Minds On
What is pretending?
What does it mean to pretend?
Pretending can mean acting like something or someone who isn’t you. We can pretend to be anything that we can imagine.
Let’s play pretend!
Explore the three animals in the following carousel. Use your imagination to pretend that you are each of these animals. How can you pretend to be just like them?
Run Like a Cheetah!
How can you move in one spot to show you are pretending to run like a cheetah?
Fly Like a Bird!
How can you move in one spot to show you are pretending to fly like a bird?
Swing Like an Ape!
How can you move in one spot to show you are pretending to swing like an ape?
When we pretend, it helps us understand how others might be feeling.
- How did you feel when you pretended to be one of these animals?
- Did you feel happy, sad, or maybe nervous?
As you work through this learning activity, you can record your ideas in many ways.
Listen to the following audio recording to learn more about how to record your ideas.
How to Record Your Ideas
Action
What do you think?
Let’s play a matching game!
Match each emotion to a picture of an animal.
How might you show different feelings if you are pretending to be an animal?
Let’s try it! Choose an animal and think about how they might move and show their feelings.
Some ideas might be:
- snail and slowly crawl on the ground
- a robin that hops along the grass looking for worms
- a fish swimming through the water
How might you show your movements?
What might these different movements mean?
Sharing through movement
We have explored how we can use our bodies to show different feelings like happy, sad, mad, scared or silly. We have also pretended to move like animals.
Let’s try using our feelings to help us pretend.
Imagine you had a balloon and it floated away into the sky.
How might you feel?
Check out the following video to help you think about it.
How might someone show their feelings about the balloon floating away using their face, body and voice?
Press the Reveal button to find out.
They might make a surprised face, say “Oh no!” in a loud voice, and stretch up their arms to the sky.
Now, it’s your turn to pretend!
Use your face, body and/or voice to show how you would feel if your balloon floated into the sky.
Balloon by Bob Raczka
Look at the picture and listen to the poem called “Balloon” by Bob Raczka.
A poem is a short piece of writing that uses special words to show ideas or feelings!
As you listen, think about the words and your feelings.
Two hands are reaching up to a balloon that is escaping into the sky. There is text inside the balloon that is the same shape as the oval balloon. The end of the final sentence is written along the balloon's string.
Two hands are reaching up to a balloon that is escaping into the sky. There is text inside the balloon that is the same shape as the oval balloon. The end of the final sentence is written along the balloon's string.
Listen to the audio Balloon by Bob Raczka to follow along.
Balloon by Bob Raczka
In the poem, the balloon floats far away and lands close to another friend.
Now, pretend that you are the friend that found the balloon!
As you imagine the balloon floating towards you, how do you feel?
Would you feel happy? Excited?
Use your face, body and/or voice to show your feelings.
Consolidation
The feeling was…
Describe how you felt when you pretended to be someone else.
- How did you show how you were feeling when you found the balloon?
- Did you make expressions with your face? Or use your arms, hands and body to share what you were feeling?
Record your ideas using written words, gestures, or drawings.
Reflection
How do you feel about what you have learned in this activity? Press the button next to the sentence that matches how you feel.
