Teaching the littlies - ideas for activities

[stargazer]

Hi everyone,

Just for some background information I have coached gymnastics before, but only 6 year olds and up in the Recreational program at my gymnastics centre where I train. My rec centre (not the gym club) has a really low-key 'tumble tykes' program and the normal instructor can't come, so they've asked me to teach it this Sunday because I'm the only other person who knows anything about gymnastics

I'm looking forward to it but would appreciate some ideas for activities. There is a program already set out and I'm going to add some games and songs because the current instructor just warms the kids up, stetches, then does the SAME CIRCUIT for HALF AN HOUR. The parents hate it and the current instructor won't change the way the class is run so they've asked me to add some games and songs. The kids are 1-2, 2-3.5, then 3.5-5. Each class is 45 minutes, with a 10 minute warm-up and stretch. I think I'll be okay for the 2 year olds and up, but what on earth are the 1 year olds supposed to do? The circuit is the same for everyone and their parents will help them through it. Even for stretches I'm not sure where to go from pike, straddle, and pointing their toes... Obviously I'll be at the hardest station and help the kids wherever else they'll need it but I'm just looking for some ideas that you have found seem to work well for the littlies.

The circuit consists of lots of things to crawl through, walk across, jump over, mats for rolls, two little beams/benches, and one little bar. I should mention this isn't a gymnastics club, its my rec centre that's purchased some gymnastics equipment and it's mostly just a fun class for those who can't make it to gymnastics I guess.

Thanks for much for any input!!

 

[coachmolly]

The gym I used to coach at played a game as a fun treat for the pre-school aged kids that they loved. We had a bag full of wind-up type toys and someone would reach in and, without looking, pull out a toy. The teacher would wind it up, let the kid see what it did, and ask them to imitate. We also had a little bell, so when we wanted the kids to come back and wait for the next toy to be pulled we would ring it and they would come racing back. The toys were things like cars, various animals, fictional characters, etc. and did things like drive, run, spin, roll, really basic body movements. You could probably also just use toys that don't wind up but are objects that have a specific movement associated with them. Inviting them to make the noise of the object provides for some added fun.
Some kids also just loved acting that different animals and moving objects down a strip on the floor. Each turn ask for a different animal or object- frogs, kangaroos, cars, airplanes, birds, crabs, etc.
Make a circle with carpet squares, blocks, or other markers and have them do various things around the circle- run, jump, skip, bear walk, etc. while playing music. Have them freeze when the music stops.
For the smallest ones, I would say just really basic things like walking on beams, walking on tip toes, jumping, climbing over and under, nothing too fancy. Basic shapes are probably enough for stretching. Just pair that with some games and very active running, jumping, or game type activities. If you have the resources to pile mats up to make a slide like structure, kids in my experiences have always loved that.
Good luck!

 

[All Chalked Up]

The littlies I coach like to sing while we strech! That's all I have at the moment since I'm only half-alive. Need. Sleep.

 

[Kiwi]

OMG, 1 to 2 year olds??? For stretches we do things like 'making a milkshake' (hands clasp together and wriggle wrists), 'butterfly wings' (sitting knees bent out sideways, feet together, flap knees up and down), sit in straddle and see if you can 'kiss your knee', stand in straddle and see if you can see the ceiling by looking between your legs, rolling on back in tuck shape.

Activities - get some chiffon scarves and throw and catch them. Do this with a partner throwing it over their shoulder. See if you can throw the scarf up and catch it on the edge of a hoop. Overlap two hoops and see if you can roll a ball into the middle. Roll a ball along the ground and stop it with various body parts (knee, elbow, etc.). Roll a ball to a partner. Bounce a ball turn around and catch it. Bounce a ball to a partner. Sideways rolling. Sideways rolling with a partner facing you and grasping eachother's forearms and both roll. Spin a hoop on the ground and when it gets low enough jump into it, or jump into it and then out again. Walk along a floor beam or strip throwing and catching a bean bag. Walk along a floor beam with hoops around it, crawling through the hoops. Bunny hops side to side over a floor beam or bench. Hold a long rope or thick string across the floor with one person at each end wiggling it from side to side or up and down and the kids have to jump or leap over it. And agree with kids enjoying pretending to be animals, also they can be planes or trains.

I've coached 5 year olds rather than pre-schoolers. I honestly have no idea about the 1 year olds. I mean, I think my kids had just learned to walk by then!

 

[Faith]

I think up to 3 yrs the easiest thing is to set up all the equipment, beforehand. 10 min warm up, a game or two if you want then let them run loose with their parents for 30 mins. Set yourself up two or three "coaching stations", say a beam walk, or a cheese wedge for rolls, or a bar swing. Call the kids over one at a time and have them do the exercise with you, then they go back to mom, so no waiting around. Then 10 mins conditioning (sits ups under the guise of row, row your boat), then sitting nicely in a circle for a sticker/stamp.

3+ you can probably set up two circuits and expect them to wait in line for their turn. Then do 15 mins on each one- you could "theme" it so one circuit is about jumping and throwing, for example, the other about balancing and swinging.

 

[coachmolly]

I think up to 3 yrs the easiest thing is to set up all the equipment, beforehand. 10 min warm up, a game or two if you want then let them run loose with their parents for 30 mins.

That's what I have done with the parent-tot style classes. It started off as me trying to keep their attention and get a hold of the situation, but that's just how it ended up and it worked really well. The parents did what they felt comfortable with their children, because children are at really different places developmentally at those ages and parents really do know best what the child can handle.

 

[txgymfan]

Song always work great with littles. "Head, sholders, knees and toes" is a fun one. Have fun!

 

[stargazer]

These are such great ideas everyone, thanks so much!!

And Nicki: Yup 1-2 year olds. They're changing it to next session to at least 18 months I think so that the kids can actually walk!

I'm going to do a warm-up with a couple of songs for 10 mins or so, then maybe a short game. Then one 10 min rotation around a circuit, another couple songs or games for 5 mins, a 2nd 10 min circuit, then stickers and Ta Da! 's at the end. I really like the 'be your favourite animal' as you go around the circuit idea.

Can you do front rolls with one year olds? Provided I do all the work them of course. This seems inherently bad to do with such little kids, but perhaps I'm wrong. I'm thinking of just doing log rolls instead.

 

[Kiwi]

Can you do front rolls with one year olds?

I wouldn't, at that age their heads are still huge relative to the rest of their body.

The comment by CoachMolly about parents joining in reminded me that at our gym, the parents do join in the pre-school classes. In fact, my younger DD started gymnastics at about three and a half in the pre-school class and I did the class with her. It was so long ago I can't really remember all the activities we did. I remember doing action songs as warm-up but I can't remember the names of the songs now.

 

[txgymfan]

Stargazer,

How did it go, did you have fun? Will you be able to teach the classes again? The littlest ones are so cute!

 

[stargazer]

mmm well it was interesting to say the least.

The 1-2 year olds were good, they couldn't do much but the parents were good with helping them out and we changed up the activites every so often so the parents wouldn't get bored.

The 2-3.5 year olds were better, only 2 kids showed up so we did a good warm-up run and songs, and they could actually do front rolls with help, jumps (as opposed to crawling over stuff like the little ones),walks on the beam, etc.

Then were the 3.5-5 year olds.... oy. There were 5 kids who showed up, with two sets of siblings who kept bugging each other. sighhhhhh. so some of the kids parents just dropped them off and left, while the two other parents came but sat on the side talking and using their phones. oh and the kids couldn't sit still for more than 10 seconds to save their lives. Apparently the usual instructor just lets them run around on all the equipment, so they weren't used to having each station explained for them. It's not like I took a long to time to explain, nothing more than 'walks across the beam, jumps on the mini-trampoline, stork stand in the circle, etc.' So I limited the 5 kids to 5 stations, then the idea was to more from each set of stations to the next. But if one kid did his station, the rest of them ran off across the room and did whatever they felt like!! And it's not like I don't know how to teach and discipline children - I teach swimming lessons to really young kids and coach gymnastics. So the whole class was a battle between the kids doing whatever they felt like on the equipment (very unsafe I might add) and me trying to keep them where I could see them. It sucked. The parents weren't any help either, more like 'oh zac don't do that. listen, remember?'

So there's my rant. at least the other two classes went well or i'd be really grumpy...

 

[Kiwi]

I guess this is why at our gym the parents have to do the class with their pre-schooler! I feel for you, I have one group of primary school children who are extremely difficult to control and make me want to tear my hair out! Maybe they (and the parents) need some tough love...