Time
2-3 minutes
Equipment
Drum or Pan
Benefits
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Pacing
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Body Rhythm
Ages
3+
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Listening
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Self Control
Go Slow Whoa!
Changing pace is a great early lesson in self control.
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About the Game
How? A listening game you can play anytime where kids get to go fast, slow, and freeze!
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Why? Moving slowly and stopping requires both balance and coordination so it’s an important piece of their self-control puzzle.
What You Can Do. Remember that going slow and stopping is hard for them and they’ll need lots of practice before it comes naturally.
How to Play
Set Up. Explain the rules of the game.
Go! means move as fast as you can.
Slow! means move as slow as you can.
Whoa! means freeze in place.
Play along with them so they can model what you do. And be sure to change your voice from fast to slow so they can hear the difference.
Game Play
Go-Slow-Whoa can be played anytime or anywhere you like. Try any of these or make up your own game...
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Race Course. Pick a spot and have them race to it. Start fast. Then slow. Then mix it up... Go! Slow! Whoa!
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Obstacle Course. Same idea, but now throw in a few obstacles to run around, jump over, or duck under.
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Drumming. Tap a toy drum or a pan and spoon fast, slow and whoa! See if they can match the beat with their feet.
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Dinosaur Stomp! Pretend to be dinosaurs and stomp fast, slow, and whoa!
For Advanced Play
Street Light! Have your child draw three cards – green for Go, yellow for Slow, and red for Whoa! Now instead of giving them verbal cues, they have to watch for the traffic lights!
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Once they get the hang of it, change up the order so they have to pay even closer attention!
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And there's more...