Indoor Park Actions

Skill: Run
Time Required: 10
Activity Type: Physical, Transition
Group Size: Large Group, Medium Group, Small Group
Age Group: 6 - 9yrs, 9 - 12yrs
Play area: Classroom (small indoor space), Gymnasium (large indoor space), Outdoor - Field
Safety Considerations: Ensure the area is free of obstacles and hazards.
Remind participants to always look where they are going.
Equipment: Chairs
Desks/Tables (optional)
Objective:
Participants follow the instructions and do the appropriate actions for the park events, objects, and animals that the leader calls out.
Set up:
Participants can be seated at their desks, tables, or on the floor.
Step by Step:
1. For this activity, participants will put on their imagination caps and pretend that they are outside at a park.
2. The leader will call out objects, events, animals, and actions that take place at a park and participants will do the designated actions (the leader will go over these items and actions before the activity begins).
3. Participants start seated at their desks, on the floor, or wherever the leader chooses.
4. Here is a list of the park objects, events, animals, and the actions associated with them:
- Tree - Participants stand up and hold their arms above their head (forming the top part of the tree), and participants will sway side to side, as the wind is blowing the tree. After the leader says tree, they could say, "Autumn", and as leaves falls in autumn, the participants will bring their arms down in front of them and to the ground.
- Bench - Participants will sit down on their chairs, or participants will squat and pretend to be sitting down. If participants are sitting down on the chair, have them pretend to be reading a newspaper, feeding the birds, or taking an impromptu nap.
- Stroll - Participants walk on the spot enjoying the park's fresh air.
- Thunderstorm/Rain - Participants hide under their desks/tables to hide from the rain/storm.
- Bird - Participants stand up and begin to flap their arms like they are flying.
- Squirrel - Participants run on the spot, taking little and quick steps. They could also puff out their cheeks like they have some food in there, and they are running to store their food, as squirrels love to do.
- Seesaw - Participants face a participant next to them and as one participant sits, the other participant stands, and then the participant standing begins to sit down as the other participant begins to stand up. If there is an odd amount of participants, then two participants sit, and one stands, and so on.
- Merry-Go-Round - Participants begin to walk around the classroom or area, and then the leader will say "choose your horse", and participants will select a chair close to them (should not be the same chair they were just at) and sit down on it and say "neigh!". If there are no chairs, then participants will stop where they are, squat down and say "neigh".
5. Could make this like Simon Says, and if the leader does not say "Park", "Be a...", or another designated word before the object/event/animal, then participants are not to do the action. If they do, then they are out for the round.
Variations:
Create your own actions and objects/events/animals and so on.
Select a different environment other than a park. Examples could be: amusement park, zoo, at a sports event, travelling and so on. Allow participants to think up the actions.
Sources: Developed for the Leisure Information Network.