Fun and easy play-based STEAM activity for toddlers, preschool & kindergarten
Party Robot - Fun movement & arts activity about balance & movement
Activity summary
This is not JUST another movement activity – it’s a play-based, hands-on STEAM activity. It will keep your children extra engaged & motivated, which helps them learn!
In this activity, your children will be little investigators helping Hoseli the robot
to solve tricky problems and find creative answers to the question: How do I move whilst balancing equipment on my body? By doing that, they get to practice concepts like balance, movement, and more.
Activity length: 20-30 minutes
Subjects: Movement, Arts, Science
Adapt for your age group
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For this activity, you need only these simple supplies:
Bean bags
Hoops
Other gym equipment: balance beam, ropes, etc
Music
What will your children learn?
Your children will learn to:
Develop stability by practicing static and dynamic balancing
Improve coordination
Develop children’s physical literacy by moving creatively
while practicing these concepts:
balance
movement
Instructions
Step 1: Introduce the problem with a story letter
Teacher introducing the reseach problem through the letter that arrived from Supraland
In this play-based activity, your children will lead the investigation as an investigator. When children role play as investigators, they learn so much better! Try starting with a little ‘spin’ to get into character!
Then, they can help Hoseli the robot solve some tricky problems in their new role.
Before the activity, prepare your supplies and print the letter.
Pro tip:
When children play as scientists, they think like scientists. Try using “scientist jackets” to help them really get into character!
When you start the activity, introduce the research problem in the form of a letter that arrived from Supraland where Hoseli the robot lives.
You might be wondering: “Why should I use a story?”
Well, when you introduce a research problem through play and imaginary characters rather than just stating cold facts, children will be extra motivated to solve the problem for their new imaginary friends. Academic research shows this results in increased engagement, better focus, and improved learning outcomes.
You can find the story for this activity below (register for free to print this & many more free activities!).
Hello Investigators,
It’s Hoseli the Robot!
My friend Mrs Noblegas is having a garden party and I promised to help her with the decorations.
Whilst I was decorating the garden I had a marvelous idea: how about I decorate myself? Then I am a fancy party robot!
The guests will be so happy when I serve treats wearing my party decorations.
But I have to say, it’s quite hard to keep balanced with all of these decorations. Could you help me out so that Mrs Noblegas gets her treats?
After the child understands the problem, it’s time for some hands-on experimenting!
When children are doing the experiment, remind them why they want to solve the problem – to help Hoseli the robot.
This helps them stay engaged. If they get stuck, you can ask supporting questions like: “What do you think might help Hoseli the robot to solve this problem?”
If needed, you can get more ideas for guiding questions and adaptation tips for different age groups
(register here to get free weekly activities).
Here are the basic steps for his activity:
Phase 1: Party Robot movements
Start the music and role play being party robots: investigate different kinds of party robot movements. For example:
- How might different robot body parts move?
- Do robots make any sounds as they move?
- How might a party robot dance, crawl or jump?
“Hoseli also wanted to decorate himself. Now let’s try out the movements with some decorations added on.”
Choose an object (bean bag, hoop etc.) and explore different ways to balance it on your body, whilst moving at the same time.
Investigate and observe, for example:
- Which body parts can you balance the object on?
- Compare different objects: Which is easier/harder to balance?
- Can you balance multiple objects at the same time? Count them.
- How might you need to change the movement in order to keep balance?
Every now and then, stop the music and shout “party robots stop”: investigators try and keep their decorations balanced, staying still in whatever position they are in.
Extension:
Phase 2: Creating the garden (optional: see preparation tips)
Using gym supplies, work together to imagine and create the garden. Make sure it includes a ‘tricky track’ for the party robots to move along.
The ‘garden track’ could include, for example:
- A pond with a little bridge (Ropes or a balance beam to balance on)
- Decorative rocks to hop on (shape pieces)
- A fountain to hop over (hurdles )
- Flower beds to go round (cones)
The party robots can explore moving around the garden without ‘decorations’ for now.
Phase 3: Serving the treats
Put the music on again and let the party robots move along the garden track, this time balancing different ‘decorations’ and ‘treats’ on their bodies.
Have fun imagining what the different treats might be. “What are you serving at your party?”
Remember to stop the music every now and then and shout “party robots stop”
Celebrate when a party robot reaches the end of the tricky track. Take time to count how many treats they balanced.
Pro tip: give children the freedom to get creative and explore their own solutions!
Remember: It’s an imaginary world. It’s more than ok if children don’t give the “correct” answers right away – give them time to practice their skills.
Academic research shows children learn best through child-led play and inquiry rather than following strict instructions or memorizing facts because play allows them to build meanings and connections in an age-appropriate way.
This perhaps unintuitive approach is also proven to keep children more engaged and improve their learning outcomes.
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Adult wrapping up a play-based activity by encouraging children to share their findings with the character they’re helping.
To encourage children to analyze and share their learnings, you can gather in a circle to report to Hoseli the robot.
Again, lead with the problem the character was experiencing in the letter. Encourage sharing wild and creative solutions without correcting children if they don’t fully understand the concept.
Remember: in playful learning, we’re not leading with scientific explantions – we’re putting the problem at hand into a context that makes sense to them. We can start building meanings from there.
Scientific explanation (for adults!)
Balance skills are the basis for all kinds of movement. They are divided into staying still skills, (static balance) and skills needed for moving (dynamic balance).
Physical literacy defines the way that we act, think and participate in physical activities. It’s a holistic approach which develops a child’s emotional, mental and physical wellbeing.
Our creative robot activity builds children’s motivation, confidence and physical competence; as they understand, value and take the responsibility to engage in an active lifestyle.
Is this REALLY for free?
YES! Kide has a 100% free subscription. There’s no hidden costs, and you don’t need to add your credit card information.
With the free subscription, you get 1 free lesson per week which is typically more than enough to get started. See our pricing to get unlimited access to all lesson plans and training materials.
This program is incredible. The characters, the stories, the experiments are so much fun. I do not need to spend any time planning. Everything I need is given to me be Kide Science.
Elsa
Kindergarten Teacher
Super easy to plan, and the items are usually things that we already have. Planning is made very easy & the children are very motivated!
Marju
Parent
Was just observed doing one of these lessons. Principal was shocked and so was I - one of the kids with pretty severe attention issues was engaged the entire time!
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You can find printable materials in our lesson plan attachments and extras section.
Activity length: 20-30 minutes
Subjects: Movement, Arts, Science
30 min lesson
Easy preparation
