Follow Mama Duck Waddle
The teacher is Mama Duck and the kids are ducklings who follow her around the playground, copying how she waddles, swims, shakes and hides. It warms up legs and arms with varied locomotion and builds imitation and listening to short cues.
How to play
- Children stand spread out behind the teacher, not touching. Say: "I'm Mama Duck and you're my ducklings. Quack, quack, follow me!"
- First minute: the teacher waddles in a low squat, wiggling the tail, hands tucked like wings. Everyone follows around the playground saying "quack, quack."
- Cue "Into the pond, ducklings!": everyone swims standing up, arms paddling, walking on tiptoes for one minute.
- Cue "Shake your feathers!": stop and shake arms, legs and head for 10 seconds. Repeat three times between walks.
- Cue "Here comes the dog!": everyone crouches close around the teacher, silent, counting to three. Then "He's gone!" and they waddle again.
- Last two minutes: one child is Mama Duck for 30 seconds and the others copy. Switch leaders on a hand clap.
Rules
- Walk behind the leader with no passing or pushing.
- When you crouch, find your own space without landing on anyone.
- When you hear the clap, freeze and listen.
- Stay in the open area, away from benches and poles.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, just waddle and shake, with the teacher always leading.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, add swimming and hiding from the dog.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, leaders invent a new duck walk for others to copy.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the child does the arm moves and sounds in place or with a buddy pushing the wheelchair.
- Autism or shyness: the child holds the teacher's hand as the closest duckling and never has to lead.
- More skilled kids waddle in a deep squat; less skilled kids walk normally with wing arms.
Learning goals
- Copy different walks and movements from the teacher.
- Respond to simple spoken cues.
- Warm up legs and arms while playing as a group.
Teacher tip
Model each walk before asking for it and ham up the sound: a loud "quack, quack" hooks kids faster than any explanation. Change the movement every minute to keep attention.
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