Launch the Rocket With the Teacher's Voice
The teacher's voice rises like a rocket from low to high and falls like a parachute from high to low, and children raise and lower their bodies, sticking with the sound. They practice hearing pitch change smoothly and connecting it to up and down.
How to play
- Crouched like rockets on the launch pad, the teacher makes an "oooo" sound that starts deep and gets higher; we stand up slowly with it (2 min).
- We reach the very top on tiptoe with arms stretched; now the voice slides from high to low and we land little by little (2 min).
- Teacher tricks: the voice rises a little and stops, drops suddenly, or stays high for a while; our bodies do the same (2 min).
- Now the rockets fly: walk around the room as the voice tells us to fly high (tiptoe, arms up) or low (crouched) (3 min).
- In pairs, one makes the rocket voice and the other rises and falls; then switch (2 min).
- Final landing: a deep, very slow voice until we lie down on the floor (1 min).
Rules
- A high voice takes us up, a deep voice takes us down.
- Move with the voice, not before or after.
- When the voice stops, the rocket stays still.
Variations
Easier
Age 3: only full, slow rises and falls, with the teacher showing the gesture too.
Standard
Age 4: add stops halfway and changes of direction.
Harder
Age 5: in pairs, each child makes the voice for their partner.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: raises and lowers only the arms or upper body from the chair.
- Hearing impairment: the teacher's hand rises and falls in front of the body along with the voice; the child can touch their own throat to feel the change.
- Visual impairment: the teacher stays close and narrates; at first the child can hold the teacher's hand to feel it go up and down.
Learning goals
- Hear sounds that rise and fall in pitch.
- Connect high pitch with up and low pitch with down.
- Match body movement to a continuous sound.
Teacher tip
Practice the voice slide ahead of time; it needs to be very slow and smooth so children have time to rise. If it's tricky, a slide whistle does the same job.
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