Movement exploration - Week 2

Early Stage 1

Equipment

marker cones

bean bag, ball or skittle

music

Download the Week 2 Movement exploration games task card to support teaching before and during the sport session.

FMS focus: Static balance

Learning intention

Students are developing proficiency in the static balance.

Success criteria.

Student has:

Support leg still, foot flat on the ground.
Non-support leg bent, not touching the support leg.
Head stable, eyes focused forward.
Trunk stable and upright.
No excessive arm movements.

Explicit teaching of the static balance

About the skill

Balance is an essential prerequisite of almost all movement skills. A static balance is defined as being able to maintain a stationary position throughout the movement. The static balance on one foot is an important non locomotor skill that is used in gymnastics, dance, diving and many team sports.

View 'The Get Skilled Get Active - Static balance video' to support the explicit teaching of the static balance.

Model the skill

Model the static balance to students while explaining the components needed to effectively balance.

Say to the students:

- Stand still with your foot flat on the ground.
- Hold your bent leg away from your other leg.
- Look at something in front of you.
- Stand up tall when you balance.
- Relax your arms.

Guided practice

Ask students to talk about what is needed for good balance. Discussion should centre around the components of the balance.

In small groups students stand behind a leader on a line and complete the following activities.

Students walk forwards, backwards, sidewards along a line with arms out to the side and head held up.
As a variation, students repeat the movements balancing a beanbag on their head.
Students walk forwards along the line heel to toe, then backwards toe to heel, with arms out to the side and head up. As a variation, students repeat the movements balancing a beanbag on their head.
Mark a number of zig-zag patterns along the ground with markers. Students stand behind a leader and walk heel to toe, toe to heel with arms out. As a variation, students walk in pairs heel to toe, toe to heel, holding hands and facing sideways. This can form a train, caterpillar etc.

FMS focus activity - Leader balance

FMS focus: Static balance

Equipment: Marker cones for playing area

How to play: Students follow a leader around a designated playing area. On the teacher's signal the leader performs a static balance that students replicate.

Teacher selects a locomotor movement.
Students follow their selected leader while performing the movement.
On the teacher's signal the leader stops to perform different static balances (for example, one foot, two feet and knee balances).
All students attempt to replicate this balance.
Once the leader has performed a balance they move to the back to allow for a new leader.

Fast starts activity card - Leader balance

Playing for life - Pirate's gold

FMS consolidation activity - Pirate's gold

FMS: Sprint run

Equipment: An item that can be used as the gold (e.g. a bean bag, ball or skittle)

How to play: The pirate’s crew try to steal the gold from the pirate and make it home without being tagged.

One player, the pirate, stands with their back to the group (the pirate’s crew). The gold is placed on the ground 1 metre behind the pirate.
The pirate’s crew line up across the starting line, 15 metres behind the pirate.
When the pirate’s back is turned, the pirate’s crew approach the gold.
When the pirate turns around, the pirate’s crew must freeze. If the pirate sees any of the crew moving, they call out their names. These crew members return to the starting line, and begin again.
When the pirate turns back around, the game continues.
The first crew member to reach the gold picks it up and tries to run back to the starting line before being tagged by the pirate.
Swap pirates after each game.

Modified small-sided games

It's game time!

Teams play each other in the game outlined below.

Musical statues

Skill focus: Balance

Equipment: Music, designated playing area

How to play: Players dance freely around the playing area. When the music stops, players must freeze and form a statue.

The music starts and players dance freely around the playing area.
When the music stops, players must freeze and form a statue (e.g. tree, stork, airplane).
Players discuss different statues and choose a favourite one. All students perform the statue that was chosen as the favourite.
Players repeat and copy a statue from another player the next time the music stops.