Sit, Puppy! The Trainer's Commands
Children are puppies on all fours who follow the trainer's commands: sit, lie down, roll over, shake. They warm up by changing positions on the floor while paying attention.
How to play
- The teacher opens puppy school and shows each command with its hand signal (1 min).
- The puppies walk around on all fours wagging their tails (1 min).
- Commands one by one: "Sit!", "Down!", "Shake!" (2 min).
- Special command: "Roll over!", and each puppy rolls once on its back (1 min).
- "Go to your bed!": each puppy curls up and gets a pat from the teacher (1 min).
Rules
- Puppies move on all fours.
- I do the command when the trainer says it.
- Before I roll over, I check that no puppy is next to me.
- Puppies bark softly.
Variations
Easier
Age 3: three commands (sit, down, go to bed), with the teacher doing the signal at the same time.
Standard
Age 4: five commands, adding "shake" and "roll over."
Harder
Age 5: the teacher only uses hand signals, no words, and the puppies guess the command.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the puppy does the commands with arms (shake, wave, rest head on the table).
- Deaf or hard of hearing: every command has a clear hand signal that never changes.
- Autism: the child may be a trainer next to the teacher if lying near others feels uncomfortable.
Learning goals
- Warm up with position changes on the floor.
- Listen and respond to spoken commands.
- Begin rolling over while lying down.
Teacher tip
Only call "roll over" when there's space around everyone. Puppies love to bark loudly, so agree on a quiet "woof" first.
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