Bubble chase

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Age
3-5 years
Child Development
Vocabulary development (describe and explain); predicting, emphasizing the letters and sounds of the language
Equipment
Bubbles
Bubble wand or pipe cleaners shaped into a wand
Physical Activity

Active play; developing spatial awareness; eye-hand coordination; participating with the children

How to Play
  1. Encourage the children to take turns blowing bubbles; while one blows the others try to pop the bubbles before they hit the ground.
  2. Pop the bubbles using different actions (e.g., karate chop, tickle) or body parts (e.g., knees, elbows, fingers).
  3. Sing “Pop Goes the Weasel” while you play.

POP GOES THE WEASEL

All around the cobbler’s bench
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pick up his hat —
Pop! Goes the weasel.

All around the mulberry bush,
The monkey chased the weasel.
The monkey stopped to pull up his socks —
Pop! Goes the weasel.

4. Try to catch the bubbles back into the wand without breaking them.

Change it up / Alternatives / Additional Options
  • Read the poem “My Big Balloon,” then conduct an experiment to see how blowing differently (e.g., hard, soft, steadily, in puffs) changes the bubbles. Have the children describe what they saw and explain what happened.
    • MY BIG BALLOON by Jackie Silberg and Pam Schiller

      I can make a big balloon,
      Watch me while I blow.
      Small at first, then bigger.
      Watch it grow and grow.

      Do you think it’s big enough?
      Maybe I should stop.
      For if I blow much longer,
      My balloon will surely pop!
       
  • For more ways to play with bubbles, read Pop! A Book About Bubbles by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Adapted from the HOP Early Learning Practitoners Resource (Decoda Literacy Solutions)