Getting Our Bodies Ready to Play

What is a warm-up?A warm-up is a few minutes of gentle movement we do before we play hard. Think of it like waking up your body! When your muscles are sleepy, they can get hurt if you suddenly run or jump. A warm-up tells your muscles, 'Hey! It's time to get ready for action!'Why do we warm up?Warming up helps get our hearts beating a little faster and makes our bodies feel stretchy and ready. This helps us avoid owies, like pulling a muscle. It makes playing safer and even more fun!

Let's pretend to be different animals to wake up our bodies!Slow Turtle: Start by walking very slowly around your space, tucking your chin a little.Tall Giraffe: Now, walk on your tiptoes, stretching your neck and arms up high to reach for leaves.Funny Crab: Sit down, put your hands and feet on the floor, and lift your tummy up. Walk sideways like a crab!Bunny Hops: Do ten small, gentle hops in place, like a bunny wiggling its nose.Proud Lion: Finish with a big stretch! Stand tall, reach your arms out wide, and give a quiet, mighty roar!

Let's move our bodies like different kinds of weather!A Light Breeze: Stand with your feet apart and gently swing your arms from side to side like trees in the wind.The Sun Comes Out: Reach your arms way up high to the sky and stretch your whole body, like you're soaking up the sun's rays.Gentle Raindrops: Start by wiggling your fingers, then lightly tap your feet on the floor, like pitter-patter raindrops.A Little Jog: Now, let's jog in place! Lift your knees up a little, like you're jogging through a sunny park after the rain.