Preschool parents,
Ever look into the gym to watch your little gymnast and think hmm? What exactly were the kids doing in the hoops warm up game and what was with all that hip shaking? Here is a little insight to some of what was actually in the lesson plans this week. The warm up game was "Body Parts" and included rolling dice that featured the following body parts: ankle, elbow, hip, knee, and wrist. We found many of our preschoolers didn't readily know those body parts. In gymnastics, these are important terms for using in instruction and also key components of some basic skills.
In preschool we use Bunny Hop almost weekly on the beam or over stepping stones. A proper Bunny Hop is done with feet and ankles together with hands on hips and then is a 2-footed hop forward. Possé is a single leg hold, with the other leg bent at the knee forward and resting the arch of the foot next to the knee of the straight leg. Think Flamingo Stand. These are just a couple examples of skills that if the student doesn't know the specific body party can make it hard for the coach to give verbal instruction.
Along with our Body Parts warm-up game this week one Direct Instruction included a focus on the Log Roll. The instruction was started with the gymnast laying on their back feet together with ankles touching and arms over head with wrists together. To complete a Log Roll, they rolled over to their belly and rolled again to their back. Again reinforcing those body parts learned in warm up.
The 2nd Direct Instruction topic was Handstand progression which started with a lunge, then transferring weight to front leg holding in a T position and eventually leaning all the way forward to touch the floor with one leg kicked behind. That is known as a Lever. In a lunge we want to see a bent knee and as they transition to the T position the knee should disappear as they straighten and shift their weight to standing on that one leg. In handstands straight arms are key, so we want our elbows to disappear. Body awareness is a key element and benefit of gymnastics. This handstand progression exercise actually incorporated the knowledge of when to use a body party and when to not use it. Like bending the knee in Lunge but not allowing the knee to bend in the straight leg T position.
The hands on hips and shake your booty is just a fun relatable way to get Preschoolers to remember the instruction "hands on hips and hop like a bunny!"
See in the gym for our next adventures on the Red Floor!