Today I Play Baby
In pairs, one child plays baby (crawling, babbling, lying tucked in a fabric) and the other takes care of them: tucking them in, pretend-feeding and helping them take first steps. Children enjoy being little again and caring for someone, a big theme in relational movement play.
How to play
- We talk about when we were babies (what did we do? how did we move?) and the teacher plays baby for a moment (2 min).
- In pairs, the baby moves like a baby on the mats (crawling, rolling, sucking a thumb) while the caregiver follows (4 min).
- The caregiver tucks the baby in with the fabric on a cushion, gives a pretend bottle, sings and helps them stand and take tiny steps (4 min).
- Partners switch roles and play again (2 min).
- All the babies suddenly grow up: we stretch from the floor until we're big kids and give our partner a hug (2 min).
Rules
- Babies don't talk, they just make baby sounds.
- Caregivers treat the baby very gently.
- With the fabric, the baby's face always stays uncovered.
Variations
Easier
With 3-year-olds, the teacher cares for several babies at once, and then children care for a stuffed animal.
Standard
With 4-year-olds, play in pairs and switch roles.
Harder
With 5-year-olds, they invent a full routine: wake up, eat, play, bath and bedtime.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the caregiver gets down to the child's level and tucks in and feeds them in place.
- Autism: the child may be only the caregiver, looking after a stuffed animal if they don't want to be the baby.
- Hearing loss: the caregiver signals each step with clear gestures and a touch on the arm.
Learning goals
- Relive motor milestones with the body: crawling, rolling, standing up.
- Express the need to be cared for and the wish to care.
- Cooperate kindly and respectfully with a partner.
Equipment for a class of 25
- Fabric pieces: 12
- Cushions: 12
- Mats: 6
Teacher tip
Children with a new baby sibling often dive into this game, so give them the time they need. Avoid teasing like “What a baby you are”; here, being a baby is a valuable game.
PatioLab has "Today I Play Baby" and 8714 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More activities like this
More main activities for Elementary
"Al Pasar la Barca" Parachute Rowing
Sitting around the parachute, children row by pulling the fabric toward them and letting it go toward the middle to the rhythm of the traditional Spanish song "Al pasar…
"Corro de la Patata" Parachute Circle
Children circle with the parachute while singing the traditional Spanish song "Al corro de la patata" (Potato Circle), and on "achupé, achupé" everyone sits down…
"El Patio de Mi Casa" Parachute Song
Children sing the traditional Spanish ring song "El patio de mi casa" while circling with the parachute and lowering it to the ground on "agáchate" (squat down).
"Que Llueva" Parachute Rain
Using the traditional Spanish children's song "Que llueva, que llueva" (Let It Rain), children make rain, clouds and sun with the parachute, and some hide underneath as…
«A la Zapatilla por Detrás»: The Slipper Behind Your Back
Sitting in a circle with eyes covered, one child walks around the outside with a slipper singing the traditional Spanish rhyme «A la zapatilla por detrás» («the…
«A Tapar la Calle»: The Chain That Blocks the Street
Half the class forms a hand-in-hand chain that walks forward singing the traditional Spanish song «A tapar la calle» («Block the street so nobody passes»), while the…