The Engine Picks Up Train Cars

The teacher is the engine, chugging from station to station and picking up train cars until there's one super-long train; then it splits into little trains with new engineers. It builds coordinated group movement, rhythm and cooperation.

How to play

1. Beforehand, set five hoops around the playground as train stations. Kids stand in groups of four inside each station.
2. While they wait, passengers dance in their hoop and wave. The teacher leaves as the engine: arms rolling like wheels, "choo, choo!"
3. At each station the teacher whistles "Toot toot!" and the four passengers hook on behind, hands on the shoulders of the child in front. In a minute and a half the train is complete.
4. The long train travels the playground: "Uphill!" (slow), "Downhill!" (a bit faster), "Tunnel!" (crouch down). Two minutes.
5. Cue "Uncouple the cars!": form trains of four with the first child as engineer. Each train rides for a minute.
6. Clap: the engineer goes to the back and the next child moves up front. Switch two more times so many kids get to lead.

Rules

• Hands on shoulders, no pulling or pushing.
• The train goes at the speed of the slowest car.
• If the train breaks apart, stop and hook back on.
• Trains don't crash into each other.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child is the engine in their wheelchair and the others hook on at their pace.
• Shyness or autism: the child can ride at the back next to the teacher, or hold a rope instead of shoulders.
• More skilled kids' trains go sideways or backward; less skilled kids ride in trains of two.

Learning goals

• Move as a group, matching your pace to others.
• Change speed on cue.
• Cooperate as leader or as a train car.

Equipment for a class of 25

• hoops: 5

Teacher tip

Make lots of train noise: the "choo, choo" and the whistle are the best signals for this age. Put stations close together so the wait is very short.

More activities like this

More warm-ups for Elementary