Lesson Plan: Lesson 7 – Rabbit: Hops and Sniffs

Age Group: K1 and K2 (3 to 5 years old)
Class Size: 10 children
Duration: 60 minutes
Focus Area: Light hopping, nose-led sniffing, and expressive reaction through body and face

Learning Objectives:

• Children will be able to hop in small, quick jumps with balanced landings.

• Children will be able to bend low and wiggle the nose to show sniffing clearly.

• Children will be able to show a smile or yucky face after sniffing, depending on the imagined scent.

Materials Needed:

• Floor markers for freeze spots

• Visual aids for rabbit posture and nose focus

• Soft instrumental music for movement and freeze cues

• Suggested props for sniffing practice: pretend flowers, pretend cake, pretend socks, pretend garbage bin

Procedures:

5 min Warm-up: Body + Breath

Purpose: To settle the group, awaken body awareness, and prepare breath for silent movement.

• Lead gentle stretches: reach arms up, roll shoulders, bounce knees. Use imagery like “stretch like a waking rabbit” or “bounce like a bunny tail.” 

• Guide belly breathing: place hands on belly, breathe in slowly through nose, exhale gently through mouth.

• Invite children to make soft sniffing sounds (“sniff-sniff”) to connect breath with nose movement.

15 min Technique Focus 1: Light, Quiet Hopping Pattern

Purpose: To help children hop gently with control and balance.

• Demonstrate small, quick hops with soft landings—feet together, knees bent, arms relaxed. 

• Invite children to copy the hops across a short marked path, focusing on quiet feet and steady rhythm.

• Use visual cues (e.g., bunny footprints) to guide hopping direction and spacing.

• Reinforce balance: land with feet together, no wobbling, no stomping.

• Practice hopping in place and forward with gentle repetition.

15 min Technique Focus 2: Low-Level Sniff with Nose Focus

Purpose: To help children mime sniffing with clear body movement and expressive facial reaction.

• Demonstrate picking up a pretend item (e.g., flower, cake, sock).

• Show how to lower the body gently into a sniffing pose: squat or bend knees, lean forward slightly.

• Wiggle the nose softly to show sniffing action.

• Model two facial reactions:

  • Smile after sniffing something pleasant (e.g., flower, cake)

  • Yucky face after sniffing something unpleasant (e.g., sock, garbage) 

  • Invite children to practice the full sequence: pick up, lower body, sniff, then show the appropriate facial expression. 

  • Reinforce clarity and control: slow movements, expressive face, no talking.

10 min Guided Application to Exam Task (Mime Sequence Practice)

Purpose: To apply hopping and sniffing techniques within a short mime story.

• Model a simple rabbit story: hop forward, pick up a pretend item, sniff, react with smile or yucky face.

• Invite children to perform the sequence in small groups, using hopping, sniffing, and expressive reaction.

• Use count cues (e.g., “1-2-3-sniff!”) to guide timing and control.

• Reinforce posture and stillness between actions.

10 min Performance + Feedback

Purpose: To build performance confidence and reinforce technique through observation and feedback.

• Invite children to perform their rabbit mime sequence one group at a time.

• Observe hopping control, sniff clarity, and facial expression.

• Offer specific feedback: “Your hops were so gentle!” or “I loved your smile after sniffing the cake!”

• Reinforce calm starts and finishes with posture and breath cues.

5 min Calm Close

Purpose: To help children wind down and leave the session feeling calm and proud.

• Lead a gentle “rabbit rest” exercise: curl into a bunny ball, breathe slowly, and listen to soft music.

• Invite children to sit or lie down and imagine a rabbit resting in a quiet burrow.

• Thank children for their effort and preview the next lesson

Extension Ideas:

• Use bunny footprint cards to create hopping trails.

• Practice sniffing gestures during transitions (e.g., sniff before lining up).

• Reinforce facial reactions with a “sniff and show” game—who can show the clearest smile or yucky face?