Two-Clap Crickets

Crickets sleep in the grass and only wake up to hop and chirp when they hear two claps; one clap is the wind and doesn't wake them. It builds counting signals and responding only to the right one.

How to play

1. We're crickets asleep in the grass, crouched and still (1 min).
2. One clap is the wind and doesn't wake us; two claps wake the crickets, who hop around the meadow chirping "cree-cree" (2 min).
3. When we hear two claps again, the crickets fall asleep right where they are (2 min).
4. The teacher mixes one, two and three claps, fast and slow; only two claps make us move (3 min).
5. A child does the claps for the group (1 min).
6. The crickets fall fast asleep and chirp very softly (1 min).

Rules

• One clap, stay still.
• Two claps, hop and chirp.
• We hop with feet together without bumping.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the cricket wakes up by rubbing the arms and chirping from their spot.
• Hearing impairment: make the claps very visible and pair them with fingers held up (one or two).
• Less coordination: tiny hops or tiptoe skipping.

Learning goals

• Tell apart the number of sounds.
• Respond only to the right signal.
• Jump with feet together and stop.

Teacher tip

Space the claps well apart at first; if they come too close together, kids mix them up. Let them celebrate with chirping on two claps: that's their reward.

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