LESSON 18: How Animals Travel
Lesson Focus: Sequential Memory
Age Group: 2-3 years old
Duration: 30 minutes
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. Remember: Recall travel types
2. Understand: Show pathway and speed differences with safe spacing
3. Apply: Perform a travel sequence from home to centre, meet a friend, and return on cue
    

MATERIALS:

1. Visual cue cards: animal icons (elephant, snake, kangaroo, duck, horse, owl)
2. Drum or hand clapper (for start/stop cues)
3. Floor spots or tape (to define pathways and personal space)
4. Optional: soft animal puppets or plush toys
5. Powerpoint:

LESSON PROCEDURES:

1) Welcome and Warm-Up (3 minutes)

• Lead gentle stretches, shoulder rolls, and toe taps
• Introduce the idea: “Today we’ll travel like animals!”
• Show 2–3 animal cards and invite children to copy simple travel actions (e.g., stomp, slither, hop)

2) Introduce Animal Travel Types (4 minutes)

• Display animal cards and model how each one travels:
  • Elephant – slow stomp
  • Snake – smooth slither
  • Kangaroo – big hop
  • Duck – side-to-side waddle
  • Horse – rhythmic trot
  • Owl – gliding flap
• Invite children to repeat each movement briefly
• Use call-and-response: “Who travels slowly?” “Who hops fast?”

3) Explore Pathways and Speeds (5 minutes)

• Set up floor spots or tape lines to define straight, curved, zigzag paths
• Demonstrate how different animals move along each path:
  • Snake on a wiggly line
  • Horse on a straight trot
  • Duck on a curved path
• Invite children to travel one at a time with clear spacing
• Use drum to cue start and freeze
• Narrate: “Let’s move slowly like elephants… now faster like kangaroos!”

4) Guide Travel with Emotion (5 minutes)

• Pair travel types with emotional cues:
  • “Sleepy owl glides slowly”
  • “Excited kangaroo hops quickly”
  • “Curious duck waddles and looks around”
• Invite children to show how the emotion changes their movement
• Use facial expressions and gentle voice to model emotional travel

5) Lead Travel Sequence Game (6 minutes)

• Set up a pretend journey:
  • “Start at home” (floor spot)
  • “Travel to the centre” (middle of room)
  • “Meet a friend” (wave or hug gesture)
  • “Return home” (back to starting spot)
• Assign animals to each leg of the journey:
  • Home to centre = kangaroo
  • Meet friend = owl
  • Return = elephant
• Invite children to follow the sequence with movement and freeze cues
• Narrate the journey with warmth and rhythm

6) Facilitate Group Travel Parade (5 minutes)

• Divide children into 3 groups
• Assign each group a travel style and pathway:
  • Group A = snake on zigzag
  • Group B = horse on straight line
  • Group C = duck on curved path
• Invite each group to perform their travel across the room
• Cue transitions with drum and praise expressive movement

7) End with Cool-Down and Reflection (2 minutes)

• Lead calming breaths: “Sniff like a bunny… blow like an elephant”
• Invite children to sit and reflect:
  • “Which animal did you travel like today?”
  • “Show me your favourite travel pose”
• Optional: group wave or animal sound goodbye

ASSESSMENT

• Identification: Observe if learners recall and name travel types
• Demonstration: Observe if learners perform distinct travel movements and pathways
• Control: Observe if learners maintain safe spacing and respond to cues
• Sequencing: Observe if learners follow the travel sequence with clear transitions

REMARKS

• Safety and Inclusion: Offer seated or simplified travel options (e.g., finger slither, arm flaps)
• Classroom Management: Use freeze signal consistently; narrate positive examples (“I see careful feet!”)
• Language Support: Pair travel words with visuals and gestures; use repeated phrases
• Differentiation:
  • For emerging learners: focus on one travel type at a time
  • For advanced learners: combine travel, emotion, and sequencing
• Transitions: Pre-cue changes (“Ready to travel in 3-2-1”) to support executive function
• Environment: Use floor spots and clear pathways to support safe movement
• Family/Carer Note (optional): Try a home travel game—pretend to go to the park and back using animal moves