Four of Us Make an Elephant

In groups of four, children join their bodies to build big animals, an elephant, a crocodile, a giraffe, and then make them walk without falling apart. It works on body expression and building something together with their bodies.

How to play

1. The teacher and three kids make an elephant: one in front with an arm as the trunk, two behind holding the waist in front of them, and the last with a hand as the tail (2 min).
2. Each group builds its own elephant and walks it through the jungle trumpeting (2 min).
3. Crocodile: all four in a line on hands and knees, and the first one opens and closes their arms like a mouth (2 min).
4. Giraffe: one stands with arms stretched up as the neck, and the others are the legs and body holding on behind (2 min).
5. Each group invents its own animal and the others guess what it is (2 min).
6. The zoo goes to sleep: all the animals lie down together without coming apart (2 min).

Rules

• We hold on gently so the animal doesn't break.
• The animal walks slowly, at the pace of the slowest part.
• Everyone is part of the animal.
• If the animal falls apart, we put it back together.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: they can be the animal's head from their wheelchair, choosing the direction and the sound.
• Autism: let them pick their spot in the animal, such as the tail, where nobody holds on to them.
• Visual impairment: the teacher helps them feel how classmates are positioned before building the animal.

Learning goals

• Express animal shapes with the body.
• Build group figures by coordinating poses.
• Move together without losing the shape.

Teacher tip

Always demonstrate with children in front of everyone. The usual squabble is over who gets to be the head: rotate it for every animal.

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