The Big Push on the Foam Wall

The whole class builds a long wall of foam blocks on the mats and, at the signal, pushes it over together. Children use full-body strength and share the thrill of doing something big as a team.

How to play

1. The teacher lays a row of mats in the center and shows with their body where the wall will go (2 min).
2. Everyone brings blocks and stacks them in a row until the wall reaches our chests (4 min).
3. We all stand on the same side with both hands on the wall and count, “One, two and…” (2 min).
4. “Three!” We push hard with hands, shoulders and backs until it falls and we flop onto the mats; then we rebuild it and push a different way (4 min).
5. To finish, everyone hugs a fallen block and carries it back to the pile (2 min).

Rules

• We build the wall all together.
• We only push when we say “Three!”
• Everyone pushes from the same side, and nobody stands behind it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child pushes with their hands from the wheelchair at a lower end of the wall.
• Autism: if the group noise is scary, the child counts “One, two, three” from the side.
• Visual impairment: a classmate places the child's hands on the wall and they push together.

Learning goals

• Use whole-body strength against a soft resistance.
• Coordinate a group action on the same signal.
• Share the joy of building and knocking down together.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Foam blocks: 40
• Mats: 6

Teacher tip

The teacher always stands on the far side of the wall to make sure nobody is behind it. Repeat two or three times; the second time they build faster and help each other more.

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