1. Wall Walk

Equipment:  4 Different Wall and mats arranged next to wall

Description: Students have to walk their feet up 4 different walls and hold for 5 secs.  Students start from a push-up position (front support) with feet against the wall.  The students walk their feet up the wall to a position where they feel most comfortable, the higher the feet up the wall the harder it is to hold for 5 seconds.  Students then walk their feet down the wall and go to the next wall.  When students have finished all 4 walls they return to the middle.

2. Knee Tag

Equipment:  None, just gym space

Description:  Students are in partners facing each other.  Partners are trying to tap each others knee to gain as many points as possible.  Student can make it harder, by only using one hand.  Important to remind students to stay low, have knees bent and stay on the balls of their feet for quick movement and changes of direction.  Have students switch partners to make the activity more exciting or have one student be on defense and one on offense and then switch

3. Card Shark Fitness

Equipment: Deck of Cards and 4 stations that match with one suit in the deck

Description:  Playing cards are face down in the middle of the gym.  For stations are set up in different areas of the gym, and each station represents a suit in the deck.
- Hearts = push up
- Spades = Skipping
- Diamonds = sit ups
- Clubs = jumping jacks
Students pick a card.  They run to the station that matches the suit on the card. Skill must be performed the number of times shown on the card (numbered cards count at face value, jacks are 11, queens are 12 and kings are 13 and aces are 1).  Once the student has completed the card, they return the card to the middle face down and pick a new card.  This can last for 2 minutes or 5 minutes depending on the students.

4. Balance Builders

Equipment:  Floor mats

Description:  The teacher tells students to balance with 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 body parts.  Students are directed to move in or out of a balance with sitting, lying on back, jumping, etc.  Students have a certain amount of time to create the balance.  Students could be working in partners or small groups and have to create a group balance.

5. Animal Train

Equipment: 5 Rows of floor mats

Description:  Students are separated into 5 groups and each group have their own row mats.  The students line up at one end and the teacher calls out an animal movement, i.e crab walk, bear walk or lame dog, and a direction (forward, backward, sideways).  At the end of the mat a "ta-da" and then return to the start of the mat either skipping, hopping, jumping, jogging, backward or spinning.  Students repeat this until the teacher calls out a new animal movement.

Note.  Students will have to be introduced to the different movements or the teacher could let the student try to make up what they think the animal movement is.

6. Crows and Cranes

Equipment: Gym floor

Description:  Students pick partners and number themselves 1 and 2.  Number 1's are team crane and number 2's are team crow.  The two teams line up side by side with meter space separating the teams.  When the teacher calls out crane, the cranes have to move to their safe line and the crows try to tag them.  And vis versa for the crows.  If you tag your partner, you both shift 2 steps toward the tagged persons line.  If no one was tagged then you return to the original start position.  At first you start by walking then jogging and then running.

Switching partners a couple of times during the activity allows for variation and new competition.

7. Builders and Bulldozers

Equipment:  Enough cones for half the class to have one

Description:  Students get into pairs and decide who is A and who is B.  Letter A grabs a cone and finds a space in the designated area, they are the builders.   Make sure the cones are evenly spaced.  Partner B is the bulldozers.  When the teacher signals for the game to start, the bulldozers try to knock down as many cones as possible, and the builders try to stand up as many cones as possible.  There is no contact or guarding the cones, the point of the game is to move around as much as possible.  After a set time have the students switch roles.  To add more to this activity, have the students hop, skip or crab walk while trying to knock over or stand up cones.  The area might have to be adjusted depending on the movement ability of class.

Note.  Remind students to keep their heads up and be aware of everyone around them
 

8.  Simon Says

 Have the class get a mat for themselves (or spread out over a large floor mat) and position themselves where they can all see you, then play “Simon Says” using the various gymnastics balances, supports, falls, landings, locomotions and rolls already learned.  Start slowly but pick up the pace!  Get them moving up, down and side to side using jumping jacks, front supports, back supports, etc.  This warm-up will work on muscular strength and it will warm the students up.  It should also get them listening and attentive, and ready for instruction.

9.  Circle Jerks

 Have the class get into one large circle on a large floor mat.  With the teacher starting, explain that it is called “Circle Jerks” because we each get a turn to be a “jerk” and make the whole class do a skill.  Explain that the skill must be SAFE, and it should be something that everyone can do (i.e. no back handsprings!)  The students must jog on the spot until they receive a command from the “circle jerk”.  The teacher will start, and everyone gets to perform a movement that the class must mimic.  The movements can be simple, and they can be silly (i.e. an injured stork hop- jump up and down on one foot while acting hurt).

10.  “Take That!” Tag

 Using an area completely covered in floor mats, or an area with mats scattered around, play a game of tag.  There will be two or three people that are “it”, depending on the class size, and they must tag the rest of the class.  The entire class (including those who are “it”) must move around the area using the locomotion specified by the teacher, i.e. jogging, skipping, hopping, or walking.  Once a person is tagged, the person who tagged them shouts out a skill that has been learned, such as “Front Support” and then says “Take That!”  The tagged person then has to perform the skill on a mat and then they become “it”.

11.  Obstacle Course

Equipment: Floor mats, crash mat, wedge mat, foam blocks, floor beam, masking tape, hula hoops

The students can move through an obstacle course designed by the teacher a few times to warm-up and to become familiar with some gymnastics equipment.  The obstacle course could be as follows:

STATION  ACTIVITY

1   20 Jumping Jacks in the corner on mats
2   Walk along a very low (or on the floor) beam, stepping off end
3   Perform a run, crawl, or roll up the wedge mat.
4   Jump off end of wedge mat & perform leap frogs over foam blocks
5   Skip or hop to “X” on floor and perform 5 tuck jumps in a row
6   Follow along swiggly tape line on floor, using locomotion learned
   (i.e. skip, hop, jump, spin)
7   Hop or jump from hula hoop to hula hoop, landing properly each
   time.  Or, move from hoop to hoop using a chosen locomotion &
   hop or jump into hoop.
8   Jump off a small block or trampoline & perform tuck, straddle, or a
   chosen pose  in the air.  Land on feet.
Start Over!!!

Note: Before performing this warm-up, ensure that the students are familiar with each and every skill/activity.  Vary placement and type of equipment- be creative!
 Note 2: Allow some creativity and exploration of movement (as long as it is safe).
Note 3: Stagger students so they do not run into each other, and remind them to pace themselves and to do each activity properly.  It is not a race!  :-)

12.  “Stack It Up” Relay

Equipment: None, just adequate gym space

Divide the class into teams of four.  The teams must sit along a line in the gym, evenly spaced out.  Have the students sit with their legs at right angles to the line.  The 1st student in the line must get up when the teacher says “Go!” and run to the other end of the gym, jumping over the legs of their teammates.  They return to their spot in the line by running on the outside of the line of their team.  The 2nd person in line, who goes when the person before them (No.1) has started back, follows No.1 and jumps over  the legs of their team and back into their spot.  The 3rd person, who was following the 2nd person, does the same and gets back into their spot.  This continues until the entire team has returned to their original place.  Variations on the starting position include:
· sitting in a tuck position, & the team straddle jumps over
· Standing at attention- team zig zags through
· Standing Balance-team moves through
· Standing in straddle- team crawls through
· Front or Back Support- team steps/hops over
· Make a “back” (or rock)-leapfrog over
 

13.  Bowling Ball

Equipment: Several big rubber balls, open gym space

This warm-up gets the body core temperature up and stretches and strengthens arms and shoulders, which are essential in gymnastics.

Have the students in teams of four.  Each team lines up in a row, all facing one direction.  The person at the front of the line has the ball, and they stand up tall and extend their arms high over their head, passing the ball to the person behind them.  The ball is passed down the line, and the person at the back gently rolls the ball between the legs of the team, then runs to the beginning of the line.  The team helps roll the “bowling ball” to the front, where the runner picks it up and starts passing it back.  It is important for the students to fully extend their arms so they get a good stretch of the arms and the shoulder joints.  They must also sprint to the front of the line.

In the same groups, the students lie on their stomachs with their hands beside their shoulders and their toes on the floor (they are in a push-up position).  The student at one end has the ball, and when they say “Bowlers up!”, the team must get into Front Support (a push-up) position.  The “bowler” then rolls the ball under the team and gets into the Front Support position.  The last person in line receives the bowled ball and runs to the front of the line and continues the cycle.

Note:  These can be turned into competitions between the two teams; however, the students may deviate from the ideal form desired for the extended arms and front support.