Lizards in the Sun: Crisscross Crawl
Children are lizards crawling on their bellies, moving one arm with the opposite leg, then crawling on hands and knees the same way under tunnels to grab their food. It works on the cross-crawl pattern, a building block of coordination and laterality.
How to play
- Lying on their tummies, the teacher says we're lizards waking up in the sun (1 min).
- Belly-crawl slowly: one arm and the opposite leg move, then the other arm and the other leg (3 min).
- Get on hands and knees and crawl the same way, opposite hand and knee together, all around the room (3 min).
- Crawl under the table tunnels to find a bug (a scarf) and carry it on your back (3 min).
- The lizards stretch out to sunbathe, one side and then the other (2 min).
Rules
- Lizards stay on the ground; no standing up.
- An arm and the opposite leg move together.
- In the tunnel, one behind the other.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, free crawling; the teacher says "arm and leg buddies" and shows it.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, cross-crawl under the tunnels without dropping the bug.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, cross-crawl backward and sideways, then do the pattern standing, touching hand to opposite knee.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: belly-crawl using the arms on a mat, or lie on the back and move opposite arm and leg with help.
- Visual impairment: a path of mats marks the route and the tunnel.
- Less coordination: don't correct the pattern, since free crawling is valuable too; tap "one, two" on the drum to set the pace.
Learning goals
- Practice the cross pattern while belly-crawling and crawling.
- Coordinate arms and legs from opposite sides.
- Move under obstacles with control.
Equipment for a class of 25
- mats: 6
- tables or chairs for a tunnel: 4
- fabric scarves: 25
Teacher tip
Many 3-year-olds crawl with same-side hand and knee: don't force it; get down and demo it yourself so they figure it out. Comfy clothes and a clean floor or mats.
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