Children choreograph a movement routine or tell a story using a swing. They can swing on the swing, stand next to the swing and hold on to it with one hand, pretend the swing is a dance partner and dance with it, or whatever they can think of as long as it's a safe use of the swing. The only rule is that they must be in contact with the swing at all times. Encourage them to use their imagination. Once the routine is complete, children may demonstrate it individually or as a group.
Play Elements: Swinging
Benefits
- Fosters kinesthetic awareness through an expressive, rhythmic movement experience.
- Cultivates respect for the ideas and diverse characteristics of self and others.
- Encourages communication and teamwork skills.
Teaching Tips
- Have children work with partners or in small groups.
- Allow adequate time for children to practice the routine.
Safety Tips
- Ensure that there is sufficient playground safety surfacing under and around the swings.
- Ensure that children hold on with both hands while swinging.
- Do not allow children to wrap the swing chain around any part of their bodies.
Variations
- Easier: Groups choose whether each member displays one movement at a time or collectively as a group.
- More Challenging: Provide a rubric of required elements to be included. For example: Two locomotor skills (hop, slide), two nonlocomotor skills (stretching, twisting), a forceful quality (hard leg pump) and speed quality (deceleration), two strength poses, and two balances at two different levels.
- Adaptation: Children sit on the swing and start the swing moving with their legs.
Did You Know?
Playgrounds started to be developed in the late 1800s after the minimum working age increased, so children had a safe place to play.
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