I can pretend!

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?

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.

Access the following audio recording to learn more about how to record your ideas.

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?

Now, pretend to be an animal of your choice.

You may want to be a snail and slowly crawl on the ground or you may want to be a robin and sing like they do.

What are some different ways that you can move as this animal? What might these different movements mean?

Sharing through movement

You have explored the idea of pretending to move in different ways like an animal.

What information could you share about an animal through movement?

Choose one of the videos below.

How could you share your understanding of this animal through movement?

Record your movement using video, audio, or share with a partner.

I’m a Giant Clam

Zamzoom’s Animal Adventures: Tortoise

The feeling was…

Describe how you felt when you pretended to be an animal.

• How did you show how you were feeling when you were an animal?
• Did you make expressions with your face? Or use your arms and hands to show emotion?
• Did you get any new ideas?

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.