Get Active to Learn
- Have your child run outside for as far as they can screaming until they need to take a breath. Then they stop and hold their position – make it a game. Measure the distance. We did this – they know what to do.
- Get your child to try to work out when a minute is up – or two minutes – without a watch… they will soon be very silent as they think.
- Cut out a box, and get them to present the news – good news.
- Get them to keep a journal/diary
- Make a mess – outside with mud, or flour.
- Find the smallest leaf in the garden; find the biggest leaf in the garden
- Play Simon Says – make it Simone!
- Learn origame
- Learn French knitting – more finger knitting is on its way!
- Learn to crochet
- Create a domino run – where they have to push one over to hit the next, etc.
- Give them a blanket and tell them to build a fort.
- Give them a competition – see how long they can sit inside a hoop
- Get them a jigsaw puzzle – where they have a set time only… so it lasts.
- Use an egg timer to settle them… then say they have to focus for two egg timer turn-arounds… three…
- Play cards – teach them a card game – like Concentration
- Get them to do chores and every time they do you fill up a jar with a teaspoon of popcorn. When the jar is full, you have a popcorn party. Don’t be afraid to take some away if they are not behaving.
- Get them to paint a pet rock
- Teach them to press flowers
- Build a box trap to catch a crow – don’t worry, crows are very smart
- Build the tallest tower out of a pile of newspaper
- Dance as a family – stupid dancing. Show your kids you can still have fun. Be silly.
- Teach them how to stand on their head
- Learn to play yo-yo
- Learn to play diablo
- Learn to play elastics
- Make a pom-pom
VERTICAL JUMP

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Eyes focused forward or upward throughout the jump.
- Crouches with knees bent and arms behind the body.
- Forceful forward and upward swing of the arms.
- Legs straighten in the air.
- Lands on balls of the feet and bernfds knees to absorb landing.
- Controlled landing with no more than one step in any direction.
TEACHING CUES
- Look up
- Focus your eyes on where you want to go
- Get ready to explode up high, get ready to take off
- Swing your arms back and up
- Straighten your legs when in the air
- Bend your knees on landing
- Control your body and balance yourself when landing
- Land with feet the width of your shoulders apart
STATIC BALANCE

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

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Smooth rhythmical movement.
- Brief period where both feet are off the ground..
- Weight on the balls of the feet.
- Hips and shoulders point to the front.
- Head stable, eyes focused forward or in the direction of travel.
TEACHING CUES
- Use light springing steps.
- Take off and land on the front of your foot
- Make your body face to the front.
- Keep eyes straight ahead (or look over your shoulder).
- Step, close, step, close… or step, together, step, together.
DODGE

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Changes direction by bending knee and pushing off the outside foot.
- Change of direction occurs in one step.
- Body lowered during change of direction or in the direction of travel.
- Eyes focused forward.
- Dodge repeated equally well on both sides.
TEACHING CUES
- Look straight ahead.
- Use the outside of your foot.
- Lower body height down and then up when changing direction.
- Use you knees to change direction.
- Lower body height and transfer body weight.
SKIP

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Shows a rhythmical step-hop.
- Lands on ball of the foot.
- Knee of support leg bends to prepare for hop.
- Head and trunk stable, eyes focused forward.
- Arms relaxed and swing in opposition to legs.
TEACHING CUES
- Use light springing steps.
- Keep eyes straight ahead.
- Step, hop, step, hop.
- Take off and land on the front of your foot.
- Make sure your body faces to the front.
OVERARM THROW

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Eyes focused on target area throughout the throw.
- Stands side-on to target area.
- Throwing arm moves in a downward and backward arc.
- Steps towards target area with foot opposite throwing arm.
- Hips then shoulders rotate forward.
- Throwing arm follows through, down and across the body.
TEACHING CUES
- Look at your target.
- Point to the target (with your non-throwing arm).
- Stand side-on.
- Step forward and throw.
- Follow through, down and across your body with your throwing arm.
- Swing your arm down and back as you prepare to throw.
- Step, throw and follow-through down and across your body.
HOP

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Support leg bends on landing, then straightens to push off.
- Lands and pushes off on the ball of the foot.
- Non-support leg bent and swings in rhythm with the support leg.
- head stable, eyes focused forward throughout the jump.
- Arms bent and swing forward as support leg pushes off.
TEACHING CUES
- Bend your leg to push off.
- Land on the ball of your foot.
- Find your rhythm.
- Look ahead, with head and eyes level.
- Use your arms for balance.
LEAP

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Eyes focused forward throughout the leap.
- Knee of take-off leg bends.
- Legs straighten during flight.
- Arms held in opposition to the legs.
- Trunk leans slightly forward.
- Lands on ball of the foot and bends knee to absorb landing.
TEACHING CUES
- Look straight ahead.
- Bend knee to take off.
- Scissor legs.
- Stretch your arms out.
- Lean into the leap.
- Land softly.
KICK

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Eyes focused on the ball throughout the kick.
- Forward and sidward swing of arm opposite kicking leg.
- Non-kicking foot placed beside the ball.
- Bends knee of kicking leg at least 90 degrees during the back swing.
- Contacts ball with top of the foot (a “shoelace” kick) or instep.
- Kicking leg follows through high towards target area.
TEACHING CUES
- Keep you eyes on the ball.
- Place your foot beside the ball before you kick.
- Step forward and kick.
- Swing the arm opposite to your kicking leg.
- Swing your kicking leg back.
- Follow through.
TWO-HAND STRIKE

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Stands side-on to target area.
- Eyes focused on the ball throughout the strike.
- Hands next to each other, bottom hand matches the front foot.
- Steps towards target area with front foot.
- Hips then shoulders rotate forward.
- Ball contact made on front foot with straight arms.
- Follows through with bat around the body.
TEACHING CUES
- Stand side-on.
- Keep your eyes on the ball.
- Position your hands so they match your feet.
- Use big swing.
- Contact the ball with straight arms.
- Swing and follow through.
CATCH

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Eyes focused on the object throughout the catch.
- Hands move to meet the object.
- Hands and fingers relaxed and slightly cupped to catch the object.
- Catches and controls the object with hands only (well-timed closure).
- Elbows bend to absorb the force of the object.
TEACHING CUES
- Watch the object move into your hands.
- Cup your hands.
- Move to the ball.
- Relax your hands.
- Point your fingers up for a high ball – with thumbs together.
- Point your fingers down for a low ball – with little fingers touching together.
- Bend elbows to absorb the force of the object.
SPRINT RUN

SKILL COMPONENTS
- Lands on ball of the foot.
- Non-support knee bends at least 90 degrees during the recovery phase.
- High knee lift (thigh almost parallel to the ground)
- Head and trunk stable, eyes focused forward.
- Elbows bent at 90 degrees.
- Arms drive forward and back in opposition to the legs.
TEACHING CUES
- Lift your knees high.
- Bring your heel close to your bottom.
- Look ahead.
- Make your feet follow an imaginary line.
- Don’t let you heels touch the ground.
- land on the balls of your feet.
- Bend your elbows and swing your arms.
- Run tall.
- Bring your heels up to your bottom.