The Role Call game starts the day with attendance and a little movement. It's also helpful with a new class, as the student's learn each other's names quickly. Have the students sit in a circle. Call one students name from your attendance sheet. When the student hears his name, he stands up, and the class sings together to the melody of "Three Blind Mice:" "Kevin is here, Kevin is here, spin around and sit down, Kevin is here." The student standing will spin in a circle and then sit when everyone sings that line.
Prepare one flashcard for each child with one new vocabulary word the class has discussed. Each flashcard should have a different word. Tape each flashcard to the back of a chair and arrange the chairs in a circle. Be sure each student knows her word ("Susan, your word is cat," etc.). This game is played similarly to musical chairs, but rather than trying to sit in any chair, the students must find the chair with their word. Begin playing music while students walk in a circle around the chairs. Stop the music, and students must quickly find the chair with their word. Rearrange the chairs in between each song to make the game more challenging.
Give each child an empty paper towel tube. (For extra fun, have them decorate their own tube during arts and crafts time.) The teacher should use a louder instrument, like a cowbell, to keep a slower, steady beat. Have students mimic the tempo by patting the tube in their hand while walking in a circle with their feet keeping the same beat. When the cowbell stops, the students freeze! Next, start a faster rhythm, and students will walk faster.
This game can go as fast or slow as the teacher allows. For more of a challenge, try changing the rhythm as well as the tempo (i.e. 1 + 2 + 3, Rest), to see if the students can mimic it.