We have been working on throwing and catching in 1st and 2nd grade. This creative story and game made practicing the skills fun. Set-up: Make a big rectangle using cones or poly spots. This is the ship. Throw 8-10 hula hoops around the ship — […]
Ball Chase
Here is a fun, fast, and easy game idea: I labeled old tennis balls with numbers 1-8 (or how ever many groups you want to have). Then labeled five or six extra balls with random symbols (triangle, smiley face, star, etc). I divide the class […]
Frisbee Tag
My 3rd and 4th graders have been working on frisbee skills. We worked on backhand throw and 2-hand clap catch. We spent the bulk of class practicing with a partner using a regular plastic frisbee. I ended the lesson by switching to some foam frisbees […]
New warm-up idea
My warm-up routine has gotten a bit boring so I wanted to spice it up a bit for my younger students. I placed 10 cones around the gym. Each cone had 2 cards attached labeled with different warm-up exercises. Some were stretches, some balance moves, […]
National Archery in the Schools Program
This year, our school was able to participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program. This program is designed to bring the sport of international style archery into the school-day (4-12 grades). Because I started knowing nothing about archery, I was not sure of […]
Fast Hands
Here is a fast an activity that little ones love. It requires almost no equipment and can be done in limited space. Children partner up and sit cross-legged facing each other. Place a bean bag between them. I give 3 cues: “middle” bean bag […]
Jump Bands
Have you ever seen jump bands? They are a new piece of equipment I have been trying out. They are long, stretchy bands with a handle on each end. Two players stand across from each other and hook the handles of 2 bands over their […]
Balancing Act
I tried a new lesson last week with my 1st and 2nd graders. I drew up balancing tricks on cards to have them work on body control. Easy stick figures that show arm and leg positioning will work fine. I tried the lesson 2 […]
Animal movement
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This week I tried a fun new activity with 1st and 2nd grades. I placed poly-spots all around the gym floor. Each child stood on a spot. I then held up a card with an animal movement. When the music started, they had to move […]
Squads
This year I grouped my fifth and sixth grade classes into squads and it has been a great management, motivational, and learning tool. Each class (about 36 students) is divided into 4 squads of 8-10 students. Each squad has a team captain, a warm-up captain, […]