Santa's Workshop Elf Stations
Students become elves getting gifts ready at five workshop stations: build, wrap, load the sleigh, lead the reindeer and deliver. They practice locomotor skills, carrying, pulling and throwing within a cooperative story.
How to play
- Tell the story (2 min): the workshop is behind and 50 gifts must be ready before the final bell.
- Make 5 groups of 5 and explain the stations: factory (carry balls in a bear crawl), wrapping (carry a box with a partner, no hands), sleigh (pull a mat with ropes), reindeer (threes tied by a rope through a slalom) and delivery (toss balls into hoop chimneys 3 m away).
- Every finished task adds one ball to the workshop's shared box.
- Each station lasts 4 minutes; on the whistle everyone shouts "Ho, ho, ho!" and rotates (20 min).
- Wrap-up (3 min): count the balls together; 50 saves the holidays, otherwise agree on one last group challenge.
Rules
- Pull the sleigh slowly on a smooth floor; the rider holds the sides.
- Never step on or throw the boxes.
- Everyone does the task before anyone repeats.
- Walk between stations.
Variations
Easier
Carry boxes with hands and pull the sleigh without a rider.
Standard
Five 4-minute stations with a shared goal of 50 gifts.
Harder
A goal of 70 gifts and chimneys at 5 m.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: acts as head elf, tosses seated and rides the sleigh if safe.
- Autism: preview with picture cards and allow repeating a station.
- Lower fitness: walk instead of gallop and pull an empty sleigh.
Learning goals
- Explore ways to travel, carry and pull.
- Cooperate in pairs and threes toward a shared goal.
- Enjoy pretend play safely.
Equipment for a class of 25
- cardboard boxes: 10
- mats: 2
- ropes: 6
- hoops: 4
- soft balls: 20
- cones: 10
Teacher tip
On a rough floor, run the sleigh without a rider. A bell to signal rotations works wonders.
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