Slow-Motion Snails
What you need
- open floor space
How to do it
- Kneel down side by side and pretend to be snails.
- Race to the other side of the room, but the slowest snail wins.
- Move as slowly as you can, one hand, then one knee.
- Try being other slow things: a sleepy tortoise, a cloud, a melting ice cream.
Why it matters
Moving slowly is much harder than moving fast, and a race where slow wins makes them try.
What they're learning
- Body control
- Moving one hand or knee at a time slowly takes balance and patience.
- Pretend play
- Being a snail, a tortoise or a cloud is moving like something else.
- Calming down
- Slow movement brings a busy body down a notch.
What to look for
Watch for them slowing down even more when they see you slow down.
A tip
Use this when they're wound up. A slow race takes the fizz out without saying 'calm down'.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: just crawl slowly together without the race
Harder: walk slowly on tiptoes, or freeze completely whenever you say 'snail!'
