The Kind Witch’s Flying Broom

Each child rides a broom (a pool noodle) through the playground sky: taking off at a jog, flying high and low, circling chimneys and landing on a runway. It builds spatial awareness and changes of level and speed.

How to play

1. Meet the kind witch who flies around handing out pretend candy; everyone puts the noodle between their legs, holds it with both hands and takes off at a gentle jog (2 min).
2. Free flight across the sky, looking for open space and not bumping other brooms; on the signal, brake in midair (3 min).
3. Clouds and rooftops: “Up in the clouds” means flying on tiptoe with one arm up; “Between the rooftops” means flying low and crouched (3 min).
4. Zigzag around the chimneys (cones) without touching them, dropping a pretend candy at each one (3 min).
5. Landing: each broom picks a chalk line as its runway and slows down until it stops right on top (2 min).
6. Climb off, lay the broom down and stretch your arms like tired wings (1 min).

Rules

• The broom always stays between your legs, never for hitting.
• Fly looking ahead, into open spaces.
• When the teacher says “Brakes!”, we stop in midair.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the noodle rests across the lap in the wheelchair and the child flies the same route, with a buddy pushing if needed.
• Visual impairment: chimneys with jingle bells, flying hand in hand with a pilot buddy.
• Autism: preview the flight steps with pictures and offer a marked lane with less traffic.

Learning goals

• Travel through space avoiding obstacles and classmates.
• Change level and speed on a signal.
• Slow down and stop at a chosen spot.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Pool noodles: 25
• Cones: 8
• Chalk: 4

Teacher tip

Introduce the witch as a friendly helper so nervous children feel brave. Practice braking first; without brakes, brooms end up crashing.

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