Streams That Join the Big River

Children start as single drops on the mountain, pair up to form streams, the streams join, and in the end the whole group is one long river winding across the playground to the sea. Kids work on moving in a line, matching their classmates' pace and coming together as a group.

How to play

1. We're little drops high on the mountain: each walks alone, light and free, around the playground (1 min).
2. When the teacher says "Stream!", we hold hands with another drop and flow down together slowly without letting go (2 min).
3. "Big stream!": each pair hooks onto another pair in a line, hands on the shoulders of the child in front (2 min).
4. "Big river!": all the streams join into one long river that follows the teacher in curves and under a bridge (two adults' arms) (3 min).
5. We reach the sea: the river opens into a big circle and we make waves, raising and lowering our arms all together (2 min).
6. The sea calms down: we sit in the circle and make tiny little waves with our arms (2 min).

Rules

• In the river, I don't let go of my partner.
• I keep pace with the child in front and don't push.
• If someone lets go, we stop and hook back on.
• In the sea, we all make waves together.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: leads the river and sets the pace with the wheelchair while everyone follows.
• Visual impairment: hooks on by the shoulders in the middle of the river, where changes are smoother.
• Autism: may go at the end of the river holding a ribbon instead of shoulders if touch bothers them.

Learning goals

• Move in a line matching the group's pace.
• Form bigger and bigger groups.
• Act out a river's journey with the body.

Teacher tip

The long river always walks, never runs: one tug in a line of twenty kids ends in a fall. Streams form more easily if you call out the pairs at the start.

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