The Ant Colony Carries Sticks Home

Children are ants carrying short sticks one at a time, crawling or bear-walking, to the anthill, where everyone builds a home together. It builds all-fours movement, arm strength, and cooperation through pretend play.

How to play

1. The teacher explains that ants work together and carry things bigger than themselves; everyone gets on all fours with antennae (two fingers on the forehead) (1 min).
2. Crawl around the yard looking for sticks and carry one in your hand to the anthill, the hoops in the middle (3 min).
3. Now walk like ants on hands and feet, knees off the ground (3 min).
4. In pairs, two ants carry a longer stick between them, one at each end (3 min).
5. With all the sticks, build the anthill roof by crisscrossing them over the hoops (3 min).
6. The ants go home to rest: lie down around the anthill (2 min).

Rules

• I carry one stick at a time, in my hand.
• I crawl looking ahead.
• Ants help each other: if one is stuck, we lend a hand.
• Sticks get placed on the anthill, not thrown.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: be the queen ant who receives the sticks at the anthill and decides where they go.
• Visual impairment: the teacher shakes a rattle at the anthill to guide the child.
• Less arm strength: carry sticks walking crouched over instead of crawling.

Learning goals

• Move on all fours with control.
• Build arm and shoulder strength through play.
• Cooperate on a shared job.

Equipment for a class of 25

• short sticks: 40
• hoops: 4

Teacher tip

Check that the ground is free of pebbles or glass since hands will be on it. The "not your mouth" joke helps reinforce that sticks never go in mouths, but say it with a laugh and make the no clear.

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