We have tried a lot of new things this year in PE with 1st and 2nd graders. The fun thing about those grades is that everything is new and exciting. They are game to try anything. On the other hand their attention span is shorter, so you can’t stick with the same thing for too long. I wanted to review some skills, but knew their attention wouldn’t last a whole day on these things; so I divided them up into stations then rotated the kids thru. I had five stations. I spent the first few minutes explaining what would happen at each stations and how to rotate when I blew the whistle. Then I divided them into groups and let them play. I rotated around and gave help as needed. These are the stations and the objectives for each one:
#1: foam balls and paddles: hand-eye coordination
#2: hoops on the ground, bean bags: tossing with accuracy
#3: jump ropes: fitness, jump rope skills
#4: hula hoops: fitness, jumping and spinning skills
#5: mats: fitness, tumbling skills, movement
The kids had a blast! They stayed engaged in their tasks and worked hard. They left the class sweaty and smiling – I love that!