For this game, the children will stand in a large circle. Each child will choose an action that starts with the same letter as her first name. For example, Sally may stand on one foot, while Jackie jumps. To start out, the children may need help thinking of an action. As the child says her name and action, she will also act out her action. When all the children have had a turn, the group will go through every child's name and act out their actions as they say it.
This game promotes motion, as well as memorizing and early reading. Learning to associate a name with an action will help children learn to memorize things. Additionally, thinking up words with the same letter is an early reading skill that will help the children later in school.
This game can be played in pairs or as a group. With group play, each child will have the opportunity to be the motion leader. That child will stand at the front of the class, facing the other students, and start moving his body slowly while standing in place. The rest of the children will mimic whatever the leader does. This game is an ideal way to get the kids moving while in a limited space or when unable to go to a gym or outside playground. If playing in pairs, the two children will face each other, and each child will have a turn being the motion leader.
Follow the leader is similar to mirror image, in that the group follows the actions of one. However, with follow the leader, the lead child gets to move around, and the rest of the children will physically follow. The leader may choose to walk, skip or hop, and the rest of the children should do the same. Additionally, the leader may chose to walk over or under things, and the rest of the children should follow.
Listening to action music not only gets kids moving, but also develops an early appreciation for music. Action music is simply any type of music that requires specific actions for the children to follow. Action music also requires students to practice good listening skills, or they will not be able to follow along with what the other children are doing. Classic examples of action music are the Hokey Pokey and the Chicken Dance. However, there are dozens more on a wide variety of topics, which can be paired up with other lessons. There is an extensive list of action songs provided in the resource section of this article.