How Many Beanbags Can My Back Hold?

In pairs, one child gets on hands and knees and the other places beanbags on their back one at a time, carefully, while the child underneath tries to stay still and then crawl without dropping them. It works postural control, cooperation and looking after a partner.

How to play

1. Practice being a table: on hands and knees with a flat back (2 min).
2. In pairs, one is the table and the other places one beanbag, then two, then three (3 min).
3. The table crawls slowly along the mat; the partner picks up any that fall (3 min).
4. Switch roles (3 min).
5. Try stacking the beanbags into a two-story tower (2 min).
6. Lift the beanbags off one by one, as if they were feathers (1 min).

Rules

• I place the beanbags gently, never throw them.
• The table stays still until my friend says "Ready."
• We count together how many it's holding.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child in a wheelchair places beanbags on a partner's back or carries them on their lap.
• Autism: if back contact is too much, they can be the placer or carry the beanbags on a tray.
• Visual impairment: the placer says out loud where each beanbag goes and the child underneath counts them.

Learning goals

• Keep the trunk steady on hands and knees.
• Take care of a partner with gentle movements.
• Work in pairs toward a shared challenge.

Equipment for a class of 25

• beanbags: 30
• mats: 6

Teacher tip

Stress the word "gently" and that there's no record to beat; each pair sets its own challenge. Put mats down in case someone gets tired and flops.

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