Hurry Up, We're Late for School!
Children act out their morning routine, from the alarm clock to the dash into school: stretching, getting dressed, brushing teeth and rushing out the door. It warms up the whole body with everyday actions and plays with speed.
How to play
- Everyone lies down asleep; the teacher goes “Beep, beep, beep!” like an alarm, and we wake up stretching our arms and legs (1 min).
- We put on invisible clothes: pants standing up, one leg then the other, the shirt over our head and our socks (1 min).
- Bathroom time: we wash our face, brush our teeth hard and comb our hair (1 min).
- Shoes, zip up the coat and backpack on; the teacher says “We're late!” and we do everything faster (1 min).
- We run all over the space to catch the pretend bus, dodging the neighbors (1 min).
- We get to school, take off our backpack, say hi to the teacher and sit down huffing and puffing (1 min).
Rules
- I do what I do at home in the morning.
- If the teacher says “We're late!”, I go faster.
- I run for the bus without bumping into anyone.
- When I get to school, I sit down and breathe.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the teacher models each action and everyone copies together, with no speed changes.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, the full routine with the “We're late!” call.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, put on the pants standing on one foot without holding on, and children suggest a new action from their morning.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: does the whole routine seated and catches the bus by moving arms as if pushing wheels.
- Hearing loss: the alarm is the lights flicking on and off, and “late” is pointing to a pretend watch.
- More skilled children: can be the alarm clock and the one who calls “We're late!”
Learning goals
- Warm up the body by acting out everyday actions.
- Coordinate arms and legs in dressing movements.
- Change the speed of movements.
Teacher tip
Ham it up: a giant yawn, the leg that won't go into the pants. Ask what else they do in the morning; breakfast always comes up and you can add it.
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