Ship to Shore! Re-invented for the classroom

The idea is simple. kids run from one side of the classroom to the other. I set this up by drawing a picture on the board. most lowish level students have learned the word, SHIP in their phonics classes, so they imagine they are running from the ship to the shore.

one at a time I introduce the commands.
I've made different motions for each command, some need 1 person, others require 2 or three. If the move requires three, and there are two people without a third, those 2 kidsmust sit down and wait for the next game.
it's a fun game for any size, from 3 to 103!

The week's vocabulary makes up the commands:

Stand up!

Sit down! (two people: one sits on the other like a chair)

Stop! (same as freeze. students can't move till I say OKAY. if they move when I say ANYTHING else, like ship, shore, listen! then they are OUT and have to sit down)

Listen! (three people: they get together and whisper in a circle)

Look. haven't gotten to that one yet.

some of the classics i might add in are SEASICK, CLEAN the FLOOR, and SHARK ATTACK, if they got the hang of the standard ones.

If I had the option, I would take my students outside and play on a field, but it works okay indoors, too.