Street
Half the class forms a hand-in-hand chain that walks forward singing the traditional Spanish song «A tapar la calle» («Block the street so nobody passes»), while the…