Clear the floor area of all large toys and tripping hazards. Invite children to sit on their bottoms in a small circle.
Volunteer yourself or another adult to demonstrate the game for the children.
Walk around the outside of the circle while gently tapping children on their heads or shoulders while saying, "Duck, duck, duck."
Say, "goose" instead of "duck" as you tap a child's shoulder. The selected child must stand up and chase you around the circle once in an attempt to tag you before you are able to sit in the child's vacant seat. If you are tagged, you must play again. If you get to sit down, then the chasing child takes a turn, and the game continues.
Provide each child with a carpet square. Instruct students to remain on their squares during the dance-along to avoid accidental injuries from excited dancing.
Instruct students to dance in a certain style. For example, you might say, "Everyone dance like they are made of jelly," or, "Everyone dance like they are princes or princesses."
Press "Play" on your tape or CD player to turn on the music. Children dance on their squares according to the style you've called out.
Say, "Ready, set, stop," and press the "Pause" button on your CD or tape player. Children freeze on the carpet squares in a playful pose. One option is to ask students who fail to freeze to sit out the game, but younger children are likely to have hurt feelings if you opt to include an element of competition.
Call out another style of dancing and restart the music to continue the game.
Tape the letters A, B, C and D in four corners of the room or on four corners of the floor. Ask students to identify the letters out loud as a class to ensure all students recognize the corners.
Read aloud a criteria or category with four options. For example, you might say, "What's your favorite fruit?" Assign a fruit to each corner. Say, "Go to Corner A if you love apples. Go to Corner B if you like grapes." Continue until the corners are all assigned.
Count down from the number five. Student must rush to the corner with their favorite fruit or other criteria.
Ask the children to count the number of kids in their corner to test their counting skills. Announce the most popular corner. Also announce the most unique corner with the fewest amount of visitors. Announce the average corners with middle-of-the-road numbers.
Call out the next set of categories or options and play the game again.