Leading with Different Body Parts

Child development / Drama games / Different body parts

Leading with Different Body Parts is a fun game that helps children improve posture and gain control over their movement.

By focusing on leading with new body parts, children become more aware of how they carry themselves, encouraging upright, confident posture and playful creativity.

This game is perfect for boosting energy, encouraging focus, introducing spatial awareness and getting children moving with imagination.

How to play

1. Ask the group to gather at one end of the room

Ask the group to sit or stand at one end of the room with their eyes on you.

2. Demonstrate body-led walking

Then, walk around the space yourself, each time leading with a different part of your body. For example:

Tummy first (sticking it out proudly)
Arm first (reaching forward like a superhero)
Shoulder first (like a sneaky spy)

3. Let them guess

After each walk, ask the group: "Which body part was I leading with?"

4. Now it's their turn

Invite the children to walk around the room, but when you call out a body part, they must lead with that part.

For example:

Lead with your chin!
Lead with your hip!
Lead with your nose!

5. Keep changing it up

Call out body parts one at a time and encourage big, exaggerated movements and confident posture.

What it teaches

Posture and balance - supporting physical development through body awareness
Coordination - learning how to isolate and move different body parts
Focus and concentration - listening carefully and responding quickly
Expressiveness - exploring bold, creative movement
Confidence - moving with purpose and pride

Variations to try

Mirror mode: Pair children up and have one lead with a body part while the other mirrors
Character walk: Ask them to imagine a character walking that way, for example, "Lead with your chest like a brave knight"
Animal style: Lead with your nose like a sniffing dog!

Principal's notes

This is a brilliant game for introducing body awareness and encouraging confident, upright movement. It always gets lots of laughs and is a great warmup before playing more drama games!

Lucy Quick, Principal of Perform.