Core Skills Analysis
Physical Education and Motor Skills
During Simon Says, the child listened for spoken movement instructions and responded with physical actions when the game indicated they should. The activity gave the child practice coordinating listening with movement and controlling their body as they acted. Repeated turns offered opportunities to respond promptly and adjust actions as new instructions were given.
English: Listening and Attention
The child attended to spoken instructions and used the wording of each command to decide whether to act. This supported listening comprehension, attention to detail, and following oral directions. The game also involved understanding that the words used to introduce a command affected what the child was expected to do.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
The child took part in a rule-based group game, practising turn-taking and responding within shared expectations. Simon Says also offered practice pausing before acting and managing the excitement of a fast-moving activity. These experiences supported self-control and cooperative participation.
Tips
Tips Extend the game by inviting the child to give a few commands, which builds confidence with spoken language and helps the child think about clear instructions. Add movement words such as stretch, balance, reach, or turn, and ask the child to describe how each action feels in the body. For a creative variation, connect commands to a topic you are exploring—for example, act like an animal, move like a machine, or show a weather pattern. Keep the pace comfortable and celebrate careful listening as well as movement.
Book Recommendations
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle: An interactive picture book that invites children to imitate animal movements and connect actions with words.
- The Listening Walk by Paul Showers: A picture book that encourages children to listen closely and notice sounds in their surroundings.
- Move! by Robin Page: A lively nonfiction picture book introducing how different animals move.
Learning Standards
- English National Curriculum, English—spoken language (Years 1–6): The child practised listening and responding appropriately to spoken instructions and participating in a group activity.
- Early Years Foundation Stage, Physical Development: The activity supported developing coordination and control through movement.
- Early Years Foundation Stage, Personal, Social and Emotional Development: Taking part in a shared rule-based game supported cooperation and self-regulation.
- National Curriculum Physical Education (Key Stages 1–2): The child practised coordinating movements and responding to instructions during physical activity.
Try This Next
- Make command cards with action words such as stretch, balance, clap, and turn; take turns choosing and acting them out.
- Ask the child to draw a sequence of three Simon Says actions, then describe or demonstrate the sequence.
- Try a listening quiz: give several commands and invite the child to explain which words signal when to act.