Littles fundamentals — every stance is an animal, every drill is a story, and nobody stands still long enough to wobble off task
Animal Adventures
- Kids martial arts
- Littles 3–5 · Any art
- 30 min
- 6–12 littles (one adult per six)
- 2 coaches
- Effort 2/5
- Full mat area
- littles
- animals
- movement
- games
Kit: Mats, 12 spot markers, 8 cones, a basket of beanbags or soft toys for cubs
Hello Circle
Setup: Spot markers in a circle, one per child, you sitting on a spot IN the circle. Helpers sit opposite you, splitting the wrigglers between adults.
How it works: Bow in together — show it twice, then do it as a class. Roll call with a twist: say each child's name and they answer with their favourite animal noise. Then wake the animals up: shake paws, stomp elephant feet, stretch tall like giraffes, curl small like hedgehogs. One instruction at a time, and you do every move with them.
Rounds: The circle-on-spots shape is your reset button — every time the class frays tonight, call 'back to your spot' and start again from calm.
What to say
- “Learn every name in the first five minutes — a named little is a listening little.”
- “One instruction, then move. Three-year-olds hold one thing at a time.”
- “Sit with them, not over them — you in the circle is half the behaviour plan.”
Easier
Skip the roll-call answers for shy ones — they wave instead, and the class makes their animal noise for them.
Harder
Rising fives answer with the animal noise AND the animal's walk on the spot.
Animal Safari
Setup: Two cone lines the width of the mat, spot markers along the start line so every little has a launch pad. Helpers stand at the far line as the safari camp.
How it works: You are the safari guide and the mat is the jungle. Call an animal, show its move for three seconds, then everyone crosses together: bear crawls, frog jumps, flamingo tip-toes with arms out, cheetah quick-feet, gorilla stomps in a wide strong stance. Helpers cheer them into camp and turn them around. Change the animal every crossing, and sneak your art's shapes inside — the gorilla stomp is a horse stance, the flamingo is a kick chamber.
The technique, step by step
- Call the animal and demo it for three seconds.
- Everyone crosses together to the safari camp.
- Helpers turn them round, next animal straight away.
- Sneak a freeze in every third crossing.
What to say
- “Show, don't explain — three seconds of demo beats thirty of talk at this age.”
- “Everyone crosses at once. Queues are where littles' classes go to die.”
- “Name what you want to see: 'Aoife's gorilla has SO strong legs' fixes five other gorillas.”
Easier
Walk-pace animals only, helpers crossing alongside anyone unsure.
Harder
Freeze call mid-jungle — animals stop dead in their shape and hold for three counts before finishing the crossing.
Three Animal Stances
Setup: Back to the spot circle. This is the teaching block, so it is the shortest one — littles learn in bursts.
How it works: Teach three stances as animals, one at a time: Strong Horse (feet wide, knees bent, fists on hips), Tall Crane (one knee up, arms out like wings), Ready Tiger (your art's fighting stance, paws up in front). Say the name, show it, everyone copies for five seconds, big single clap, next one. Then play the calling game: you call the animal, they hit the stance. Mix the order, add a whisper round.
The technique, step by step
- Strong Horse: feet wide, knees bent, fists on hips.
- Tall Crane: one knee lifts, arms out like wings.
- Ready Tiger: your art's guard stance, paws up.
- Calling game: coach calls, littles hit the stance.
Common mistakes
- Straight legs in the horse — pat your own knees and sink lower with them.
- Crane wings drooping — wings out is what saves the wobble.
What to say
- “Five-second holds, lots of rounds — short and often beats long and lost.”
- “Fix stances with your feet next to theirs, not with sentences.”
- “Whisper the last round — if they are watching hard, quiet works better than loud.”
Easier
Two stances only, and the crane keeps toes touching the floor.
Harder
Call two animals in a row — 'horse THEN tiger' — and watch the working memory light up.
Rescue the Cubs
Setup: Beanbags or soft toys scattered in a small centre zone — these are the lost cubs. Four cone dens in the corners, littles split between dens with a helper roaming.
How it works: The cubs are lost in the jungle and only brave animals can bring them home. Call an animal move, and everyone travels that way to the middle, rescues ONE cub, and carries it back to their den. Keep calling new animals until every cub is safe. Then the twist: the dens swap cubs — carry one from your den to a different den — so the game never runs out. Finish with a den count where every den's number gets a cheer.
Rounds: Two or three rescue rounds, then the swap twist — stop while they still want more.
What to say
- “One cub per trip — the rule that stops the grab-everything scrum.”
- “Praise the carry, not the count: 'gentle paws, great carrying' is the behaviour you want at three.”
- “A helper shadows the den that is furthest from you — split the room between adults.”
Easier
Walking animals only and cubs spread wide so nobody bumps.
Harder
Carry the cub balanced on flat palms, or rescue in Tall Crane at the den door before it counts.
Ask the class: The cubs are the lesson: gentle hands and helping are what strong animals do.
Sleeping Lions
Setup: Every little on a spot, lying down, lights of the jungle going out. Helpers lie down too — truly, it matters.
How it works: All the animals are tired, so the lions sleep. Belly breathing together: smell the flower for three, blow the dandelion for four, five slow rounds while you whisper the story of tonight's adventure back to them. Then wake one lion at a time by name to tip-toe to the door line. Line up, bow out slowly, and every little gets a high-five and one word about what their animal did well.
What to say
- “Your whisper is the volume knob — the quieter you get, the quieter they get.”
- “Wake the wriggliest lion first — waiting longest is the one thing they cannot do yet.”
- “Send them to the grown-ups with one specific win each — that sentence gets repeated at bedtime.”
Ask the class: Ask one question at the door line: which animal listened best today. The answer you want them to grow into is 'me'. Tell the parents the three stance names so the animals get practised in the kitchen all week.
MatPlans curriculum team
Free on MatPlans — new lessons weekly.