Where Do I Fit? The Sloping Bridge
With the bench hooked high on the wall bars, the space underneath goes from big to small, and each child decides where and how to pass under: on hands and knees, crawling on the tummy or sideways. It builds judging space with the body and choosing a movement that fits.
How to play
- The teacher hooks each bench onto the fourth or fifth rung of the wall bars and covers the floor underneath with mats (2 min).
- We look at the bridge from outside: where is it high? where is it low? We touch it with a hand in different spots (2 min).
- We pass under the high part on hands and knees, from one side of the bridge to the other (2 min).
- We try the middle, where we need to crawl on our tummies without touching the bench with our backs (3 min).
- Everyone picks where and how to pass; before going, they tell the teacher: "I'm going here, on my tummy" (3 min).
- We come all the way out, sit facing the bridge and point to where nobody fits anymore (1 min).
Rules
- We pass under from side to side, never along the length.
- If your back touches the bench, get lower, without pushing it.
- One child at a time under each part of the bridge.
Variations
Easier
For 3-year-olds, the high and middle parts only, with an adult crouching on the other side calling them through.
Standard
For 4-year-olds, they choose where and how to pass.
Harder
For 5-year-olds, they look for the lowest spot they still fit through and try passing face up.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: pass under the highest part with an adult's help, or compare heights by reaching their arms or a stuffed animal through the gaps.
- Visual impairment: before going under, run the hands along the bench from the high end to the low end.
- Autism: an adult shows with a doll where it fits, and the child chooses whether to try.
Learning goals
- Adjust posture to the space available.
- Estimate whether the body fits through a gap.
- Decide on and say out loud how to solve a movement challenge.
Equipment for a class of 25
- banco sueco: 2
- espaldera: 1
- colchonetas: 6
Teacher tip
Check the hooks before starting and make sure nobody hangs from the bench. Mark the no-go zone on the floor with tape, because someone always wants to try the very last gap.
PatioLab has "Where Do I Fit? The Sloping Bridge" 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…