Lucky Leprechaun Skills Stations

In honor of St. Patrick's Day next week, here are some stations I like to do with my elementary students.  We also like to play Leprechaun Tag as our warm-up and I will post that activity next week.

Activity Goal: To improve throwing, jumping, leaping, and hopping skills.

Motor Concepts: Locomotor skills, throwing, and eye hand coordination.

Equipment: Over the rainbow-Volleyball net or rope and frisbees.  Blarney Stone Jump-6 or more dome cones and laminated brown paper “Blarney Stones” with distances ranging from 2 to 7 feet marked on them and taped to the cones. Pot of Gold-Laundry basket or box and yellow or gold beanbags.  Leaping Leprechauns- 6 or more laminated paper shamrocks with distances marked on them and taped to the floor.  Snakes From Ireland- Six or more jump ropes arranged in rows.  Shamrock Score- laminated shamrocks that are numbered and beanbags.

Set up: Arrange stations throughout the gym or play space.

Procedure: Over the Rainbow-Students throw frisbees over a volleyball net, scoring a point if it does not touch the net.

Blarney Stone Jump-Students perform standing long jumps next to the Blarney Stones, which mark the distances jumped.

Pot of Gold-Students throw beanbags into the basket, or box earning one point for each successful throw.

Leaping Leprechauns-Students leap or jump as far as they can.  The shamrocks mark the distances.

Snakes from Ireland- Students hop over the ropes and back without stepping on them or putting down their non-hopping foot.

Shamrock Score-Students throw overhand at the numbers on the shamrocks.  They add their points together.

Low Variations: Shorten the distance to the targets; use mats at the jumping stations in case of falls; hold student’s hand when jumping/leaping for extra balance; students in wheelchairs can lie on a scooter board and push themselves or be pushed instead of leaping/jumping

High Variations: Lengthen the distances; have students add up points; assist other students; focus on form.

Informal Assessment Questions:  Is the student able to aim at the targets?  Is the student able to throw in the intended direction? Is the student able to maintain balance while leaping/jumping ?  Does the student demonstrate skills correctly?

Octopus Tag

This is an easy warm-up activity that I learned it at the UAHPERD conference 2 years ago.  It is similar to the game sharks and minnows and my students love it.

Activity Goal:  Students will be able to perform a variety of movement skills while moving from one side of the room to the other.  Students will be able to tag and switch places with the tagged student at least 3 times during the duration of the game.

Motor Concepts:  Moving through general space, locomotor and non-locomotor skills, pathways.

Equipment:  10-20 hula hoops

Setup:  Spread hula-hoops out all around the playing area (ocean).  Chose a student to stand in each of the hoops (octopi).  The remaining students (fish) stand on one side of the ocean (shoreline)

Procedure:  On the teacher’s signal, students on the shore begin to cross the ocean to get to the other side.  The octopi wave their arms and try to tag the fish as they swim across the ocean.  If a fish gets tagged they trade places with the octopi that tagged them.  The octopus becomes a fish and continues to swim across the ocean to the other side with the rest of the fish.  All fish wait when they get to the other side for the signal to again move to the other side again.

Low Variations:  Give octopi pool noodles to use to tag.  A teacher or paraprofessional could move a student in a wheelchair throughout the play space if they are unable to do so themselves.  Octopus can take one foot out of the hoop to tag.  Octopus can move the hoops within the play space to tag.  2-3 octopus can be in one hoop.

High Variations:  Students have to keep track of how many times they are tagged.  Perform a movement sequence to get across the ocean. 

 Informal Assessment Questions:  Are students able to move safely across the play space?  Are students able to tag with hand or noodle?  Are students able to perform the instructed movements with correct technique?

March Madness

This month my students are working on their mad basketball skills.  Each week they will rotate through stations working on, dribbling, passing, and shooting skills.  After rotating through each skill station, we will end each day with a group game.  Each class I teach is so different, so I have just grouped our favorite activities here. 

Basketball Activities

Activity Goal:  students will demonstrate various motor skills and movement patterns needs to participate in basketball games and activities.

Motor Concepts: Manipulative skills (dribble, shoot, pass).  Eye-hand coordination, 

movement patterns and pathways.

Equipment:  1 basketball for each students or 1 ball for every 2-4 students.

Set up:  Set-up stations throughout the gym  with instructions posted at each station about the drill you would like the students to work on. Students spend 5 minutes at each station and then rotate. Every class period you could post different drills at each station.  I place peer tutors and paraprofessionals at each station to assist my students.

Ball Handling Tasks

Hot potato - Transfer the ball quickly between hands at waist level.  Challenge: start with basketball waist high, move ball down by ankles, and then up above the head.  

Ball slaps - Transfer ball from the left hand and “smack” it into right hand. Repeat.

Single leg circle - Circle ball around one leg at a time, right then left. Reverse the direction. 

Around body, waist, knees and head - Stand straight, feet together. Transfer ball around waist. Reverse direction. Stand with legs and knees together and bend over and rotate ball around knees. Reverse direction. Stand straight feet together and transfer ball around head. Reverse direction. Finally, put all three together - once around knees, once around waist and once around head without hesitating. Repeat and reverse direction.

Figure Eight - Start with legs shoulder width apart and knees bent. Transfer the ball from one hand to the other in a figure 8 pattern around the knees. Reverse direction.

Dribbling Tasks

Control dribble - Left foot forward, bend at the knees, protect the ball with your left hand and keep the head up. Dribble basketball with right hand as low as you can. After a while, have the students raise their dribble to knee height. Finally have students raise the dribble to waist height. Do the same thing with the left hand, except right foot is forward and the students are protecting the ball with their right hand.

Crossover dribble - Feet are shoulder width apart, knees bent. Dribble one hard dribble from the right to the left hand and back again, in front of the body.  Finally, have them start the crossover dribble as low as they can, then extending the arms, almost like a pendulum, doing the crossover as high as they can. Low to high and repeat. 

Passing Tasks

Bounce Pass- Hold ball at chest level with both hands on either side of the ball.  Elbows point out, and push the ball to the floor in the middle of the two players so that it bounces up to the next player.  I place a "X" with floor tape or use poly spots for students to aim at.

Chest Pass- Hold the ball at chest level with both hands on either side of the ball.  Elbows point out, and push the ball toward the other players chest so that they catch the ball  at chest level.  

Shooting Activities

Most of my students struggle with or are unable to demonstrate proper shooting form.  I encourage it as much as possible, but I mainly want them to succeed at making a basket.  I will allow them to shoot the ball anyway that is most successful for them, whether it be a "granny shot" or with two hands.  I also use a variety of targets such as hula hoops hanging from a standard, targets taped to walls, cones, and ramps.

Around the World- place floor markers from the spots you want the players to shoot from.  I have everyone line up at the spot closest to the basket.  If they shot is made the players moves on to the next spot.  If it is missed the player goes to the end of the line and tries again.  Each made shot advances the player to the next spot until they make it "around the world" to the last spot.

Lightning or Knockout-  All players line up behind the selected shooting point, typically at the free throw line. The first player in line shoots. If he misses, he rebounds the ball and continues shooting until he makes a basket. Once the first player throws the ball for his first attempt, the second player may make his first attempt. The goal of the first player is to make a basket before the second player does. If so, the first player recovers the ball and passes it to the next player in line. The goal of the second player is to make a basket before the first player does. If so, the first player is out and play stops until both balls have been returned to the players in line. Once the now first and second players each have a ball, play resumes. This pattern follows until all players have been eliminated except one, who is declared the winner. When players are eliminated, they are to complete ball handling tasks until a new game starts. 

Partner and Group Games

Mirror Drill - Every student has a partner. One student is the leader, one student is the follower. The leader begins to do ball-handling drills while the follower mimics every drill. After a certain amount of time, switch responsibilities. 

Over and Under - The student in the front has the basketball, holding it above their head. On the go signal, they pass the ball to the student behind them. This student then passes the basketball under their legs to the next student. Alternating over and under until it gets to the last student. When the last student gets the ball, they will run to the front of the line and pass it over their head to the next person in line, repeating the process. When every student in each line has run to the front or when they reach a desired distance, have the students sit down. First group sitting wins.

 Sideline Drill - Spilt up students evenly with one group standing on each sideline. Have students stand on a numbered polly spot or give them a sticker with a number on it. Two people should have the same number (one on each side).  Two basketballs are in the middle of the floor. Before the game starts, tell the students what ball-handling drill they need to do in the middle of the court. Example: 5 times around the waist, or catch the ball 3 times behind the back. Yell out a number and that student with that number will run to the basketball and do that particular drill. When they finish, they must slam the ball on the ground and run back into line. First one back in the line wins. Pick different numbers.

 Chicken Dribble - Partner up the students. Each partner has a ball. Both students are dribbling at the same time trying to knock the basketball away from their partner. Students must keep dribbling at all times.

Dribble Tag - Just like tag, but all the students are dribbling. Depending upon how many basketballs you have, determines how many kids can go at once. You pick who's it and they have to dribble, trying to tag the other students. Limit the space from where they can go. As more and more students are eliminated, make the space smaller. Keep switching who is it.

Dribble Tag Option – Same as above, except using flag football flags or scarves. The person who is “it” tries to pull off the flag. When they are successful at doing that, the person who lost the flag becomes it too and tries to help pull other flags.

Freeze Tag - When a player is tagged, he/she is frozen and must do a ball-handling or dribbling drill until the game is over and everyone is caught. The players that are tagged are also “it” and may tag anyone who runs close enough, but they cannot move from their position. You can place a poly spot down for tagged players to stand on to help everyone know who has been tagged. 

Dribbling Relays - Lines of 8-10 students. When the whistle blows, the student in the front dribbles the length of the court and back, then handing the basketball to the next person in line. The first line that goes through all the students and sits down, wins.

Other Variations:  Hand over hand assistance, smaller ball, nurf ball or balloon, allow student to practice in a safe area of the space away from others if necessary.  Allow students dribble with two hands if they have a difficult time controlling the ball, or allow them to bounce and catch the ball to improve control.  When playing in group games, allow the students to have their own safe zone where nobody can steal their ball or block them.  Lower the net or use a hula hoop or other target for student to aim for.  Students in wheelchairs are allowed to travel with ball in their lap and can push ball off of lap or use a ramp to pass or shoot the ball.

Informal Assessment Questions:  Are students able to maintain control of their ball?  Are students able to dribble the ball stationary and while moving?  Are students able to aim and shoot at a target?  Are students able to perform a bounce pass to a partner?  Are students able to perform a chest pass to a partner?  

We love these ultra light basketballs

Ice Cream Relay

This is an activity I like to play as a warm-up with all elementary grades or as a main lesson with my younger grades.  We have fun sharing what our favorite ice cream flavors are and seeing who can collect the most scoops of ice cream!

Activity Goal:  Students fill their empty basket (bowl) with balls (ice cream scoops) while practicing locomotor movements, balance, and eye-hand coordination.

Motor Concepts:  Balance, eye-hand coordination, locomotor skills.

Equipment:  Cardboard paper towel tubes, baskets for each student or team, lots of small balls (plastic, yarn, foam, etc.), cones, poly spots.  I like to use the ball pit balls the best for this activity.

Set up:  Place a cone or ploy spot for each student or team at one end of the play area.  Have a basket for each student or team next to their spot or cone.   Place all of the balls at the other end of the play area.  The can be scattered on the floor, or in baskets.

Procedure: Divide students into teams if necessary and have students stand on a spot ready to start.  Give each student or team a paper towel tube.  On the start signal the student performs a locomotor movement to the pile of balls (“ice cream shop”),chooses one ball (“scoop of ice cream”), balances the ball on the paper towel tube and moves back to their base and drops the ball in their basket.  If the “ice cream scoop” falls off in route to the basket, you can have the student go back and start over, or have them pick up and replace it and continue where they left off.  Continue playing for a given amount of time or until all the balls are collected.

Low Variations:  Shorten the distance the student has to travel with the “ice cream.”  Use larger or smaller balls. Allow student to use their free hand to balance the ball on the "cone". 

High Variations:  Lengthen the distance the student has to travel with the “ice cream.”  Have student count how many scoops of “ice cream” they have.  Have students perform various locomotor movements as they move to get a ball.  Have students move backwards, sideways, on their knees, etc. while balancing a ball on their tube.

Informal Questions: Is the student able to balance the ball on the roller?  Is the student able to move while balancing the ball on the roller?

Tennis Unit

During the month of February I taught a tennis unit with my secondary students.  We spent 4 weeks (45 minutes each week) working on the following tasks.  I first went over safety procedures for swinging the racquets and then introduced the equipment.  We then went over how to hold the racquet with one hand, forehand swings, backhand swings, and serving.  Given the short amount of class time I have each week, I introduced 2-3 tasks each week and let the students try each new task as well as work on the previous taught tasks at their own pace during classtime.  Myself, paraprofessionals, and peer buddies would spend time working with each student on the daily tasks.

Here is what we did!

Activity Goal:  Students will practice ball and racquet control while engaging in various tennis related activities.

Motor Concepts:  Eye hand coordination, visual tracking, striking,  balance, moving safely through general space

Equipment:  tennis racquet and large foam ball (spinner ball) or tennis balls for each student

Tennis Tasks:  

Ball Balance:  students balance ball in the center of the racquet.

One leg balance: students balance ball on racquet while standing on one leg/switch legs.

Ready position hops: students balance ball on racquet while hopping on one foot.

Ball roll on racquet: students roll ball around racquet without it falling off or touching the rim of the racquet.

Toss and catch: students launch ball up in the air just above shoulders/head and catch on racquet without bouncing.

Bump ups: students hit ball up into the air just above head or shoulder level; then see how many bumps they can get in a row.

Flip flops: students hit ball up into the air then flip over the racquet to the other side, then hit up again.

Spinning: students hit and spin the ball in a continuous motion, flicking the wrist sideways back and forth.

Bump downs: students hit ball down to the floor continuously.

Wall hits: students hit against a wall hitting ground strokes or serving.

Partner Skills: Students work together performing various tasks listed above.  Both students may have a racquet, or one with and one without. 

Low Variations:  Teacher or partner bounces or tosses ball for the student.  Use a bean bag or a balloon rather than a ball.  Use a strap or scarf to assist students who cannot grasp or hold on to the racquet handle.  Hand over hand assistance.  Use larger or brightly colored balls. Connect a ball to the racquet using string so student does not have to chase the ball across the gym.  Use foam paddles rather than tennis racquets. 

High Variations:  Use one ball between 2 students.  Give challenging goals.  Use smaller balls or tennis balls.  Lengthen the distance when hitting to a wall or partner. Perform challenges while moving.

Informal Assessment Questions:  Is the student able to hold the racquet correctly?  Balance the ball stationary or while moving?  Is the student able to volley the ball with the racquet?  Is the student able to toss or bounce the ball with one hand and strike it with the racquet in the other hand?