Circle Passing Games: Hacks
Boring Versions and Better Versions
I remember observing another elementary teacher using a “circle passing game” using the song “Button Button.” The children had some fun with the concept of passing the “button” around the circle but it occurred to me that there was very little musicality within their passing gesture… they were singing, and moving, but not connecting the two! I developed a few ways to increase the musical connections in a circle passing game. In this post, I’ll share some of those thoughts and a video! But first…
Housekeeping:
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From the Archive:
The First Three Classes - Part Two
In this post, I’m continuing my series “The First Three Classes” with some tips and activities for primary grades, 2nd and 3rd grade. For my international subscribers, these are students who are typically 7,8, or 9 years old. Even students that have had several years of experience with movement-based instruction need to be launched properly at the beginning of the year. This post will guide you through the first three classes to set yourself up for a great year of beautiful moments! But first…
These kind of games can go wrong in so many ways! I learned years ago that BEAN BAGS are the best tool for passing games, I use hackey sacks, but there are many versions that might work. When they are dropped (and they will be dropped!) they just plop on the ground instead of rolling and bouncing away.
If you just invite students to pass the bean bag around the circle you’ll find a lot of problems. They are quite thoughtless about how they do it, and they will often lose attention as well as any sense of pulse. The quickest way to fix this is to add a bit of choreography. I like a “Left/Right” swap with the hands. Check out the video and see how it works!
Another way to make it more musical is to invite students to “draw an interesting line” with the beanbag as they travel to the next person. This gives them some creativity and improvisation on top of their responsibility.
Often students forget that they have an opportunity to decide HOW to ACCEPT the bean bag as well as passing it. Receiving is also an important element, and you can see some students become more engaged as they give some thought to their technique in RECEIVING.
Deciding what kind of music to accompany the activity with is a fun opportunity. I will improvise in various styles from chunky/bouncy/jazzy improv, to smoother more lyrical melodies. The students can be directed to make decisions on their movement based on the musical elements. You can use QUICK REACTIONS and FOLLOWS to change elements and make the activity even more vibrant!
If you want to use a song like “Button Button” or “Pass the Pumpkin” you can REALLY improve the outcomes by focusing a bit on these elements! What do you find are the hardest parts of passing games? Do you notice the same things as me?