Island Hop: Follow the Directions

Islands made of hoops in four colors are spread around the blacktop, and the teacher calls multi-part directions such as "Hop to a red island" or "Three friends in a blue island." Students must listen, understand and follow through, so they practice locomotor skills, careful listening and color, number and action words.

How to play

1. Spread 20 hoops in four colors around the area. Before starting, review the words you'll use with gestures: walk, run, hop, jump, skip, crawl; red, blue, green, yellow; one, two, three (3 min).
2. The music plays and everyone travels between the islands without stepping in them. When it stops, call a direction such as "Jump to a green island!" and everyone jumps to a green hoop.
3. Add numbers: "Two in a yellow island!" If an island is full, find another with space; nobody is out (4 min).
4. Add body parts: "One foot and one hand in a red island!" or "Sit in a blue island!" (3 min).
5. Take away 4 hoops: now islands must be shared, and students help each other so everyone fits (3 min).
6. To finish, a student volunteer calls the directions for the rest of the class (2 min).

Rules

• Move the way the direction says, with no pushing to get into an island.
• Make room in the hoop for whoever arrives.
• Listen to the whole direction before moving.
• Look ahead while traveling so you don't bump into anyone.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student travels their own way, and the islands closest to them are saved for them when needed.
• Hearing impairment: pair each direction with a picture card showing the color, number and action.
• English learners: pair students still learning the words with a buddy who already knows them.

Learning goals

• Understand simple spoken directions and respond with the right movement.
• Travel in different ways while sharing space with others.
• Cooperate to share the space on the islands.

Equipment for a class of 25

• hoops: 20
• music: 1

Teacher tip

Check with the classroom or ELL teacher to use vocabulary from their current unit. Speak slowly and keep the same sentence pattern at first; once students have it down, switch it up.

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