Pre K Physical Education Primer

Introduction

Physical Education in the early childhood years can lead to positive feelings of self-worth and a lifetime of physical activity. Although there are many methods of teaching physical education, an excellent way to start is to integrate movement education with simple group games. Using this guide will help the instructor create an exciting, enriching, educational program in his/her classroom. The games and activities may be played in the classroom or in a gymnasium. They can easily be adapted to Kindergarten as well.

Movement Education Defined:

Movement Education is a method of teaching physical education using a problem solving or question's approach. For example: "How many different ways can you move from one side of the room to the other"? The teacher presents movement problems in a logical progression beginning with exploratory questions that encourage experimentation. These are followed with guided discovery challenges that lead to some degree of refinement. During this process the teacher observes, evaluates and encourages the child or children through activities that promote the learning of a concept or concepts. In the above example, the teacher may wish to help the children jump as lightly as they can in a forward direction. After the children have moved in various ways around the room, the teacher may refine the questions as follows:

1. Can you show me a way to move if your feet were tied together?
2. Can you keep your feet together and jump up and down?
3. While jumping up and down, can you move around the room?
4. Can you jump around the room as quietly as possible?
5. How lightly can you jump up and down?
6. How tall can you stand while jumping up and down?

Starting a Movement Education Program in the Classroom:

• Acquire as many materials as possible: e.g., yarnballs, beanbags, ribbons, milk cartons, boxes, rope, recorded music which vary rhythm, balloons, carpet squares, sponges, cardboard trays, etc.
• Teach children how to work in their own personal space (the area that immediately surrounds them). They need room to stretch and twist without touching anyone else. They practice finding personal space.
• Teach children how to move in general space (the total area that they have to work in). If they are moving around the room, they are taught to control their bodies so they do not bump into anyone or anything.
• Have a start and stop signal. To begin movement you may wish to use the word "Go," music, a drum beat or other instrument. To end movement, you may wish to use the words "Stop or Freeze," or just stop the music or drum beat.
• Make sure the children know how to handle any equipment you decide to use. For example, if children have a beanbag, you may wish to have them place it against their stomach while waiting for instruction.

Pre-K students will benefit by engaging in the following activities and skills:

• Rhythms - instruments, tapping, clapping, moving to recorded music.
• Increase Gross Motor Skills: balancing, hopping, jumping, galloping, sliding, leaping, running, jogging, throwing, catching, kicking, bouncing a ball.
• Begin to develop Perceptual Awareness: moves forward, backward, sideways, increases eye-hand and eye-foot coordination, develops some sense of laterality - left side or right side, starts to cross the mid-line (for example: "Can you touch your right foot with your left hand"?), starts to develop Serial Motor Memory: "Can you place two body parts on the floor and one on the chair"?
• Increase Cognitive Awareness: Can you Go in, out, over, under, around, next to, through, above, below, in front of, in back of, behind, between? Form different shapes or letters? Move at a high, medium, or low level? Move in a straight, curved, or zigzag pathway? Throw a ball hard, soft, fast, slow.

Integrate movement with other curriculum areas: For example: "Can you jump ten times"? "Can you move around the classroom and touch any object that is flat"?

Some Examples of Simple Movement Games For Pre Kindergarten:

1. Memorization: The children form a circle. Each child names something they might like to become (a rabbit, robot, flower in the wind, etc.) Toss or roll a ball from child to child. The child receiving the ball says the animal or object he/she is before showing how that animal/object might move. After each child has a turn and can remember what animal/object they have chosen, they try to remember what the other children have chosen. One child rolls the ball to another, and says the name of the animal/object that child has chosen. The child with ball does not say right or wrong, but imitates his/her animal/object and the group interprets this movement.
2. Get Set: The teacher calls out a number. The children form groups or sets in accordance with the number called.
3. Telephone: Circle formation - The children turn their backs to the middle. One child goes into the middle of the circle. The next child turns and faces the middle. The child in the middle creates a simple movement. The child watching goes to the center and copies the movement while the next child in the circle watches. This is repeated around the circle. The movement of the last child is then compared to the first.
4. Catch Me: Circle formation - Use two large type balls. The children pass the balls around the circle. Ask the question: "Can one ball catch up to the other?"
5. Mirror: One child attempts to mirror another.
6. Return Home: Prepare cards with concepts to be reinforced. For example, give each child a letter. The child places his/her letter on a chair or the floor. The child moves far away from the letter. On a given signal, he/she finds his/her letter.
7. Add a Move: One child makes up a simple movement. The next child copies the movement and adds another, etc. At first stick to three or four movements and begin again.
8. Form Funk: Hold up a flash card with a letter or number or other concept you wish the children to form. The children have to shape their bodies to form the pattern. They can work alone or in groups of two or three.
9. Statues: The children move or dance to music. When the music stops, the children freeze like a statue. They can be happy statues, sad, angry, funny, etc. They can freeze in pairs, threes, fours, etc. They can freeze various body parts or perform various balances. They can also be animal or character statues.
10. Cars and Trucks: One child is the driver, one child is the car or two children become the truck. The cars or trucks hold out their arms and make a fist- (bumpers). The child in front closes his/her eyes. The driver steers his/her car or truck around the room without collision. In case of an accident, the car or truck goes to the junk pile.
11. Far Away: The children move or dance around the room to music. When the music stops, the teacher picks the child who is farthest away from the others. That child may become the leader for one round and pick the next child. This game encourages the children to use the available space.
12. Figure It Out: (like Indian Chief). One child hides his/her eyes. The teacher selects another child to become the leader. The leader picks a way to move (walk, hop, gallop, jog). The other children move like the leader. When the teacher calls out the word change, the leader changes his/her movement. The other children change to the leaders movement. The child who originally hid his/her eyes, tries to guess who the leader is.
13. Abra Ca Dabra: The teacher says I am a famous magician. When I say Abra Ca Dabra, I will change you into something. Can you show me how that something would move?
14. Beanbag Balance: Give one beanbag to each child. Ask them to balance the beanbag on various body parts. Ask them to try to walk around the room while balancing the beanbag. If the beanbag falls, they may pick it up or they may freeze. Another child may help them by picking up the beanbag. Make sure they say, "thank you and you're welcome."
15. Beanbag Toss: Toss beanbags to partners, in small groups, at targets, into buckets, etc.

Advantages of Movement Education:

• Children are using another sense - their kinesthetic sense to help understand a concept.
• It's fun.
• The evaluation of what you are teaching is immediate and easily observable.
• You may discover children with special needs or talents.
• Children learn by watching each other.

Summary: Have many questions ready. If the children are not achieving a desired objective, rephrase your questions to help lead them. If a specific child is not accomplishing a task, give some extra help and point out some children who are doing well. But remember some children will not be developmentally ready to complete all tasks. Do not depend upon books or records for ideas. Invent your own activities. And above all be creative!