The Serious Statue

Children are very serious statues who try not to laugh while the teacher makes funny faces. It builds control over laughter and the body, and calming down afterward.

How to play

1. Sitting in a circle, we turn into very serious park statues (1 min).
2. The teacher makes funny faces from the middle; the statues try not to laugh (1 min).
3. If someone laughs, that's okay: they cover their face, count to three and become a serious statue again (1 min).
4. A volunteer becomes the funny-face clown, with no touching or talking (1 min).
5. Finish by laughing all together for a moment, then breathe deeply to calm down (1 min).

Rules

• Serious statues don't laugh… or they try!
• The clown makes faces without touching anyone.
• If you laugh, cover your face and start again.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child joins in fully, since the game uses only the face and a seated pose.
• Visual impairment: the clown makes soft silly sounds (raspberries, voices) instead of faces.
• Autism: if the faces feel strange or overwhelming, the child can be the helper who counts to three.

Learning goals

• Control laughter and facial expressions.
• Hold a still pose.
• Calm down after laughing.

Teacher tip

Laugh with them when the giggles slip out: the goal is trying, not always succeeding. Always end with breathing so the laughter doesn't leave them wound up.

More activities like this

More cool-downs for Elementary