Movement skills/concepts

Dynamic balance, climbing on equipment at varying heights, angles and spaces.

Set-up

Ropes, ladders, bars, poles, climbing net. Available playground/gymnastic equipment. Individuals or small groups start at different points of a circuit.

Activity

Horizontal ladders: Children move along on all fours, facing downwards and upwards.

Jungle gym and similar equipment: Mark a course on the equipment with numbered tags to follow either in a set order or in any order.

Inclined equipment: Children follow a circuit of ladders, nets, benches, parallel pipes, etc. They then try it in reverse order or help an ‘injured’ partner around.

Vertical ladders/wall bars: Children climb up and down, climb up, across/through and down.

Low, horizontal rope: With a rope over a slippery surface, children lie on their back and pull along with a hand-over-hand action.

Vertical ropes: From sitting on the floor, children pull up hand over hand to standing, then lower hand over hand to sitting.

Combination climbs: Set up an obstacle course using ropes, ladders, bars, nets, beams, boxes, outdoor equipment, etc. Climb this in different ways.

Can you see …?

• alternate, independent foot and leg action
• safe surface for hands
• frequent breaks from walking on the hands
• creative play – children exploring and discovering equipment

You could ask …

How do you adjust your climbing action when climbing up a rope compared to climbing on a fixed structure?

What was the most difficult equipment to climb? Why was this?

COOL DOWN/ CLOSURE

Review Skill/Activity, stretching, and questions.