The Hopping Stoplight

Children are cars driving around the playground and following the stoplight: green means run, red means stop, and yellow means hop on one foot, whichever they choose, then on the other. It works on hopping on one foot, balance and responding to signals.

How to play

1. Everyone puts a sticker on whichever shoe they like; the teacher shows the three stoplight scarves (2 min).
2. On green, drive around the playground like cars; on red, brake and freeze like statues (3 min).
3. On yellow, take little hops on the sticker foot (2 min).
4. Now on yellow, hop on the foot without a sticker (2 min).
5. On yellow, each child chooses the foot; on red, freeze on one foot and count to three (2 min).
6. The cars drive slowly back to the garage on green (1 min).

Rules

• Green go, red stop, yellow hop.
• If one foot gets tired, switch to the other.
• Cars don't crash: look for open space.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: in a wheelchair, green rolls, red stops and yellow raises one arm and then the other.
• Hearing loss: the stoplight is visual, so it works as is.
• Less balance: hop holding a classmate's hand or next to the wall.

Learning goals

• Hop on one foot and on the other.
• Balance on one foot for a few seconds.
• Respond to visual signals.

Equipment for a class of 25

• red, yellow and green scarves: 3
• large stickers: 25

Teacher tip

Keep the hopping bits short: it's tiring and that's when falls happen. Quietly notice which foot each child hops on more easily; no need to choose for them.

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