Giraffe Movement Fun

Overview

In this 30-minute lesson, Reception children will immerse themselves in the story Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae, focusing on Gerald the Giraffe’s movements. Through kinaesthetic activities using puppets and props, they will explore and internalise key verbs related to movement – jump, twirl, sway – and practise using simple, structured sentences to describe their actions. This session lays the foundation for early sentence construction and vocabulary development in line with the Early Learning Goals (ELGs) from the National Curriculum (England) for Reception.

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National Curriculum References

Literacy - Communication and Language:

• Listen attentively and respond with relevant comments, questions or actions (ELG: Listening, Attention and Understanding)
• Use talk to organise, sequence and clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events (ELG: Speaking)
• Develop play and learning using new vocabulary (ELG: Understanding)

Physical Development:

• Moving and handling: Move confidently in a range of ways, safely negotiating space (ELG Physical Development)
• Develop fine and gross motor skills necessary for coordination (supports writing later)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, most children will:

• Explore and physically perform three key verbs: jump, twirl, and sway, inspired by Gerald the Giraffe’s movements.
• Use spoken simple sentences such as “I jump like a giraffe” to describe an action.
• Develop listening and speaking skills through story-based role-play and group discussion.
• Begin to understand sentence structure in an engaging, supported context.

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Resources

• Giraffes Can’t Dance storybook or story puppets
• Soft scarves or ribbons (to represent giraffe tails/props to help sway/twirl)
• Giraffe hand puppets or masks
• Large open carpet space for movement
• Visual verb cards with the words: jump, twirl, sway
• Sentence starter board: “I ___ like a giraffe.”
• Sound or music chimes to signal movement shifts

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Lesson Structure

1. Introduction & Story Activation (5 minutes)

• Gather children on the carpet. Briefly introduce Gerald the Giraffe and recap that Gerald loves to dance but moves differently.
• Read aloud selected pages highlighting the movements Gerald makes (jumping, twirling, swaying). Use puppets and animated voice to engage attention.
• Show the verb cards for jump, twirl, sway and say each word clearly, encouraging the children to repeat them aloud.

National Curriculum links: ELG Listening, Attention and Understanding – children listen carefully to instructions and story.

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2. Movement Exploration & Role-Play (15 minutes)

• Divide children into small groups of 4, provide each group with a giraffe puppet or mask and scarves.

• Invite children to physically explore each movement verb:

  • Jump like a giraffe – small, gentle jumps in place.
  • Twirl like a giraffe – spin slowly holding scarves.
  • Sway like a giraffe – gentle side-to-side movements waving scarves.

• Play gentle music or ringing chime signals to cue movement changes. Encourage creativity while demonstrating safe ways to move.

• Support children in orally rehearsing the sentence structure aloud with their partners or group:
  E.g. “I jump like a giraffe.” / “I twirl like a giraffe.” / “I sway like a giraffe.”

• Model clear, slow speech and celebrate efforts with praise and visual affirmation.

National Curriculum links: ELG Physical Development – moving confidently with coordination; ELG Speaking – talking in simple sentences to describe actions.

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3. Whole-Class Sharing & Sentences (7 minutes)

• Gather all children back on the carpet. Invite volunteers to demonstrate one of their giraffe moves.
• Ask: “What are you doing?” and encourage them to answer using the sentence structure: “I ___ like a giraffe.”
• As a class, create a short ‘Giraffe Movement Chant’ together, repeating each sentence with actions in turn. This supports memory and language rhythm.

National Curriculum links: ELG Speaking; Listening and Attention – children speak appropriately and listen to each other.

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4. Plenary & Reflection (3 minutes)

• Recap the verbs learnt today – jump, twirl, sway. Show the verb cards again and invite a quick mime from the class as a group.
• Praise children’s participation and emphasise how well they used words to talk about movements.
• Briefly preview next lesson’s focus: creating longer sentences and adding colour or emotion words.

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Assessment & Differentiation

Assessment Opportunities:

• Observe children’s ability to recall and perform key verbs in movement.
• Listen for use of sentence structures during sharing and group work.
• Note those who can link verb choice to movement confidently and those needing extra support.

Differentiation:

• Provide additional adult support for children who need help with movement or speech (e.g., modelling the sentence with them, one-to-one prompting).
• Challenge confident learners by encouraging them to add descriptive words verbally (e.g., “I jump high like a giraffe”).
• Use visual and verbal prompts consistently for EAL or speech and language learners.

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Extension Ideas (Home or Future Sessions)

• Encourage children to create a simple illustrated “Giraffe Movement” book with pictures and sentences.
• Record short videos of children performing each movement with their sentence to build confidence and speaking skills.
• Connect with Music and Dance sessions by exploring different rhythms to move the ‘giraffe’.

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This lesson promotes holistic development — physical, linguistic, social — reflecting the Reception curriculum’s commitment to broad, play-based learning. Your young learners will delight in hearing their own voices and witnessing their bodies express their newly learnt words, setting a strong foundation for literacy and communication skills.