MINGLE, MINGLE, MINGLE

Great for breaking the ice, socialization and having fun.

Materials:
Indoor or outdoor space with boundaries

Mingle, Mingle, Mingle
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Procedure:

  1. Children standing or sitting as they listen and watch as the directions are given and demonstrated.
  2. Children are to walk in the shared space and shake hands with one another as they chant or sing, "Min-gle, Min-gle, Min-gle," "Min-gle, Min-gle, Min-gle," Min-gle, Min-gle, Min-gle."
  3. When the command "groups of two linking elbows" is given, children are to find another person and link inside elbows.
  4. When the teacher/game leader starts chanting "Min-gle, Min-gle, Min-gle" children are to unlink elbows and resume walking around in the shared space chanting, "Min-gle, Min-gle, Min-gle," and shaking hands with each other until another command is given.
  5. Other commands may be:
    • Groups of 4 shoulder to shoulder
    • Groups of 3 knee to knee
    • Groups of 6 joined at the hips
    • There is no right or wrong way to connect body parts to each other. Point out the different ways that each group completed the challenge.
Learning Outcomes/Goals:
  1. Physical activity: any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that results in energy expenditure
  2. Gross motor skills: using the large muscles of the arms, legs and trunk(to perform traveling actions)
  3. Mathematics: promote concepts of number and counting
  4. Problem solving: to seek solutions in difficult situations (children quickly realize that they may not have the correct number of people. See how they discover to solve the problem)
  5. Body Awareness: knowing and understanding the whole body and its parts and function
  6. Space awareness: knowing where the body can and should move in relationship to other people in the play space
  7. Shared space: all of the designated play space that can be used by everyone.
  8. Cooperative play: games and activities that the participants play together rather than against one another
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