Materials
none
Instructions
1. To grab the children's attention at group or circle time, bring out stuffed
animals and tell the children how happy they are to be at school today. Tell
them one of the animals has a very funny name, Willaby Wallaby, and he
loves sitting on top of people! Start with yourself and say the following
rhyme (if your name is Ann!).
Willaby wallaby wan,
An elephant sat on Ann. (have an elephant sit on top of your head)
2. Move around the circle and let each child have a turn holding the elephant
on top of her head, while you say (if the child's name is Jacob), "Willaby
wallaby wakened, an elephant sat on Jacob." Then the child can go wash his
hands for snack, or do whatever transition is next.
3. With older children, do the first part of the rhyme and see if they can guess
whose name it rhymes with and then hand that child the elephant.
4. Instead of an elephant, you can say other names: Willaby wallaby wan, a
monkey sat on Ann.
More to do Gross Motor: Read books about elephant or animals. Elmer by David McKee is a
good book for moving like different animals. Act out "Elephants Went Out to
Play." One child sits in the middle of the circle and is the elephant and puts
extended arms together to pretend it is the trunk and swings it.
