Whether it’s in the classroom, at home, or for a birthday party game, this fun movement game makes a SPLASH!
Rett and I created this fin-tastic activity to go along with our children’s book, Zale’s Tales: The Quest for the Magic Pearl.
It was the very first book that we wrote + illustrated together, so it’s pretty special to us!
Sharing ocean love + waves of positivity is truly our purpose (well…porpoise), and this fun game really gets the good vibes flowing.
Not only will it get kids wiggling, jiggling, and giggling, it’s also useful as a tool to help kids stay in their spot for circle time or forming a line.
Read till the end
Be sure to read to the end of the post for awesome tips on how to fully use this activity in the classroom or at home! We’ve compiled helpful hints using my teaching background + feedback from teachers & parents who’ve used it.
It’s a FREE (with email sign up) Ocean Motion Game kit that includes:
- Music & Movement video for kids (3 minute)
- Memory & Movement Game: 30 printable cards & instruction sheet (smaller area play)
- Movement Markers: 15 printable spot or floor markers & instruction sheet (larger area play)
All of the ocean animals featured in this game are from our book, Zale’s Tales: The Quest for the Magic Pearl. We hand-draw & hand-paint all of our illustrations using pencil, paper, and paint!
Movement dance video for kids
We’ve also created a dance video for another mode of fun. Here’s a preview (the whole 3-min video will be sent to you when you sign up your email):
This works best for early elementary school (pre-K, kindergarten, 1st grade & 2nd grade) and is FIN-tastic for getting their little bodies moving and their energy flowing.
It brings so much fun to an ocean unit in the elementary classroom or home school, a summer fun activity, or a birthday party game!
Dive deeper with a read-aloud
We highly recommend a read-aloud of Zale’s Tales to go along with this activity to dive deeper into ocean animals and the ocean environment. It’s a magical adventure that brings the wonder of the ocean to life!
And we’re super excited that it’s now also available as an e-book.
When these Ocean Motion activities are combined with a read-aloud of the picture book, kids will easily learn to recognize ocean animals and their movements.
Plus, with the back page filled with cool info about many of the animals in the book, it brings learning to greater heights!
Tips on how to use Ocean Motion
In the classroom or at home, Ocean Motion has so many uses:
- Music & Movement Station; Indoor Recess or P.E.:
- use the larger spot markers on the floor or taped to cones for the kids to rotate through (play music too!)
- play the 3 minute video (complete with music) for the kids to dance
- Book connection: Read Zale’s Tales: The Quest for the Magic Pearl and do the motions for each animal as you read
- Circle: put them on the floor in your circle space to use as an anchor to keep kids sitting or standing in one spot
- Line: put them on the floor or on the wall in a line by the door. Assign and rotate the animals for the kids to each go to when it’s time to line up.
- Brain Break: choose a few at random to have kids stand up, stretch, and move
- Memory Game: use the smaller cards in an activity to play memory. When a child makes a match, he or she does the animal movement of the matched cards!
To sign up and get these free goodies, click here.
We hope you have a blast using Zale’s Tales Ocean Motion to make waves of positivity + get kids excited about the ocean!
Live with porpoise,
Eve + Rett
Disclaimer: All activities on this blog are intended to be performed with adult supervision. Appropriate and reasonable caution should be used when activities call for the use of materials that could potentially be harmful, such as scissors, or items that could present a choking risk (small items), or a drowning risk (water activities), and with introducing a new food/ingredient to a child (allergies). Observe caution and safety at all times. The author and blog disclaim liability for any damage, mishap, or injury that may occur from engaging in any of these activities on this blog.