All Activities
Physical Education

Copy Me

Overview

The teacher or a child leads a sequence of movements and the class copies each one immediately.

Learning Objective
Children develop listening and imitation skills by copying a leader's movements in sequence.

Resources needed

  • Open space

Lesson stages

0 / 7 done
  1. 1 Stand facing the class — explain: copy everything I do.
  2. 2 Start with simple actions: clap, jump, spin, touch toes.
  3. 3 Build a sequence of three actions: jump, turn, clap.
  4. 4 Repeat the sequence three times — children follow.
  5. 5 Add a fourth action each round.
  6. 6 Let a confident child lead the class.
  7. 7 End with a slow, calm movement — arms float down to sides.

Tap a step to mark it as done.

Variations

  • Leader uses only movements below the waist — no arms.
  • Two leaders at once — class must copy both.
  • Whisper the action name before doing it — children predict and move.
More information

Minimal language needed — the physical demonstration is the instruction. Name each action clearly once, then demonstrate.

Reduce sequence length to two actions for very young children. Increase to five or six for more advanced groups.

Can children copy a sequence of four actions without being reminded? Do they watch the leader rather than looking at peers?

No resources needed. Works in any space. One of the simplest and most effective warm-up activities available.

Children watch their classmates rather than the leader. Position the leader so all children must face away from each other to see them.

Imitation is the earliest form of physical learning. Copy Me develops attention, motor memory, and sequencing — all foundational movement skills.

Activity details
Early Years Easy 10–15 minutes no prep Whole Class Indoor & Outdoor
Topics
Imitation Listening Movement