Ready, Set… Yogurt!

Everyone waits at the starting line and only jogs off when the teacher says “Go!”; if the teacher says a silly word that sounds similar, they stay put. It works on waiting, listening and starting together.

How to play

1. Mark a start line and a finish line with cones about 10 steps apart; everyone on the start line (1 min).
2. Practice: “Ready” (one foot forward), “Set” (bend knees), “Go!” (jog to the finish) (1 min).
3. Now the teacher sometimes says “Goat!”, “Glow!” or “Yogurt!”: with those words nobody moves (1 min).
4. Change how we travel: tiptoe, waddle like penguins or hop, always leaving on “Go!” (1 min).
5. A child plays teacher and calls the start; everyone listens carefully (1 min).
6. Last start at snail speed, then take a deep breath at the finish (1 min).

Rules

• I only go on “Go!”
• If I go too early, I walk back to the start laughing.
• Nobody wins here: we all get there.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: starts from the line in a wheelchair or walking with support, with a shorter route marked by another cone.
• Hearing impairment: drop a scarf for “Go!”; tricks are fake drops where the scarf stays up.
• Autism: play two rounds with no tricks first and show a card when tricks begin.

Learning goals

• Hold back movement until the right signal.
• Start at the same time as the group.
• Warm up with an easy jog.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cones: 8

Teacher tip

Leave plenty of space between children on the line so nobody gets stepped on at the start. Don't let it turn into a race: if they ask who won, the answer is “whoever left on Go!”

More activities like this

More warm-ups for Elementary