Set an obstacle course up outside if possible. If you're stuck indoors, choose a quiet hallway or set it up in the classroom before students arrive. Use a trampoline, a step stool, a tunnel or any other objects you can find that require children to move their bodies. In between these large items, place small hoops or paper shapes on the floor. Show children how to move from one step to the next. Use different types of movement such as hopping, skipping or crawling between each point of the course.
Blow up a beach ball or soft basketball. Warm up by having children sit in a circle and roll the ball back and forth with their hands. Have the class stand up and practice kicking and tossing the ball across the circle. Next, have them use the ball as a volleyball and serve it to one another. See how long children can keep the ball up in the air without anyone catching or dropping it. These exercises help children learn to use controlled movements.
Line children up. Start a parade around the classroom, through the halls or around the outside of the school. Give each child one minute to be the leader. Each leader must walk or move in a different way. The rest of the line has to mimic the leader's movement. Give leaders suggestions that require a lot of movement, such as hopping like frogs, crawling on bellies or walking like crabs. At the end of one minute, the leader goes to the back of the line and the new leader chooses a movement.
Dancing helps preschoolers work out some excess energy and show their personalities at the same time. Put on a children's dance CD or some current pop music with clean lyrics. Let children dance freely for five minutes. Next put on some music that requires children to follow directions while they move. Play the "Hokey Pokey" or "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." Teachers should dance alongside students to help encourage shy children to get in on the act.