The Dragon's Fire and Ice Breath

The teacher is a friendly dragon with two kinds of breath: the red scarf means fire and the ground is hot, so children jump and run; the blue scarf means ice and they freeze or move super slowly. They practice reacting to visual signals and changing pace.

How to play

1. The teacher introduces the dragon and shows the two scarves: red is fire, blue is ice (1 min).
2. Fire breath: the ground is hot, so we jump and run on tiptoe (2 min).
3. Ice breath: freeze like ice statues until the dragon stops blowing (2 min).
4. The dragon switches scarves faster and faster and everyone changes together (3 min).
5. Melting ice: on blue, melt little by little until you're lying down (2 min).
6. A child becomes the dragon and the others follow their scarves (2 min).

Rules

• I always watch the dragon to see which scarf goes up.
• On fire, I move fast without bumping anyone.
• On ice, I freeze.
• The dragon doesn't catch anyone: it just blows.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: on fire, move the wheelchair and arms fast; on ice, freeze in an arm pose.
• Visual impairment: add a sound with each scarf (a whistle for fire, "shhh" for ice).
• Autism: practice the two signals very slowly beforehand and keep them the same; the child can be the dragon's helper.

Learning goals

• React quickly to a visual signal.
• Alternate high-energy movement and stillness.
• Control the body when switching from running to stopping.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Red scarves: 1
• Blue scarves: 1

Teacher tip

Use big, bright scarves and stand where the whole group can see you. Start with long ice breaks: they're the recovery time in a high-energy game.

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