Follow the Leader Throw and Catch
Grade Level(s):K-2
Spread hoops out on the floor in the activity area (half as many as there are students) and place a ball (or other object that can be thrown–bean bag, koosh ball, yarn ball, etc.) inside each hoop. Students should be paired with a partner–each pair stands at a hoop. One student per pair begins as the leader. When the music starts, the leader moves around the gym to the music and their partner has to copy their movements. When the music stops, each pair goes to the closest hoop and practices their throwing and catching over the hoop. When the music starts, the other person in the pair becomes the new leader and the game begins again, with the original leader in the pair, copying the movements of their partner who is the new leader.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Psychomotor
Food Balance Relay
Grade Level(s):3-5
Arrange the mats in a circular formation in the middle of the floor. Place food cards all around the playing area, just out of reach of the mats. Have the players figure out a way to reach the food cards by arranging themselves in various balance positions. Once a team has enough food cards to make a healthy meal, they have been successful!
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Food Balance Store
Grade Level(s):K-2
Discuss various body shapes, narrow, wide, twisted, round, pointed, flat, etc. Allow the students some time to practice the various positions. Then have students try to form the shapes of foods. Set up a food store where, “buyers” come in to a store and ask to buy certain foods. If the sellers can form the shape of the foods that the buyers want, they change positions.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Psychomotor
Food Basket
Grade Level(s):K-2, 3-5
Arrange students in small groups of 3-4, and give each group a mat. Arrange mats in a circle formation. Practice egg rolls, bread stick rolls (log rolls), and butter churns. After a practice session where feedback is given, have players each choose a different kind of food roll, and huddle at the center of the mat. Then the teacher calls out one kind of food, and all players who have chosen that food roll out from the middle. If the teacher calls out “Food Basket Upset!” all of the players roll out.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Psychomotor
Food Basket Ups
Grade Level(s):K-2
Arrange students in small groups of 3-4, and give each group a mat. Arrange mats in a circle formation. Practice egg rolls, bread stick rolls (log rolls), and butter churns. After a practice session where feedback is given, have players each choose a different kind of food roll, and huddle at the center of the mat. Then the teacher calls out one kind of food, and all players who have chosen that food roll out from the middle. If the teacher calls out “Food Basket Upset!” all of the players roll out.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Food Pyramid Twister
Grade Level(s):3-5
Create twister spinners that have representations for each of the parts of the food pyramid. Use poly spots to create a twister mat on top of the tumbling mats. Have students take turns being the spinner, and trying to maintain their balance while placing their hands and feet on the spots that represent the appropriate parts of the food pyramid.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Psychomotor
Food roll-ups
Grade Level(s):3-5
Have students find a partner or small group of players to work with. Have each group get a mat and arrange them in circle formation. Discuss healthy, and not-so-healthy foods, and have each group of students use index cards to create a set of food cards that include healthy and fatty (or not-so-healthy) foods. Have students exchange their set of cards with another team’s set without looking at the cards. One player from each group applies tape to the back of about ten of the cards, and places them all around their mat. Students take turns practicing their rolls until all of the cards on the mat have become stuck to their clothing. Groups unattach all of the cards, and compare their foods to the other groups. The group with the healthiest overall hand (as determined by popular vote) wins a point. Exchange cards, and play again. Use a variety of rolling skills.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Psychomotor
Force Be With You
Grade Level(s):6-8
Force Be With You Kicking team lines up at home base. Fielding team spreads out to cover the space in the field. Pitcher (teacher) pitches the ball, first kicker kicks and runs toward first. Fielders attempt to field the ball and throw to first for a force out. If the runner turns at first base, s/he must continue and the fielders can then throw to second base for the force. Once a runner gets safely to second base, they have scored a run for their team and may return to the line of kickers at home plate. If the ball remains un-fielded by the time the first runner gets to second base, a second runner may run toward first. The fielders may then try to get a force out on that runner. Depending on the size of the teams, switch sides after everyone kicks or there are three outs.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Foursquare Volley
Grade Level(s):6-8
Use tape to make the foursquare courts. The courts should consist of one large square (about 10×10 ft) that is then divided into four separate squares inside the large one. Each square will be designated a title: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert. The object of the game is to progress from the breakfast square, to the lunch square, to the dinner square, and finally to the dessert square. Students should try to stay in the dessert square as long as possible by not getting “out”. Students will volley a ball to one another by bouncing it into another player’s square. That player must then volley the ball into another player’s square. If the player misses another player’s square, or if they allow the ball to bounce more than once in their square they are “out” and must move to the breakfast square. Each player would then rotate to the square one higher than them. If there is more than four players at a court, the remaining players will be the Chefs. The Chefs are responsible for making calls if there is a disagreement between players; they are the judge. They will rotate in at the breakfast square when someone gets “out”. The person at the Breakfast square is responsible for serving the ball by bouncing it once in their own square and then volleying it to another player’s square.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Freezamania throw and catch
Grade Level(s):3-5
After introducing/reviewing the cues for throwing and catching to be focused on during this lesson (for ex. throwing: “follow through to your partner”; “twist your body”; catching: “give with your body”; “pull the ball in to your body”), students are arranged in a scattered formation with one ball for every two children (allow them to choose object to throw).
As a musical selection is played, the children proceed to throw and catch back and forth. When the music goes off, the person that is holding the ball must chase after the other until the music comes on again. When the music starts again, students begin to throw and catch again (you might allow–or require–students to quickly change the object they are using at this point). Observe students during the activity to see if they are using the cues introduced when throwing and catching; give feedback based upon their use of these cues.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Frisbee Collection
Grade Level(s):6-8
Students are placed in groups of three, with one player becoming the thrower, one player the hoop holder, and one being the catcher. Throwers try to throw the Frisbee through the hoop, while the catcher catches it. Players may stand as close to each other as they wish, but if they miss they must begin again. The object is to get your team all the way across the field without missing. An extension of this task would be for the holder and the catcher to be moving while the thrower is throwing the frisbee, if space permits. This will increase the difficulty of the task so students will be excited about throwing the frisbee.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Cognitive Psychomotor
Frisbee Feet
Grade Level(s):K-2
Half of the class stand in the center circle, half of the class stands on the outside of the circle. The outside students slide a frisbee and try to hit other students’ feet who are standing in the circle. If they hit feet, they go up and ask “Do you want to switch with me?” and then they keep playing.
SHAPE Grade level Outcomes: Affective Psychomotor