Good Night, Little Animals

With soft music playing, the teacher tucks in the animals ("Good night, cat," "Good night, bird") and children fall asleep the way each animal does, ending with a whispered good night to everyone. They name animals and cool down.

How to play

1. Standing, say "Good night, cat" and curl into a ball on the floor like a cat with a tiny meow (1 min).
2. "Good night, bird": tuck your head under your wing and stand still on both feet (1 min).
3. "Good night, dog": lie on your side with knees tucked and breathe like a sleeping puppy (1 min).
4. "Good night, fish": on your back, move only your fingers slowly like fins until they stop (1 min).
5. Everyone still, whisper "Good night, children" and each child whispers "good night" back (1 min).

Rules

• I move very slowly.
• I use my sleepy voice.
• When the animal falls asleep, I stay still.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: do the animals seated or lying down without changing position.
• Visual impairment: describe each pose and gently touch the body part that rests on the floor.
• Autism: keep the same animals in the same order every time.

Learning goals

• Name some animals.
• Take restful, relaxed positions.
• End the session calmly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Soft music

Teacher tip

Use the same music every time for this cool-down and lower the volume at the end. In Spanish-learning classes, say it in Spanish: buenas noches, gato.

More activities like this

More cool-downs for Elementary