Childhood101

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Making Body Shapes (with Printable Body Shape Cards)

movement games

One simple movement game that the children have always loved in the classroom was making body shapes. My girls love it too. I also think it’s pretty great because it is easy to play and fun to play both inside and out.

In it’s simplest form, to play body shapes I would ask the children to use their bodies to make the shape of an animal or object. A more complicated version of the game involved me showing the children cards of stick figures body shapes for them to try and imitate. This version is challenging, so best for grade schoolers, though children in kindergarten will give it a good go to!

movement activities

As well as moving, this version of the game involves lots of problem solving, and inevitably lots of laughter too!  It’s a fun way to play, explore and learn about the body and it’s range of movement, encouraging body control, co-ordination and balance.

movement games

Printing Your Body Shape Cards

Click here to download. This will open a 2 page PDF document. Download or save the PDF to your own computer. Open the PDF and print the page you require. When printing, select “Fit to printable area” (or similar) to ensure the page fits with your printer type and local paper size (these have been created at A4 size). I suggest printing onto card stock or matte photo paper. Laminate the printed cards for durability.

Having trouble accessing or downloading the file? Please try a different internet browser.

Please note: All Childhood 101 printables are for personal use only, you may not use any part of this content for  commercial purposes-that includes selling the document, giving it away to promote your business or website, or printing the file to sell. You may not share, loan or redistribute these documents. Teachers may use multiple copies for students in their own classroom.

Christie Burnett is an early childhood teacher, presenter, writer and the editor of Childhood 101. More importantly, she is a Mum who believes wholeheartedly in the value of children learning through play, the importance of quality early education, and the togetherness of family.

Read more of Christie's adventures at https://childhood101.com.

Read the comments or scroll down to add your own:

  1. Erin says

    February 13, 2012 at 10:01 AM

    Thank you Christie! Have just printed off a copy to play with Miss 4 and Miss 2 after preschool today - should be lots of fun! :)

  5. Trish says

    February 15, 2012 at 2:41 PM

    Thanks so much for these - what a fab idea! I can't wait to play with them tomorrow with my munchkins. I really love your blog... thanks so much for all your ace ideas :)

  7. Alexis says

    February 17, 2012 at 9:06 AM

    I printed these to play with my 2 yo. She had a little bit of a hard time figuring out what was happening in the picture so I drew on noses. It helps for her to know which way the face is pointed, especially on some of the sitting poses.

  8. Chris says

    February 19, 2012 at 5:33 PM

    Thanks. We've been using them with my 4 and 2 year old and they love them. We sometimes turn the cards around to see a silly alternative. They like going through the cards really quickly and seeing how fast they can do them or how long they can keep their balance.

  9. Liga Krista says

    March 15, 2012 at 4:27 AM

    this is great. i did a post with a link to your site in my blog, so much i loved it! http://ligakrista.blogspot.com/2012/03/izvingrojamies-no-sirds.html

  10. Sally says

    October 5, 2012 at 5:32 AM

    I love this idea. I put a link to your post from http://craftandkids.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/prinable-body-shape-cards.html. I'd love to see a version kids could do from their car/plane seat. :)

  11. Sally says

    October 5, 2012 at 5:33 AM

    I love this idea. I put a link to your post from http://craftandkids.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/prinable-body-shape-cards.html. I'd love to see a version kids could do from their car/plane seat :). Meanwhile I'll have to fix my printer so I can give it a go with my kids.

  13. Rosalind Oliver says

    April 16, 2014 at 10:27 PM

    Thank you for your images. I was wondering if you know of a song that accompanies this activity?

  14. Jenna says

    November 13, 2014 at 2:47 AM

    I use these in my k-6 music classroom. I put on some music and when the music stops they freeze in the position shown. Great for gross motor skills as well as body awareness!

  15. Connie says

    January 23, 2015 at 1:14 AM

    Awesome! These are a great independent resource for them to practice the yoga moves we learn in group exercise. Thanks for posting!

  16. salihah says

    January 23, 2018 at 7:21 AM

    This is such a handy resource-we printed them and used them in our drama workshop to aid in demonstrating how to make and mirror body shapes.many thanks

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