The Boat That Always Comes Back to Port
Children are little boats that sail out around the room from the port, a big mat where the teacher sits, and come back whenever the song calls them. It practices going away from and returning to the adult through a short, repeated pretend game.
How to play
- Everyone sits on the port mat with the teacher; each child takes a scarf to be their sail (1 min).
- Sing "Little boat, little boat, sail out on the sea" and walk out holding the sail up, staying near the port (2 min).
- When the teacher sings "Little boat, little boat, come back home to me," sail back and sit down in port (2 min).
- Repeat, going a bit farther and adding waves: loud drum means rock side to side, soft drum means calm sailing (4 min).
- Night falls: the boats come back to port, cover up with their sails and rock gently (2 min).
- The teacher visits each little boat and says "You're home now" (1 min).
Rules
- We sail out and come back when the song says so.
- We sail without bumping into other boats.
- There's room for everyone in port.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, keep the sea small (half the room), and the teacher sails out with them the first time.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, sail around the whole room with the drum making big and small waves.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, the teacher sets up two ports (two mats) and each boat chooses which one to come back to.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: keep the port at floor level and let the child in a wheelchair sail by waving the sail with their arms.
- Autism: always use the same sail-out and come-back songs, and give the child a fixed spot in port.
- Hearing impairment: the teacher signals coming back by standing on the mat with arms wide open.
Learning goals
- Move away from and back to the adult calmly.
- Move around the space without bumping.
- Take part in a simple, repeated pretend game.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Large mat: 1
- Colored scarves: 25
- Hand drum: 1
Teacher tip
The port mat is the safe spot: anyone who doesn't want to sail out can stay there waving their sail. Scarves should be light and large, with no small parts.
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