Walking the Big Fat Snake

Barefoot, children walk along a thick rope laid on mats, a sleeping snake they mustn't wake. Feeling the round rope under the soles makes them fine-tune their balance and wakes up the feet's sense of touch.

How to play

1. Take off shoes and line them up: "Today our feet are going to listen" (2 min).
2. Lay the thick rope straight across the mats and explore it with hands, then with feet while sitting (2 min).
3. Walk along the snake very slowly, wrapping your foot around the rope so it doesn't wake up (3 min).
4. Move the snake into S-curves and walk it again end to end (2 min).
5. Try walking sideways along the snake with the arch of your foot on the rope (2 min).
6. Sit down, rub your feet to say thank you, and put your shoes back on (1 min).

Rules

• I walk barefoot and slowly.
• If the snake wiggles, I stop and wait for it to be still.
• One behind the other, no pushing.
• I step off carefully at the end of the tail.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with limited mobility sit on a chair and roll the rope under their soles, or travel the snake on hands and knees.
• Students with touch sensitivity (common in autism) can keep socks on and start by touching the rope with their hands.
• Blind or low-vision students: this activity suits them well; an adult walks alongside and calls out the curves.

Learning goals

• Keep their balance on a narrow, rounded surface.
• Sense the shape and position of the rope through the soles of the feet.
• Take care of their own body and others' by moving slowly.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Thick rope: 2
• Floor mats: 4

Teacher tip

Check that the floor and mats are clean before shoes come off. If the rope rolls too much, tape its ends to the mat.

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