Warm up
Ask children to sit in a space and remind them that each gymnastics
lesson will start with a warm up. Discuss the importance of warming
up their bodies and choose a child to explain how the body changes
during exercise. Tell children they are going to warm up by playing
'Stretch and Curl'. Children walk, then jog around the room. When
the teacher calls 'stretch' they must make a stretched shape but
remain motionless. On the call 'curl' they must make a curled shape
and remain motionless. Repeat a few times. Ask children to use all
the space and to run in and out of each other jumping to make a wide
shape. Repeat for narrow shapes.
Floor Work
Ask children to name the ways they used their feet in the warm up
activity (walking, jogging, running and jumping.) Tell children you
want them to find other ways of using their feet. Give them a few
minutes to explore different ways then choose some children to
demonstrate. The rest of the class should name and describe the ways
they were moving - hop, skip, slide, gallop, leap etc. Tell children
they are going to use their feet to move again but this time you
will ask them to change direction. Ask them to name the different
directions in which they can move then explain that they must change
their movement each time they change direction (but still use only
their feet on which to move).
Ask children to sit down in a space then
tell them that in today's lesson they will be using their hands and
feet to take their body weight. Talk about ways to use their hands
and feet safely - such as putting their hands on the floor with
their fingers facing forwards. Ask children to suggest some ways of
moving with hands and feet and practice them together - bunny hops,
frog jumps, crawling, etc. Can the children vary the actions by
changing direction? Let children practice on their own for a short
while then choose a few children to demonstrate and ask the rest of
the class to describe what they are doing. Discuss ways to improve
the action. Was the body stretched or curved when they made these
actions?
Large Apparatus
Remind children about the agreed rules for putting out apparatus
safely then divide them into groups to put the apparatus out. Ask
children to sit quietly when they have completed the task given and
to watch and check that other children have put out apparatus
correctly. Have enough apparatus for five or six different
groups. Ask each group to sit by a different set of apparatus then
explain that you want children to explore ways of moving over,
under, around and along the apparatus using their hands and feet.
Give children a few minutes to do this.
Ask children to walk to their
next set of apparatus, a group at a time, and to stand until
everyone has changed. Tell children that this time you want them to
use their hands and feet to travel along the apparatus but to come
off the apparatus by jumping. Remind them how to make a safe
landing. Give children time to use the apparatus and choose a few
children to demonstrate what they have done. Discuss the 'safe'
landings and also the shape children made during the
jump.
Ask
children to walk to their next set of apparatus, a group at a time,
and to stand until everyone has changed. Tell children that you want
them to use their hands and feet again to move along the apparatus
but when they jump to make a stretched shape in the air and then to
sink down into a curled shape on the floor after landing. Give
children opportunities to practice these skills on other groups of
apparatus if time permits. Remind children of the rules for putting
the large apparatus away safely then ask children to do so. When
they have finished ask them to find a space on the floor and lie
down.
Cool Down
Ask children to find different parts of their body on which to take
their weight when they make a curled shape. Repeat a few times then
ask children to relax on their tummies while the teacher recaps on
the skills learnt during today's lesson.
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