EDTE3530 – W4
Workshop 4 – Gymnastics
Warm Up
Game: Tails
o Played in an open space
o Each student has 2 braids/touch-football tags hanging off their hips
o Aim of the game is to have students move around for a period of time (this is
determined by age of students and space available – usually 30 seconds/1
minute) and collect as many ‘tails’ from other students as possible
o Students cannot protect their tails from students taking them
o Once the whistle blows, they freeze and they count how many tails they
have collected by placing their collect tails in front of them (incorporating
numeracy skills)
“Hands up if you have 1, keep your hands up if you have 2” and so on
Game: Clumps
o This is followed on from Tails
o Students are asked to move, using a variety of different actions (skipping,
galloping, side-stepping, hopping etc).
o Students will be asked to find a group of peers after the whistle blows,
indicating how many you would like in each group by shouting and holding
up the amount with your fingers
This is their ‘Clump’
They will sit together in their Clump
Game: Call to Action
o This is a progression from Clumps
o Minimal equipment, just the circular spot markers (these are preferred as
they are non-slip and bright and easy for students to see)
o Have students to implement other locomotor movements to move around
the room
o Once your whistle blows, the students must run to a spot marker and you
call out which body part that they need to place on the spot marker (e.g. 4
legs)
o Implements numeracy skills
4 legs = 4 singular legs (1 + 1 + 1 + 1) or two pairs of legs (2 + 2)
If 6 students were around the one marker, and the action was only 4
legs, each student has to participate, this would mean that they have
to find a different spot marker
o Call to Action is similar to Twister, but without the intertwining of bodies
Non-Locomotor Movement
When teaching gymnastics, we as teachers are not looking for Olympic level
execution of skills. We want safe, engaging activities for students of a primary
school level
, Non-locomotor movements – stationary. Non-static movements – heavily linked to
balance
Best way to introduce these to students is through a game: The Alphabet Game
o Visual stimulus of A4 letters are easy to produce
o Use these flashcards and ask their body to create the letter that they
see/you instruct (e.g. T, L, C etc)
o Progression of this game would extend from individual to partner/group
work in creating the same letter
Static and Dynamic Balancing
Static balances have 4 teaching cues
o Focus: Students need to find a focus point (point on a wall, hoops you’ve
hung up, spot marker on wall etc)
o Upright: Students need to stand tall
o Arm positions: extended arm positions (like a T) will help students
o Leg positions: supporting leg being flat. Challenge students to ‘reduce the
base of support’. This is usually two feet on the ground. The wider a student’s
stance is, the more stable the body becomes. To challenge your students,
reduce this, by ‘taking away’ a leg (having one leg raised). The supporting
foot being flat is going to make the student be more stable than if they were
to go up on their toes. Have students do both of these. Can also do activities
like:
Have students place a beanbag on their head and find a line (can be
lines on a basketball court/chalk/skipping ropes/crack in concrete etc)
Have students step onto their line, find a focus point, stand upright
and extend their arms out and challenge their static balance by raising
one leg off the ground
Challenge them further, make them go onto their toes. They will start
to wobble – this is common. As soon as they look down (very common
mistake) the beanbag will fall off)
This can progress to a dynamic balance through the implementation
of a beam (if your school does not have a beam, lines on the ground
can be just as effective, or a low bench in the playground – be creative
and safe!)
Dynamic Balancing
o Implementing all of the above steps, students will first use a ‘step and point’
walking movement on the beam (with the beanbag on their head, focus point
found, arms extended and body upright).
o This can progress to ‘step and raise knee to chest’ walking movement
o This can further progress to a ‘step forward, bend and touch the beam’
o Another challenge, ‘step hop’ movement along the beam
o It is important to introduce all these movement when students are using the
line on the ground first. Do not introduce the beam or any sort of height into
this activity until students are comfortable with these movements
Gymnastic Shapes
o There are 7 gymnastic shapes:
Tuck sit
Workshop 4 – Gymnastics
Warm Up
Game: Tails
o Played in an open space
o Each student has 2 braids/touch-football tags hanging off their hips
o Aim of the game is to have students move around for a period of time (this is
determined by age of students and space available – usually 30 seconds/1
minute) and collect as many ‘tails’ from other students as possible
o Students cannot protect their tails from students taking them
o Once the whistle blows, they freeze and they count how many tails they
have collected by placing their collect tails in front of them (incorporating
numeracy skills)
“Hands up if you have 1, keep your hands up if you have 2” and so on
Game: Clumps
o This is followed on from Tails
o Students are asked to move, using a variety of different actions (skipping,
galloping, side-stepping, hopping etc).
o Students will be asked to find a group of peers after the whistle blows,
indicating how many you would like in each group by shouting and holding
up the amount with your fingers
This is their ‘Clump’
They will sit together in their Clump
Game: Call to Action
o This is a progression from Clumps
o Minimal equipment, just the circular spot markers (these are preferred as
they are non-slip and bright and easy for students to see)
o Have students to implement other locomotor movements to move around
the room
o Once your whistle blows, the students must run to a spot marker and you
call out which body part that they need to place on the spot marker (e.g. 4
legs)
o Implements numeracy skills
4 legs = 4 singular legs (1 + 1 + 1 + 1) or two pairs of legs (2 + 2)
If 6 students were around the one marker, and the action was only 4
legs, each student has to participate, this would mean that they have
to find a different spot marker
o Call to Action is similar to Twister, but without the intertwining of bodies
Non-Locomotor Movement
When teaching gymnastics, we as teachers are not looking for Olympic level
execution of skills. We want safe, engaging activities for students of a primary
school level
, Non-locomotor movements – stationary. Non-static movements – heavily linked to
balance
Best way to introduce these to students is through a game: The Alphabet Game
o Visual stimulus of A4 letters are easy to produce
o Use these flashcards and ask their body to create the letter that they
see/you instruct (e.g. T, L, C etc)
o Progression of this game would extend from individual to partner/group
work in creating the same letter
Static and Dynamic Balancing
Static balances have 4 teaching cues
o Focus: Students need to find a focus point (point on a wall, hoops you’ve
hung up, spot marker on wall etc)
o Upright: Students need to stand tall
o Arm positions: extended arm positions (like a T) will help students
o Leg positions: supporting leg being flat. Challenge students to ‘reduce the
base of support’. This is usually two feet on the ground. The wider a student’s
stance is, the more stable the body becomes. To challenge your students,
reduce this, by ‘taking away’ a leg (having one leg raised). The supporting
foot being flat is going to make the student be more stable than if they were
to go up on their toes. Have students do both of these. Can also do activities
like:
Have students place a beanbag on their head and find a line (can be
lines on a basketball court/chalk/skipping ropes/crack in concrete etc)
Have students step onto their line, find a focus point, stand upright
and extend their arms out and challenge their static balance by raising
one leg off the ground
Challenge them further, make them go onto their toes. They will start
to wobble – this is common. As soon as they look down (very common
mistake) the beanbag will fall off)
This can progress to a dynamic balance through the implementation
of a beam (if your school does not have a beam, lines on the ground
can be just as effective, or a low bench in the playground – be creative
and safe!)
Dynamic Balancing
o Implementing all of the above steps, students will first use a ‘step and point’
walking movement on the beam (with the beanbag on their head, focus point
found, arms extended and body upright).
o This can progress to ‘step and raise knee to chest’ walking movement
o This can further progress to a ‘step forward, bend and touch the beam’
o Another challenge, ‘step hop’ movement along the beam
o It is important to introduce all these movement when students are using the
line on the ground first. Do not introduce the beam or any sort of height into
this activity until students are comfortable with these movements
Gymnastic Shapes
o There are 7 gymnastic shapes:
Tuck sit
