Movement skills/concepts

Walking to a changing rhythm, walking on the spot, stopping on the beat, and relationships (with others).

Set-up

• Rhythm instrument(s).
• Children spread out in a hard or grass area.

Activity

Children practice the following activities:

• coach/teacher beats out a set number of beats, with children marching on the spot to a rhythmical pattern and starting and stopping in time with the beat, e.g. − 1 2 3 4 5 6− Start L, R, L, R, L, R Stop. Repeat.
• intersperse walking on the spot with moving
• continue as above, changing direction each time
• work in pairs, with one partner as the leader, change when walking on the spot, clap own rhythms
• ‘lift and clap’ – lift one knee up and clap underneath, repeat with the next leg
• try ‘lift and under’ (clap under the bent knee), ‘lift and over’ (clap over the bent knee)
• try walking while gently slapping hands on the top of knees
• click fingers beside lifted knee, to the call of ‘lift and click left; lift and click right’
• combine various hand actions (e.g. one clap under left knee and one clap over the right knee).

Variations

Introduce group work: In pairs or small groups, create and march to own beat/rhythms.