Humans walk and run, but we can also crawl and cartwheel too. This fantastic variety of movements will help us emulate our favorite animals in this relay race game. Animals move in a variety of different ways depending on what habitat they thrive in. Some leap, others waddle, many are on four legs, and other animals slither; there are a variety of movement patterns. Children are fascinated by animals, and how they move, so they will jump at the opportunity to pretend to be like them when given a chance.

Sometimes when we hear the word "race," we automatically feel anxiety because we think of past experiences when we were not the fastest. Often the competition aspect of racing ruins the experience. However, in this series of races, many of these movements are not the typical running in most races. A student who may not be the fastest runner is faster at another movement pattern like crawling, rolling on a scooter, etc. This variety will give more students the ability to be successful. It will challenge them physically because they will use lots of different muscles for the types of locomotion in the game.

Materials: 

·      An ample open space (such as a gym or field)

·      Cones or rubber disc dots to show the path of the racers

·      Scooters (if the lesson is done in a gym)

·      Homemade cards with the names and pictures of the animals you choose for the races.

o   It is best to choose animals on the Timeline of Life material located in the children's classroom. This way, seeing the material will create feelings of moving like them from PE class.

Minimum Number of Students Needed: This game can be played with as little as one person, but obliviously the more, the merrier.

Age: All ages