Suitable for:

  • 1 or more players
  • Outdoor area or indoor area of a few metres
  • Range of physical literacy: all types
  • Age appropriate: 3-7 years

Primary physical literacy skills: all types, creative movement

Make it happen

  • Set out different points around your activity area to represent countries or continents of the world. Call out the countries/continents in turn so that your child visits each one by performing an active movement associated with it.
    • Some ideas: America – pretend to ride a horse like a cowboy, Africa – run like a cheetah, Canada –  prowl like a wolf, Australia – jump like a kangaroo, Brazil – flap like a parrot.
  • If you have a large space (as per the diagram), then the child can start at the ‘Travel hub’ in the middle with destinations of the world spread out in a circle all around them.
  • If you have limited space of only a few metres, then they can simply move between two points and you change the destination each time.
  • Involve your children in choosing the destinations and the movements that could go with them.
  • If more than one child is playing then children can either take it in turns to visit destinations, or they can go as a team, or they can be sent off to different destinations at the same time (see Make it safe below).

We provide this list only as a guide of what parents/carers may wish to consider. Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

  • If playing with more than one child minimise the risk of collisions by ensuring children are not standing or moving in each other’s way:
  • Consider having a waiting area for children waiting their turn away from the ‘Travel hub’ (or whatever start/finish point you are using).
  • You could make sure children all start at different countries and rotate around them in the same direction so they are always moving together and never arriving at the same point at the same time.
  • Make it clear it is not a race and encourage them to travel to and from the destinations as a team.

Please click on our headings below to help you make more of this activity and keep your children coming back to it over time

  • Keep thinking up new destinations and actions to go with them. See if the children can link it to any topics they are studying at school.
  • Think of props that you could place at different destinations to represent them.
    • Some ideas: a dressing up cowboy hat for America, a kangaroo soft toy for Australia, etc.
    • If you don’t have any props then you could print off some images from the internet and stick them onto pieces of cardboard (make sure they don’t become slip hazards).
  • Choose a different theme for the destinations.

Some ideas: leap to the zoo, tight-rope walk to the circus, skip to the shops, run to the Olympics, gallop to the races.

  • Leaper’s theme: Follow Jumpy the flea around the world by jumping on and off the fur of different animals. Perform a different movement related to each animal you are travelling on.

Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

  • Each time the children visit a destination they can try and think of an extra movement associated with it. E.g. first time they visit America they can ride like a cowboy, the next time they could pretend to throw, strike and field a ball in baseball.
  • You could time how long it takes each child to visit all the destinations and then see if they can beat their own time after a rest.

Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

  • Always make sure whatever equipment you are using is safe and appropriate for that use.
  • Consider ways that equipment can be used to represent different countries.

Some ideas: represent sports from different countries just using a ball

  • England: Football
    • 3-5 year olds: kick a ball in the direction of the destination and run after it
    • 5-7 year olds; dribble a ball with their feet to the destination and back
  • Wales: Rugby
    • 3-5 year olds: carry it in their hands like a rugby ball to the destination and touch it down
    • 5-7 year olds: kick it out of their hands towards the destination and run after it
  • Scotland: Stone put
    • 3-7 years: throw it from the shoulder towards the destination with one hand like a shot putt
  • Ireland: Gaelic football
    • 3-5 year olds; bounce it on the ground towards the destination and run after it
    • 5-7 year olds: hold the ball in one hand and strike it towards the destination using the fist of the other hand then run after it 

Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

  • Give them a time limit appropriate to each child’s level (e.g. 30 seconds or 60 seconds), and see how many destinations they can visit in that time limit. On another turn see if they can visit more destinations within the same time period.
  • Make the movement types as active as possible (followed by appropriate rests). E.g. instead of walking try more active movement such as; crawling on hands and feet, rolling along the ground sideways, moving in a hopscotch pattern (jump/hop/jump/hop).

Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

Printable PDF download here

Use of the resources

This move to improve resource is provided as a guideline only for parents and carers who wish to supervise physical activities for their children. Users of this resource have a duty of care to ensure the safety of their participants. We do not endorse the use of any content in this resource that a user feels may present a risk to the safety or well being of the children in their care.