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Follow the Leader

Children copy the leader's actions and words around the classroom.

⏱ 10-15 min⚡ High energy👥 Whole class

📚 Vocabulary

action verbs
jump
hop
clap
stomp
spin
crawl
tiptoe

🛠 Materials

No materials needed
Optional: music for atmosphere

📋 How to Play

  1. Teacher is the leader. Children line up behind in a long snake.
  2. The leader walks around the room doing actions and saying them aloud — "JUMPING!"
  3. All children copy the action and repeat the word.
  4. Leader changes action every 10-15 seconds — "STOMPING!"
  5. Children copy and say "STOMPING!"
  6. After a few rounds, choose a child to be the new leader.
  7. The new leader decides the actions and calls them out.
  8. Continue swapping leaders so every child gets a turn.

💡 Teacher Tips

Call out each action clearly and wait for children to repeat before moving on.
Use silly or unexpected actions to keep children laughing and engaged.
This is perfect for teaching action verbs in a physical, memorable way.
Shy children love this game because they just follow — no pressure to perform alone.

🔄 Variations

Leader walks like an animal — children guess the animal and copy.
Combine two actions — "Jump AND clap!"
Play to music and change the leader each time the song changes.

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