Movement Experiences For Primary Children

[Music] don't effort to climb stairs are often amazed to children who do it just for fun high as they can go and down the hard way he knows what he can't they're just finding out what they can do adults credits and serve our children sling theirs away and never seem to run down we sit down when we can any little craving for actually developed and usually be satisfied by watching a football game on TV or reading an action-packed drama these children act as if they don't know that benches are for sitting on little wonder that they have to work just as it's still at their school their fountains were built for adults to look at and admire children they are additional places for testing their growing physical skills the added attraction of water sometimes you can take advantage of children's energy and the urge to scamper that goes with it sometimes we can take advantage of children's energies and the urge to explore that goes with it to help each of them realize his movements potential we have tried to do so by putting into practice a physical education program which builds on what children do naturally to help them develop strong have full control [Music] [Music] you movement education begins with a physical and psychological environment which fosters free exploration the first job of the school and the teacher is to provide the space and equipment which will encourage doing what comes naturally beginning the children are feet of to where they know go but they shall do how long they shall work on any apparatus must observe some simple rules for grant safety and respect for others must come prepare to work play clothes their feet must stop the conversational tone they must observe fake traffic rules and must not touch others while they are working as long as the rules are observed have we to work on our own and only encouragement teacher there's no given way to perform an action there is no one right way or best leg [Music] there are many different ways Sandy's way Mellie's plan that's their whole movement pattern each child judges in all capacity [Music] [Music] sometimes the child is not achieve what he sets out to do but all to learn to face their shortcomings honestly and with good humor they will try again tomorrow and the next day and the next all children experience success because there is no single standard of agility everyone is working at the Macy's that's for himself the emphasis on individual development rather than competition no one is ever second fifth or afraid of failure with no prizes or special praise with a fastest the highest or the farthest from work to discover practice and refine new patterns occasionally some of the more mature children find satisfaction in working with each other [Music] this kind of matching action arises spontaneously the teacher has not suggested to the children that they work together [Music] the teacher gives help to those children who seek it she responds frequently to the call watch me watch me teacher but before long some of the children are saying watch Eddie or see how sherry doesn't as the children begin to take an interest in the successes of others the teacher occasionally selects a pattern for all of them to observe he begins to develop their awareness of movements what is she doing with her body where is it moving in space what is the quality of a movement another child try something similar but different the teacher encourages originality the children are beginning to understand that they don't just move they are becoming interested in how they move and which part of their body takes their weight now a little of the free exploration will be supplemented by teacher directed group work the children are given some set ways to move so that they will feel contrast and movement and so that they can develop the vocabulary of movement and kinesthetic awareness where they move from hands to feet a straight forward direction can anyone do the same thing put in a different direction yes straight to the side everybody tries who has another way they'd like to show us yes Mary is moving in a straight line but changes direction frequently she has made a movement pattern all of you make your own pattern as you move from hands to feet and then the children are encouraged to vary their movements within the pattern now the task is to move on any body part but with the toes of one foot held high and to carry over from the previous problem both of the children are working at it about the same way but some variations begin to appear then it is suggested that they try holding some other body part on one hand high and then up right the fingertips high another time everyone tries hopping on one foot with a knee held high one boy holds his knee up very high another perhaps remembering an earlier lesson tries a different kind of action and a girl remembers that you don't have to move forward and in a straight path another tries hopping with their knee high and back class points out that it's your foot that's really high for contrast a girl tries to keep one foot as close to the floor as possible while she hops the whole class gives it a try much of the directed group work involves running this variation of the old freeze game the children are asked to make wide shape for their bodies when commanded to stop this is to feel the contrast between fluency and rigid control and to get the feeling of bigness extension the body part stretched far from each other [Music] then they try extension while moving with very large steps for contrast tiny steps are tried now these girls are mixing the two trying to keep the big steps very long and the tiny ones very short each decides for itself when to make the change [Music] they seem to like the feel of the big step step perhaps everyone to find a different way of moving with short tiny steps that he enjoyed another time the class goes from upright to flat on the floor everyone tries to extend his body into a narrow shape long and straight while changing the temple of his movement very slow Wow and slow again the class watches one boy who does a good job of maintaining a continuous rolling englishman but someone points out he has his arms pressed to his side instead of overhead so everybody tries again with fingertips stretched out then instead of the long shape this girl folds herself in a tight curl position and tries to roll like a ball another girl creates a movement pattern by extending quickly between each roll the children also learn to rock for long the rocking turns into forward and backward roll [Music] rolling movements on the wooden floor can be slightly painful at first until the child learns to transfer his body weight with sensitivity and control so sometimes flats are using this boy has developed sufficient control and flow to move without the subtle jarrah pressure an important aspect of safety to many real-life situation [Music] all the teacher is directing the children to work within set limitations they still are encouraged to invent their own responses within the patterns suggested to them there is still time during every class period for them to explore as they choose on the apparatus fuel only want to rush back favorite piece of equipment and repeat a favorite movement pattern most of them take with them the experiences practiced in safety on the floor and incorporate them in ever more complex patterns on the apparatus in this room specially equipped to give them wide experiences in movement these children are not taught or told in the usual sense they are treated as discoverers explorers and each must discover and explore his physical being for himself the work of these first-grade children is only a beginning before they even have ample opportunity to learn the mastery of their present bodies they will grow and change new potentials and temporary handicaps need to be tested and explored an atmosphere which supports practice however faltering and inquiry what can my body do how does it move where does it move in space [Music] [Music]