Using Home Supplies for PE

What is a modification?

Answer:

A modification to an activity is when you change, alter or adjust an activity to meet the needs of the student. Often times, students are showing high levels of success and require a more difficult task. Rather than moving on to the next activity, the teacher will modify the activity to increase difficulty. On the other hand, if a student is seeing low levels of success, the teacher may make modifications that reduce the difficulty or complexity of the activity.

It is important to know what level the student is currently performing. Knowing their present level allows the teacher to continuously modify the activity to maintain motivation and success.

General Modifications to increase or decrease difficulty of a task:

• Increase or decrease distance to target or partner

• Increase or decrease height of a target

• Increase or decrease weight of an object

• Change the shape, size, weight or texture of the object for easier handling

• Use brightly colored objects and targets for better visual tracking

• Increase or decrease size of the target

• Implement FITT principal while exercising (Frequency, Intensity, Time & Type)

• Balloons move slowly through the air making visual tracking easier (catching & volleyball skills)

• Increase or decrease frequency and duration of breaks and rest/recovery time

• Provide 2-3 choices to increase ownership and motivation toward task completion

• Students with visual impairments benefit from auditory stimulation. Use lots of bells and devices that make noise

Activity Specific Modifications:

1. Throwing

2. Tossing

3. Catching

   1. For the most part, the larger the object, the easier to catch

   2. Use items that are easily griped or that fingers can intertwine into

   3. Catching a balloon or piece of tissue are easier because they move slowly through the air

4. Kicking

   1. Use a partially deflated soccer ball when soccer dribbling. The ball will not roll away and turn into chasing the ball

5. Rolling

   1. Have the student sit in a low sitting chair. This will help with keeping the ball low to the ground while rolling while also keeping their rolling arm to the side

6. Dribble (Hand)

   1. Every ball has a different bounce ratio. Meaning they bounce very high with little effort or have little bounce and the do not go high enough to dribble.

7. Strike (Hand)

   1. Large balls are easier to contact

8. Strike (Bat)

   1. Using a wider bat and larger ball increases success rates.

   2. The heavier the bat, the more difficult for the student to control and manipulate

Your house has many supplies that can be used as physical education equipment!

• Use a laundry basket or garbage can as a basketball hoop or target to throw and toss into

• Newspapers, magazines and old scrap paper can be crumpled into a ball to throw, toss, catch, kick or shoot

• Use two paper plates as ice skates. Once the plates get a little dirty and dusty they will slide on the floor easily

• Roll up socks to use as a ball

• Pool noodles (cut shorter) can be used as a bat or racket for striking activities

• Pool noodles can be a light weight barbell for exercises

• The bottom step of any staircase is your new aerobic stair stepper

• Empty water and soda bottles (especially 2-liter bottles) can be used as pins to bowl, throw or kick into

• Fill empty bottles and milk/laundry jugs with water or sand to use as a weight for exercises

• Use a frisbee as a hockey puck and a pool noodle as a hockey stick

• Clean the plunger to use as a ring toss pole. Tie a piece of twine or other stiff rope into a ring to toss

• Play the game washers with a shoe box and quarters or similar sized and shaped item

• Create an obstacle course using furniture in the house (be safe!)

• Use sidewalk chalk to draw out a hopscotch course or other obstacle course outside

• Use a balloon for a game of volleyball. Use furniture as the net or hang string up as a net.

• Use a balloon to play "keep up." Do not let the balloon touch the ground

• Play a game of lava in the house

• Use plastic grocery bags to try to toss and catch or even juggle

• Use a piece of rope, hula hoop or pool noodle to jump over

• Use paper plates as a frisbee or tape to a ruler to make a striking implement

• Use a large sheet to tie to two objects to create a "net" or barrier to pass back and forth between

• Use an old bin with a lid to create a target or skee ball by slanting the lid off to the side of the bin

• Flip a utility bucket upside down and drum along to some music with pool noodles or paintbrushes