Follow the Leader-Locomotor Moves

Learning Outcomes

Students will practice different locomotor skills: leaping, rolling, galloping, sliding, dodging.
Students will develop following instructions and spatial awareness.
Students will engage in physical activity and have fun.

Description Of Activity

Warm-Up (5 minutes)
Play some upbeat music and have students walk, skip, hop, and jump around the open space.
Lead them through some gentle stretches for their arms, legs, and torso.

Follow the Leader Locomotor Moves (15-20 minutes):
Leader Selection:
Choose a student to be the first leader. You can take turns throughout the activity or let students volunteer.

Locomotor Move Practice:
Explain that you will be playing Follow the Leader, but this time with special movements. Demonstrate each locomotor skill individually:
Leaping: Show a small jump with arms reaching up.
Rolling: Lay on a mat and demonstrate a forward roll.
Galloping: Run sideways with a big bouncing motion.
Sliding: Show a controlled slide on the floor on their bottoms (encourage students to bend their knees for safety).
Dodging: Pretend to dodge a ball or obstacle by stepping to the side.

Follow the Leader Challenge:
The leader starts by moving around the space, demonstrating one of the locomotor skills.
All students follow behind, copying the leader's movements.
The leader can change the movement frequently, keeping everyone engaged.

Equipment Integration:
Introduce the play parachute (if using). Have the leader move under the parachute while students hold onto the edges. When the leader exits, everyone lifts the parachute high for the leader to leap over!
Scatter the soft mats on the floor. The leader can demonstrate rolling on the mats or use them as stepping stones for leaping activities.
Set up the tunnels. The leader can crawl through the tunnels, encouraging students to follow.
If using beanbags, the leader can throw them gently for students to dodge.

Leader Rotation:
After a few minutes, choose a new student to be the leader. Repeat steps 2-4 with the new leader demonstrating their locomotor movement variations.

Cool-Down & Reflection (5 minutes):
Gather everyone together and have them walk slowly for a few minutes.
Discuss the activity. Ask questions like: "What was your favorite locomotor move?" "Was it easy to follow the leader?" "Did you use any of the equipment?"

Safety Tips:
Ensure adult supervision throughout the activity.
Instruct students to move at a safe pace and maintain a safe distance from each other.
Encourage students to listen carefully to the leader's instructions.
Modify the difficulty of the movements based on the student's abilities.

Additional Ideas:
Play animal sound effects or music that matches the locomotor move being demonstrated.
Award imaginary points to students who follow the leader accurately.
Let students take turns creating their locomotor movement variations for the leader to demonstrate.

Equipment/Material Required

Open space with enough room for students to move freely
Play parachute (optional, but adds a fun element)
Soft mats (2-3)
Tunnels (2-3, child-safe and large enough for students to crawl through)
Beanbags or soft balls (optional, for dodging)