Locomotor City is a culminating activity I play with my K-2 students to reinforce and allow autonomy in their learning. The activity combines skill practices of locomotor movements, pathways, levels, fitness skills, directions, rule following, social skills and a host of other physical education elements, all combined into one collective activity.

Students are responsible for their own time management as they complete the activity. The idea is to travel in and out of the city, completing as many of the different activities as they can during the allotted time period. I play lots of upbeat music to encourage high intensity play and add excitement to the already charged atmosphere in the room. At the end of the class period, we all cool down by walking with a friend around the outside of the city, and sharing what activities we did, what was our favorite and what new skill we learned.

Equipment Used:

• Poly spots
• Pennant flags
• River stones
• Floor tape
• Paper plates
• Hoops
• Jump ropes
• Scooters
• Cones
• Street signs

Introduction to Students: Welcome to Locomotor City!

We created this city for you to enjoy lots of choices of movement activities. We want to see you using all the skills we have covered over the last two weeks. We hope to see lots of skipping, jogging, galloping, hopping, jumping, leaping and walking. Our city has a sidewalk that you must use to visit all the areas inside the city. You also must use the correct doors to enter and exit the city. Speed limit signs are posted as well as park signs that tell you the major skill for that area. Use your knowledge of general and self-space to keep you and your friends safe as you travel in and out of the city.

Locomotor City Activity Set Up

I create the city by making a “fence” using strings of pennant flags around the perimeter of the gym, leaving room around the outside for kids to travel around the “outside of the city”. Create an opening at each end of the “fence” for entering and exiting the city. Inside the fence, I create different movement activities that allow multiple opportunities for practice of space awareness, traveling, taking turns, sharing, levels and pathways.

Locomotor City Activities

Feel free to adapt and create activities that work for your classroom and student needs.

Outside the Fence/Perimeter:

• Faster locomotor movements: jogging, skipping and galloping. Movement is one way only.
• Sidewalk: double black line down the center of the gym designates the “sidewalk” area for walking to and from different activities/parks
• “In” door: opening at one end of fences for students to enter the city
• “Out” door: opening at opposite end of fences for exiting back out to the highway. Inside the fence/perimeter.

“Inside the City” Activities:

• Bunny Trail: hopping pathways made with poly spots
• Ocean Jumping: shark poly spots, poly spots, river stones, step boxes: jump and leap from rock to rock avoiding the “ocean”/floor
• Ice Pond: blue floor tape to create a pond, paper plates for ice skates: sliding, twirling, backward/forward/sideways, alone or with a friend.
• Pathway Balancing Lines: colored floor tape in zig zag, curvy and straight pathways for walking
• Hula Hoop Park: for hoop skill practice
• Jump Rope Lane: for jump rope practice
• Scooter Alley: bottom down-leg strength, stomach down-arm strength
• Hopscotch Park: hoping skills, patterns
• Walking Trail: a second fence runs parallel to the flag fence and completely encircles the city: for walking only. Walking one way around the trail.

Here is the video of my students doing the Locomotor City activity:

Locomotor City in action! Love my job! #physed @PhysEdDepot pic.twitter.com/X6M5tepFC6

— Kelly Brown Ed.S (@LovePrimaryPE) August 18, 2017

About the Author

Kelly Brown is currently in her 28th year teaching Physical Education and Health at Morgan County Primary School. She teaches 750 K-2 students each week. She was the recipient of the MCPS Teacher of the Year Award in 2014. She recently completed her Educational Specialist degree in Curriculum and Instruction 2016. She has presented at the Share the Wealth Physical Education Conference at Jekyll Island and has published activities in the physical education magazine, Great Activities. She loves to be creative with her students and constantly strives to create a classroom culture of learning with joy and excitement.