Squeeze the Lemon, Let It Go

Through little stories, children squeeze a body part tight and then let it go, feeling the difference between hard and floppy. It builds muscle tension control and relaxation.

How to play

1. Seated or lying down, the teacher tells everyone there's a pretend lemon in each hand (1 min).
2. Squeeze the lemons really hard to get the juice out, count to three and let go: floppy hands (1 min).
3. We're turtles: lift the shoulders up to the ears to hide, hold, then let them drop (1 min).
4. Step in mud: press the toes into the floor, then relax them (1 min).
5. A mosquito on the nose: scrunch up the whole face with no hands, then let it rest (1 min).
6. Squeeze the whole body at once like a stiff robot, then let go like a rag doll; breathe (1 min).

Rules

• Squeeze hard, but never hurt yourself.
• When the teacher says "let go," everything goes floppy.
• Everyone works with their own body.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: choose parts the child can tense and relax without strain.
• Autism: show a picture for each story (lemon, turtle, mud, mosquito) before starting.
• Visual impairment: the teacher describes how hard and soft feel and lets the child touch the teacher's tense and relaxed arm.

Learning goals

• Tell the difference between tension and relaxation in different body parts.
• Voluntarily tighten one part of the body.
• Calm down after effort.

Teacher tip

The letting-go part should last longer than the squeezing. Some kids hold their breath while squeezing; remind them the air keeps going in and out.

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