Ponies Galloping With the Sticker Foot

With a sticker on the toe of one shoe, children gallop like ponies, always leading with the marked foot, then switch the sticker to the other shoe. It works on galloping and on knowing which foot is in the lead.

How to play

1. Each child picks a shoe and the teacher sticks a big sticker on the toe (1 min).
2. Walk like calm ponies with the sticker foot always a little in front (1 min).
3. To the beat of the drum, gallop with the sticker foot in front as if pulling a cart (1 min).
4. When the drum booms, the pony stops and paws the ground three times with the sticker foot (1 min).
5. Move the sticker to the other shoe and gallop with the other foot leading (1 min).
6. The ponies walk back to the barn and shake their manes (1 min).

Rules

• The sticker foot goes in front.
• Gallop toward open space.
• When the drum booms, the pony stops.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: in a wheelchair or walker, the child moves with the sticker side forward and keeps the beat with a hand.
• Less coordination: trotting instead of galloping is fine; what matters is knowing which foot leads.
• Hearing loss: the teacher raises the drum as the stop signal.

Learning goals

• Gallop with a leading foot.
• Tell one foot from the other by a color marker.
• Warm up with rhythmic movement across the space.

Equipment for a class of 25

• large stickers: 25
• hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Model the gallop very slowly before adding speed. Many kids switch feet without noticing: don't call it out, just point to the sticker and let them figure it out.

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