Zoo Animal Freeze

Kids move around the space acting like animals, and when the music stops they freeze as a balancing statue of that animal: flamingo, bear, cat, heron. They work on static balance in different poses and on imitation.

How to play

1. Sit the kids in a circle and teach four statues: flamingo (one foot, wings out), bear (on all fours with one arm up), cat (on tiptoes, stretching up), and heron (one foot, arm out front like a beak).
2. Everyone spreads out. With music on, call an animal and everyone moves like it: "We're bears!" 1 minute.
3. Stop the music and hit the tambourine: "Bear statue!" They freeze in the pose while you count to five. 2 minutes.
4. Repeat with the other animals: flamingo, cat, and heron. About 2 minutes each, mixing moving and freezing. 6 minutes.
5. Surprise statue: one child picks a new animal, shows the statue, and everyone copies it. Pick a new leader each stop. 2 minutes.
6. Finish: everyone sits in a circle and gives themselves a big bear hug. 1 minute.

Rules

• Move without bumping into anyone.
• When the tambourine sounds, I freeze like a statue.
• If I wobble, I just get back into the pose.
• Nobody is out: every statue counts.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: make the statue with arms and upper body, seated or in a wheelchair.
• Hearing loss: the freeze signal is holding the tambourine up high where all can see it.
• More skilled kids invent harder statues; kids who need support lean on the wall or a buddy.

Learning goals

• Hold static balance in different poses.
• Copy animal movements with the body.
• React to a signal by stopping movement.

Equipment for a class of 25

• music: 1
• tambourine: 1

Teacher tip

Use very few words: name the animal and do the statue yourself. The youngest need to see the pose on you every time.

More activities like this

More main activities for Elementary