Good Morning, Body

Children say good morning to each part of their body with a made-up chant and wake it up with a small movement. It builds body-part vocabulary and gently warms up the body at the start of the session.

How to play

1. Standing in a circle, the teacher teaches the chant: "Good morning, little head, wake up slowly from your bed" while slowly moving the head (1 min).
2. Repeat the chant with new parts: shoulders go up and down, arms stretch out, hands open and close (1 min).
3. Work down the body: tummy puffs up, knees bend, feet tap the floor (1 min).
4. When the drum plays, everyone walks around saying hello with the part the teacher calls: "Hello with your elbow!" "Hello with your knee!" (2 min).
5. Back in the circle, say good morning to the whole body at once with a big stretch and a yawn (1 min).

Rules

• Each part wakes up slowly, no banging.
• When the drum stops, we freeze and listen.
• We say hello without bumping into friends.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: children in wheelchairs wake up the parts they can move and say hello by bringing a hand to the named part.
• Autism: always use the same chant and the same head-to-toe order, with a body poster in view.
• Hearing impairment: along with the drum, raise a hand to signal "stop" and point to the part on your own body.

Learning goals

• Name the main parts of the body.
• Move each part gently and on its own.
• Warm up the body calmly at the start of the session.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Always go head to toe: a fixed order helps them predict what comes next. The typical mistake is moving the whole body at once, so exaggerate moving just one part.

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