My friend beanie

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Age
3-5 years
Child Development
Vocabulary (location words: on, under, between; and action words: sag, wiggle, wag); counting; predicting
Equipment
1 bean bag per child (beanie)
Physical Activity

Developing movement skills (body and spatial awareness); cooperation

How to Play
  1. With the children, explore all sorts of ways to balance the bean bag on different parts of the body. For example, on the head, shoulders, nose, ear, bottom; between the legs, knees, toes, elbows. Use the “Body Language” poem for ideas about where to put beanie. Invite the children to find other ways to balance “beanie” on their bodies.
    1. BODY LANGUAGE by Anonymous

      Hips wiggle
      Tummies sag
      Shoulders shrug
      Tongues wag
      Feet patter
      Scalps tingle
      Teeth chatter
      Chests heave
      Backs ache
      Hair curls
      Nails break
      Arms fold
      Legs jump
      Ankles sprain
      Hearts pump
      Noses twitch
      Hands clap
      Elbows bend
      Fingers snap
      Skin wrinkles
      Knuckles crack
      Knees knock
      Lips smack
      Thumbs twiddle
      Eyes blink
      Heads nod
      Brains think!
Change it up / Alternatives / Additional Options
  • Challenge the children to invent tricky balance positions for beanie on their bodies. Ask them to predict how many seconds they can hold beanie in place before it drops—then try it.
  • Play “pass the package” by passing the bean bag back and forth with a partner. For example, pass the beanbag from foot to foot and back again. Try again, using elbows, or holding beanie between shoulder and chin, etc. Pretend the bean bag is magic and it will splatter and shatter if dropped; take great care not to let it hit the ground.
  • Read From Head to Toe by Eric Carle and play “Copy Cat.” Take turns showing different tricks with beanie for others to try.

Excerpt from the HOP Early Learning Practitioners Resource (Decoda Literacy Solutions)