Sneaking Past the Sleeping Dragon
A dragon (the teacher, lying down) is sleeping by the castle, and the knights must cross the drawbridge, jump the moat, go through the secret tunnel, climb the wall and knock down the tower of boxes without waking it. Moving quietly and with control is part of the game.
How to play
- Sitting down, the teacher introduces the castle: drawbridge (gym bench), moat (two parallel ropes), secret tunnel (play tunnel), wall (stacked mats) and tower (cardboard boxes) (2 min).
- The teacher tiptoes through the course while the kids whisper the name of each station (2 min).
- The teacher lies down as the sleeping dragon and the knights set off one by one on tiptoe; at the end they toss a beanbag at the tower and walk back along the edge to the start (5 min).
- The dragon snores, stretches and opens one eye: everyone does the course backward, without running, sliding down the wall on their bottoms and heading home to the castle (4 min).
- Rebuild the tower and go around the normal way again; now each child chooses whether to jump the moat or cross a little rope bridge (3 min).
- Wake the dragon with a very soft made-up song and wave good morning to it (2 min).
Rules
- Tiptoes and no shouting, the dragon is asleep.
- One knight at a time on the wall.
- Knock the tower down with beanbags, never by pushing it.
- If the dragon wakes up, nobody runs: we walk back.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the moat is narrow, the wall is one folded mat, and the teacher walks the first round with them.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, the moat is one big step wide and the wall is two mats; toss from two steps away.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, widen the moat little by little and cross the bridge with a beanbag on the head before reaching the tower.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the knight uses the main gate, a lane of cones alongside the stations, and tosses at the tower from the chair.
- Autism: tell children the dragon is about to snore before it does so it isn't a fright; if the game is unsettling, the dragon can be a stuffed toy.
- Hearing loss: the dragon “wakes” by raising a big red arm (a scarf) so everyone can see.
Learning goals
- Combine balance, jumping, crawling, climbing and throwing.
- Control body movement and noise.
- Take turns at each station.
Equipment for a class of 25
- banco sueco: 1
- cuerdas: 4
- túnel de tela: 1
- colchonetas: 4
- cajas de cartón: 6
- saquitos: 10
Teacher tip
Keep the dragon funny, not scary, with over-the-top snores. Put the wall against a wall so it can't slide and lay a mat where kids come down. The usual mistake is running when the dragon wakes: practice it first at a walk.
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