Move Like This If...

Skill: Balance, Hop, Jump, Run, Skip

Time Required: 15

Activity Type: Physical

Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group

Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs

Play area: Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field

Safety Considerations: Remove any safety hazards and obstacles from the play area.
Make sure the lines are a safe distance away from any walls or obstacles.
Remind participants to be aware of their surroundings and to keep their head up.

Equipment: Pylons or rope to mark off play area if outdoors or in a gym with no lines on the ground.

Objective:

For participants to move from one end of the playing area to the other as the caller says if they fall under the category.
Fundamental Skills
Coordination
Speed

Set up:

If playing indoors, the boundaries can be the lines at the end of the gym. If playing outdoors or indoors where there are no lines, set up boundaries using pylons to create a playing space.
Have all participants stand behind one line, and have one participant stand in the centre and be the caller.

Step by Step:

1. The caller will first say an action for how participants will have to go from one end to the other. Examples are: Run, jump, hop, skip, crab walk, grape vine, twirl, speed walk, lunge, walk backwards and much more.
2. Then they will say who will have to do this action.
3. Example: "Run if your birthday is in June". All participants who have a birthday in June will run to the other side.
4. They will stay there until the next round, even if another sentence refers to them.
5. Continue until all participants are across to the other side.
6. Could have the last participant become the new caller. If there are two participants left, have them race to the other side or play a game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who will be the next caller.
7. Or, the leader will choose a new caller at random.
8. Examples of sentences:
- Hop if you're wearing shorts
- Skip if your name starts with A to D
- Grape vine if you have a brother
- Walk backwards if you have a dog
- Run if you play hockey
- Speed walk if your last name has 3 syllables
- Jump if your favourite colour is green
- Twirl if you have blue eyes
- And so on.

Variations:

Only have participants use run, speed walk and walk backwards, or other forms of movement to accommodate the participants.
Have two callers.
Make it a tag game. Always have the participant in the centre say "Run if..." first, and then say who has to run. Then, the participant in the centre tries to tag the participants running before they get to the other side. If a participant is tagged, they sit down and can swing their arms out to try to tag other participants. The participants that made it safely to the other side, will then go back to the other side with the other participants and another round will begin. The last participant to be tagged will be the new caller.

Adaptations (General):
Encourage the callers to consider the strengths of all participants: how are they able to move?

Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.