Run When You Hear Your Character

Seated in a big circle by family groups, each student is a character in the story the teacher is reading; when they hear their name, they jump up, run around the outside of the circle, and return to their spot. Students practice active listening, reaction, and a love of stories.

How to play

1. Form a big circle of 25 seated students, surrounded by cones about 6 ft out that mark the running path. Split the circle into 5 families of 5 (2 min).
2. Within each family, give each student a character: for example, for a wolf and pigs story, the wolf, the little pig, the middle pig, the big pig, and the brick house.
3. The teacher reads the story aloud calmly. Every time a character is named, the five students with that role stand up, run outside the cones in the marked direction, and sit back in their spot.
4. If the teacher says the word "forest," the whole circle stands up and runs a lap. This wild-card word keeps everyone listening (4 min per story).
5. In the second round, change the way students travel: hopping on one foot, sliding sideways, or bear crawling depending on the character.
6. To wrap up, one family invents a short story with its own characters and tells it to the class while everyone plays (5 min).

Rules

• Everyone runs in the same direction, outside the cones.
• On the way back, walk into the circle and find your own spot.
• If you stand up by mistake, run the lap anyway with no penalty.
• No passing by pushing: if someone is in front of you, follow them.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: a student using a wheelchair takes a shorter inside path or can be the story reader.
• Hearing impairment: the reader holds up a picture card of each character as it is named.
• Fitness level: move the cones to lengthen or shorten the lap for the group.

Learning goals

• Listen carefully and react to a key word.
• Move quickly and in order around a path.
• Enjoy read-alouds and making up stories.

Equipment for a class of 25

• books: 1
• cones: 16

Teacher tip

Before reading, adjust the story so that all characters appear about the same number of times. Pause after naming a character so runners can get back before the next lap.

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