The Sun Crosses the Sky from Morning to Night

The teacher moves the sun from one side of the room to the other, rising and setting, and kids change height along with it: lying down at sunrise, kneeling in the morning, on tiptoes at noon and back down at nightfall. Kids work on spatial levels (low, middle, high) and posture control.

How to play

1. The teacher shows the sun and explains that every day it rises on one side, climbs very high and hides on the other (1 min).
2. Sunrise: the sun peeks out close to the floor and we, lying down, stretch our fingers and open our eyes (2 min).
3. Morning: the sun climbs, so we kneel and then stand, following it with our whole body (2 min).
4. Noon: the sun is at the very top and we stretch on tiptoes as if to touch it, and walk like that for a bit (2 min).
5. Sunset: the sun goes down and we go down with it until we sit; the moon comes out and we lie down to sleep (2 min).
6. We do a quick whole day again, from sunrise to night, following the sun without talking (1 min).

Rules

• My body is as high as the sun.
• I go up and down slowly, no flopping on the floor.
• I watch the sun the whole time.
• When the moon comes out, I go to sleep.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: show the levels with arms and trunk from the wheelchair (hands on knees, on shoulders, up high).
• Visual impairment: the teacher names the time of day ("Sunrise!") and how high the sun is.
• Autism: a picture card with the four poses in order and the sun drawn above each one.

Learning goals

• Move with control through low, middle and high levels.
• Track an object with the eyes and the whole body.
• Link the times of day to the sun's path.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Cardboard sun on a stick: 1
• Cardboard moon on a stick: 1

Teacher tip

Move the sun very slowly and narrate each stop of the day; the fun is in the control, not the speed. With restless groups, let a child hold the moon and bring it out at the end as a treat.

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