Partner Balances

All pictures are 2nd grade students

No wiggles!  Students practice balancing on their hands, feet, knees, elbows, head and multiple combinations of these body parts.  We practice holding our balance for 10 seconds without wiggling or falling over.  Once we have mastered this alone, we practice making different balance statutes with a partner.  

Students are told to balance on a specific number of body parts with their partner.  If the number is 4, the total number of body parts touching the ground between them and their partner must = 4.  This is a good way for students to integrate math by practicing number partners.  Once students have their balance, they hold it together for 10 seconds.  Students come up with as many balances as they can using that number before I give them a new one. 

Balance Tag

"We get to take off our shoes and go on the wrestling mats!!"  Students love our next unit because it is very different then what we have been learning so far this year.  This week we started our fundamental gymnastics unit where students learn about controlling their body through balancing and transferring their own body weight.  Today students practiced balancing on a variety of and different numbers of body parts without wiggling.  We ended class with Balance Tag.  If a student is tagged they balance in any position they like.  The only way to get free is if a friend copies their balance for 5 seconds with them.  It is fun to see what creative balances students can come up with!  On the right are kindergarten students playing Balance Tag.

Valentine Tag

On Valentine's Day, students celebrate in their classrooms with their classmates and teachers but also have some fun activities in their specialists classes too!  We start class with Valentine Tag.  If students are tagged, they must stand frozen with their hands above their head in the shape of a heart.  The only way to get free is if a friend reads a Valentine message to you.  In the middle of my gym I have a bucket of random valentine cards I have collected over the years.  Students have fun picking out their favorites and saving their friends. 

Kindergartners playing Valentine Tag

Dribbling Fun

At the beginning of February, we started our dribbling unit.  For this unit we focus on many different cues to keep the ball under control and "alive."

• Use finger pads (not palm)
• Keep a strong arm and wrist
• Ball should go as high as your waist
• Protect the ball with your guard arm 

Here are some of the activities we did to help us practice:

Dribble Treasure Hunt
Students dribble from cone to cone looking for a piece of treasure.  If treasure is found, they grab one piece and dribble to the treasure chest that matches the color of the treasure in their hand. When all the treasure is found, students help to re-hide the treasure for a new game.  The objective is to keep the ball alive and under control when moving from cone to cone.

Spot Dribbling (Stationary Dribbling)
Each student has their own ball and is spread out around the gym.  When the music starts, students skip while carrying their ball.  When the music stops, students must find a poly spot and look at the number underneath (I use a deck of  cards).  Whatever number is on the card, is the number of times the student must dribble on that spot.  I also had students move from spot to spot on their own without the help of music.  You can reverse the game and practice dribbling while moving by having students dribble from spot to spot and then toss and catch their ball the number of times that is on their card.

Builders and Bulldozers
Cones are spread out around the gym and each student has a ball.  Half of the students are bulldozers which means they dribble and try to knock down cones.  Half of the students are builders so they dribble and try to pick the cones up.  When the whistle blows, students stop and we count to see which group had the most.  This is a great cardiovascular activity because students get really competitive and are moving fast!

Dribble Frenzy
Each student has a ball in a designated area marked off by cones.  Students practice dribbling and protecting their ball with their guard arm while moving in the space.  If their ball is knocked away by another student or they lose control of their ball, the student must do 3 star jumps before they can re-enter the coned area.  For younger students, we try to practice just moving and dribbling without losing control of the ball.