The Shoemaker's Elves Work on Tiptoe

Using the Grimm tale of the elves and the shoemaker, children carry shoes on tiptoe in silence while the shoemaker sleeps, freezing if he stirs. It builds body control, stealthy movement and stopping on cue.

How to play

1. The teacher tells the Grimm tale: a poor shoemaker leaves leather on his table at night, and while he sleeps, little elves make his shoes. The teacher is the shoemaker asleep in a chair (2 min).
2. Children take off one shoe and put it in the workshop boxes. We're elves: we learn to walk on tiptoe, crouched down and without a sound (2 min).
3. While the shoemaker snores, elves take a shoe from a box and carry it silently to the shoemaker's table. If the shoemaker stirs, we freeze like statues (4 min).
4. Now the elves “fix” the shoes: they line them up in pairs on the table, pretend to sew and tap them softly, and tiptoe backward to their hiding place (4 min).
5. The shoemaker wakes up, sees the shoes and says thank you. Each child finds their own shoe and puts it on sitting down (2 min).

Rules

• Elves make no noise: we walk on tiptoe.
• If the shoemaker moves, we freeze.
• Each elf carries one shoe at a time.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child carries shoes on their lap or plays the sleeping shoemaker who “wakes up.”
• Hearing impairment: the shoemaker moves very visibly (stretching his arms) so everyone stops.
• Autism: a child who finds the silence hard can be the helper who sorts the boxes.

Learning goals

• Move while controlling noise and speed.
• Stop moving in response to a signal.
• Sort and match objects through movement.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Children's own sneakers: 25
• Boxes or baskets: 4

Teacher tip

Have children take off only one shoe, never both, and make sure the floor is clean. Silence is hard, so celebrate big when they manage it, even for a few seconds.

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