Suitable for:

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

Make it happen

  • Think of six different exercises with your children that they can perform. They and make sure that between them the exercises use all parts of the body. 
  • Assign each exercise a different number between one and six (helps to write them down).
  • Roll the die and whichever number it lands on the children must perform that exercise.
  • Depending on the space you have available or the exercise that has been chosen, children may have to take turns if there is not enough room or equipment for them to all exercise at once.

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 the exercises are all quite active then consider adding appropriate rest periods.
  • Try to ensure exercises involve different parts of the body. Make sure exercises don’t over-stress the same part of the body in young children for too long without rests; e.g. repeatedly hopping and jumping for a prolonged period without recovery could overwork the knees and ankles.

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

  • Play for different periods using different themes. Some ideas: for the first five minutes all the exercises on the die could relate to an outer-space theme, for the second five minutes they could all relate to a farmyard.
  • If you have the space, think of ways that exercises can involve visiting different locations around your activity area. Some ideas:
    • In the garden – perform an exercise at the top of the garden, perform the next exercise at the bottom of the garden;
    • At a play park– one exercise could be to go down the slide, one could be to swing on the swings 10 times, another could be to climb the climbing frame.
  • Leaper’s theme: Swingy takes us to his newly opened Safari Park Adventure World. Relate movements on each die roll to different animals, rides and attractions at the park.
Please also read our general guidelines on the Parents/Carers Information page.

  • Try and increase the targets for each exercise that children have to do (relative to their age and ability).
    • Some ideas: if a child performed three star jumps the first few times they rolled a six, now increase that to five star jumps each time they roll a six; if a child previously completed three bounce and catches on the ground with a ball in ten seconds, now increase their target to four in ten seconds.
  • Take into account that different children will likely need to work to different targets to achieve success.
  • For young children make a target very achievable at first. Once they have gained success then increase it gradually to build their confidence and sustain their interest.

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.
  • All you need is a standard small playing die. However you can buy a large foam die to roll and even ones that have see-through sleeves on the faces that allow you to write exercises on pieces of paper and slide them in.
  • If you don’t have a die then you can write the exercises on folded pieces of paper and pick them out of a hat each time. Either return them to the hat after each turn, or keep them out so the same one isn’t picked until all have been performed

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

  • Using active equipment such as a skipping rope will encourage lots of higher energy exercise (a skipping rope is obviously for outdoor use). E.g. roll a two and perform ten skips, or skip for ten seconds. Younger children may struggle with a skipping rope, so instead they could jump forwards/backwards/side to side with their feet together (on and off a marker spot or over a chalk line).
  • Weight bearing exercises such as crawling on hands and feet or jumping require higher energy levels than a skill based activity such as standing still whilst throwing and catching. Try and ensure at least three of the exercises are higher energy ones.
  • The rolling of the die is all part of the fun, however it will be random so ensure there is an appropriate mix between lower and higher energy exercises. See our Home Circuit activity where it explains about alternating exercises that require higher and lower energy.

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.