Movement skills/concepts

Cooperative balances, counterbalance, space and body awareness, and relationships (with others).

Set-up

An area with an even surface. Groups of five or seven.

Activity

One child starts off the activity by selecting a balance with a wide base of support. In turn, each other child adds to the statue by slowly making another shape (wide/ narrow/curled/twisted) touching the first statue with one body part.

Once the group balance statue is complete, on a signal each child (except the first one) moves slowly away from the original single-child statue, using a locomotor or turning action.

On a signal, each child moves slowly back into the group statue, with well-defined shapes, and holds their balance.

On a signal, each child moves slowly away again, forming an individual statue by themselves with a base of support and a shape that is different from those used for the group statue.

Can you see …?

• tight muscles
• keeping still – like a statue
• smooth, slow movement
• counterbalance

You could ask …

What do you need to do to counterbalance?

Variations

Choose a theme and add a movement: Create the shape of an object and carry out the movements of that object (e.g. a washing machine).

COOL DOWN/ CLOSURE

Review Skill/Activity, stretching, and questions.