How to use Simon Says to check students' body awareness in physical education

Discover a simple, hands-on approach to evaluating body awareness in physical education. Using Simon Says to touch body parts helps students identify and control their movements, while teachers observe listening skills, spatial awareness, and the ability to follow directions.

A simple game with big benefits: using Simon Says to touch body parts can be a surprisingly powerful way to gauge how well kids understand and control their own bodies. In a world where movement matters as much as math and reading, helping students notice where their shoulders sit, how their hips align, and where balance comes from isn’t just play—it’s foundational. The beauty of this approach is its clarity: when a leader calls out “touch your head,” students respond with a precise touch, then reset for the next command. It’s effortless in setup, but the signals it sends about body awareness are loud and meaningful.

Let’s start with the core idea. Body awareness, at its heart, is the ability to identify, isolate, and coordinate different parts of the body. It’s the groundwork for good posture, safe participation in activities, and more advanced motor skills like locomotion, throwing, and jumping. In a typical physical education setting, you want activities that reveal how students perceive their bodies in space and how accurately they can translate a spoken cue into a controlled action. That's where a simple version of Simon Says shines.

Beyond the basics, there’s a human element to this kind of activity that often gets overlooked. Children don’t just move; they listen, interpret, and sometimes negotiate with the space around them. A child who hesitates after “touch your nose” might be processing where their nose is in relation to other body parts, or they might be dealing with visual-spatial clutter in the gym. A student who can smoothly follow a sequence—touch your ears, then your elbows, then your knees—demonstrates not just body knowledge but also working memory and attention. And there’s a social texture, too: they watch peers, they offer gentle feedback through smiles or nods, and they learn to take turns in a shared space.

How to set it up in a kid-friendly, age-appropriate way? Start with a clear, calm introduction. Explain that you’re exploring how our bodies can move and how we can pay attention to our own shapes. Keep the language simple and positive. The key is to emphasize safety and precision over speed. You can say something like, “We’re going to listen carefully and move with control. If it’s tricky, we’ll slow it down and practice.” Then lay out a few simple commands: touch head, shoulders, elbows, knees, toes, or touch opposite knee, touch ears, blink, flap arms like wings. The variety matters because it invites students to identify not just major joints but also finer parts and their relationships to one another.

Now, about the rhythm and flow. The instructor can be the moving “leader.” Your voice becomes the metronome: steady, clear, with just the right amount of enthusiasm. As kids respond, you can vary the pace. A slower tempo makes the task more deliberate, which is perfect for younger children still developing spatial awareness. A brisk, playful cadence adds challenge and helps reveal how well students can maintain accuracy under a little pressure. The goal isn’t speed; it’s precise, mindful movement. If a child struggles with a particular body part, you can pair them with a buddy for a quick, gentle cue—“Let’s touch the head together.” This fosters inclusion and collaboration while keeping the focus on personal body mapping.

But there’s more to it than a single game. You can weave the concept of body awareness into broader movement literacy by layering the activity with gentle variations. For example, after a round of simple touches, introduce directional cues: touch your left shoulder, then your right knee, then hop on one foot to a target spot while keeping the touch sequence. Or add a balance element: touch your toes, then hold the pose for a breath before resuming commands. These variations help students explore not just “where” a body part is, but “how” it moves, “how” air travels through the torso when you breathe, and “where” balance sits in your center of gravity.

Safety is a non-negotiable part of any PE activity. With a game that involves touching body parts, keep the floor space clear and make sure students aren’t leaning toward others or crowded around equipment. Set boundaries at the outset. If a student has a limitation or uses a mobility aid, adapt the task so they can participate with the same sense of purpose and visibility. For some kids, that might mean touching the back of their head instead of the top, or focusing on one part at a time before moving on to multiple steps. The point is inclusion, not exclusion.

If you’re curious about what you can observe during the activity, here are a few practical indicators of body awareness in action:

• Is the student able to locate a body part without visual guidance, using only verbal cues?

• Can they isolate movements—touching the nose without touching the eyes, for example—without unintentionally touching nearby parts?

• Do they show consistent alignment of joints when moving? For instance, are elbows aligned with shoulders during arm movements?

• How well do they manage transitions between commands, especially when the sequence involves opposing movements or balance challenges?

• Is there noticeable improvement over time in accuracy and speed, indicating growing internal mapping of the body?

Those observations aren’t just about scoring a momentary success. They reveal a learner’s ongoing relationship with their body, which has ripple effects on all sorts of activities—from dancing to flag football to playground games. When students become more aware of their own bodies, they’re more likely to engage in the activity with confidence, risk less injury, and enjoy a greater sense of body autonomy.

When you compare this approach to other activities you might consider for body-related goals, you’ll notice a few contrasts that matter. Creating a small group workout, for instance, emphasizes strength, endurance, and collaborative planning. It’s fantastic for building fitness culture and teamwork, but the focus on isolated body-part awareness is not as direct. Team relay races are exhilarating and competitive, which can boost motivation and heart rate, yet they tend to spotlight speed, coordination, and strategy more than precise self-awareness per se. Watching students play a team sport gives a broad view of movement, strategy, and communication in a real game context, but it rarely isolates how the body parts themselves are being used in a controlled, mindful way. Simon Says, with its crisp verbal cues and immediate movement responses, offers a direct lens into the learner’s internal map of their body.

That said, there’s a natural place for variety. A well-rounded PE unit can alternate between moments of focused body-awareness work and more open, dynamic activities that cultivate overall motor competence. Think of it as a balanced menu: you savor the clarity of a body-part drill one day and then enjoy the rush of a tag game or a cooperative challenge the next. The trick is to keep the focus on movement literacy while allowing room for play, curiosity, and social connection.

A few practical tips to keep this approach lively and enduring:

• Keep commands concrete and consistent. Use simple language and repeat key terms to build familiarity.

• Use visuals or cues for students who benefit from nonverbal support. A quick hand signal or a picture card can reinforce the command.

• Vary the listener role. Sometimes the students are the “leaders” and give commands to their peers. It’s a neat way to practice listening and clear articulation.

• Build in reflection. After a round, invite students to name a body part they found easiest to locate and one that challenged them. This nudges metacognition in a gentle, kid-friendly way.

• Celebrate small wins. Acknowledge precise touches, good posture, or improved balance with a quick, specific compliment. It reinforces the value of mindful movement without turning it into a sing-song reward.

If you’re introducing this to a class that’s never tried it before, a gentle ramp is best. Start with a handful of commands and a short sequence. Give plenty of model examples—lead by doing, then invite students to mirror. As comfort grows, you can expand the repertoire and lengthen the activity. The aim is to make body awareness feel obvious and attainable, not intimidating or tiresome.

It’s also worth thinking about how this kind of practice feeds into larger goals beyond the gym. When students gain a clearer sense of where their bodies sit in space, they’re more aware of safe movement in daily life—walking on uneven sidewalks, stepping off a curb, or simply getting in and out of chairs at school. Bodily intelligence—knowing what you can do, what your body can handle, and how to adjust when things feel off—translates into confidence, resilience, and a healthier relationship with activity over time.

So, the next time you’re plotting a PE session, consider slotting in a grounded moment of body awareness with a familiar, friendly game. Simon Says, used thoughtfully, becomes more than a game. It turns into a practical tool for understanding the body—the very instrument through which students explore, learn, and connect with the world around them. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it’s surprisingly insightful, all in one little routine set to a familiar rhythm. And isn’t it refreshing when a little play quietly reveals so much about how we move through life?