Pigeons in the Town Square

Children are pigeons strolling around the town square pecking at crumbs, and when the teacher claps loudly they fly off running a few steps and then land and freeze. It works on starting and stopping on a signal with control.

How to play

1. Sitting in a circle, we act like pigeons: heads bobbing back and forth, wings tucked in and a soft "coo-coo" (1 min).
2. We stroll all over the playground pecking at pretend crumbs, walking slowly (1 min).
3. The teacher claps loudly: the pigeons fly off running with arms spread wide, and when they hear "Time to land!" they freeze like statues (2 min).
4. Now the signal is the teacher raising one arm, with no sound: watch closely to know when to fly (1 min).
5. The pigeons walk slowly back to the circle, shake out their feathers and take a deep breath (1 min).

Rules

• Pigeons walk slowly while they peck.
• When you hear the clap, fly without bumping anyone.
• When you hear "Time to land!", your feet stick to the ground.
• Every pigeon finds its own empty spot in the square.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a child using a wheelchair or walker "flies" by flapping their arms and moving at their own pace; the stop signal is the same for everyone.
• Hearing impairment: use the raised arm from the start as the signal to fly and a lowered arm to land.
• Autism: let them know ahead of time there will be loud claps and show the signal before starting; they can hold the teacher's hand at first.

Learning goals

• Start running when they hear or see a signal.
• Stop and stay still without falling.
• Move around the space without bumping into classmates.

Teacher tip

Do a practice clap before you start so nobody gets startled. The common mistake is to keep running after the signal, so practice "Time to land!" standing still first.

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