Raindrops Sliding Down the Window

Each child imagines their body is a window and their fingers are raindrops trickling slowly from head to toe, until the whole body slides to the floor like a drop reaching the sill. A calm-down that helps children tune into their own bodies.

How to play

1. Sit on a chair or on the rug with a tall back and listen to the rain outside, or make it by tapping very softly on your legs (1 min).
2. A drop lands on your head: with one finger, slowly trace it down your forehead, nose and chin (1 min).
3. Another drop slides down one arm to the fingertips, then another down the other arm (1 min).
4. Lots of drops slide at once down the chest, tummy and legs, all the way to the feet (1 min).
5. Now your whole body is one big drop: slide very slowly down until you're lying on the rug (1 min).
6. Lie still like water in a puddle, take three breaths and slowly sit back up (1 min).

Rules

• Raindrops slide very, very slowly.
• You only touch your own body.
• At the end, lie still like a puddle.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: stay in the chair; the big drop is just letting the head and arms fall slowly.
• Tactile sensitivity: trace the path without touching, keeping the finger just above the skin.
• Hearing impairment: the teacher models the whole path up front with big, slow gestures.

Learning goals

• Bring energy down after active play.
• Trace and name body parts.
• Move from sitting to lying down slowly and with control.

Teacher tip

If it's actually raining, turn off the lights and let the rain be the soundtrack. Speak more and more softly so the group settles with you.

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