Gymnastics: key 0 warm-up

Ask the children to go for a walk, no bumping into anyone. As the children walk around get them to touch the floor with either hand. Encourage the children to move in any direction and ask them to stretch their arms out sideways. Get the children to turn 360 degrees on the spot.

Place a number of markers / cones around the hall. Ask the children to run around the hall running in and out of each other, without bumping into each other. Get children to move towards the teacher without touching them. Ask children to find a marker and sit down by it.

Ask children to walk anywhere in the hall and then stop on a signal from the teacher. Then ask the children to use different parts of their feet to walk around i.e. heels, toes. Ask the children to move around the room by skipping, hopping or bouncing.

Ask children to carefully move into space on tip toes. On the signal they have to push their hands into the air. The next progression is to get the children to run around quietly then heavily.

Place markers around the floor to aid the children with finding space. Start off the lesson by asking the children to walk around the hall and wave at the teacher with their right hand then their left. The next stage is to get the children to stop and remain very still on the teachers command. Ask the children to walk around and on the command get them to sit down and wave their hands. The next progression is to get them to sit down and wave their hands and feet.

Place markers / cones all around the floor. The children have to find a marker of their own and then look at the teacher. On the command the children then have to slowly walk towards the teacher until the teacher says stop. The next stage is for the children to walk backwards to their marker, ensuring that they look over their shoulder as they do it.

Demonstrate the actions to the children before the game starts. This game is called the Bean Game. There are three types of bean. Runner Bean - Children run around. Chilli Bean - Children shiver / wobble. Baked Bean - Children lay down in the sun. The teacher calls out the commands e.g. Runner Bean - Children start running.

Play the stuck in the mud game. When the children are tagged they must stand still and make a wide shape. For someone to be freed a child has to crawl through the legs of someone stuck in the mud. Encourage safety at all times.

Introduce the Traffic Lights game. Ask children to demostrate as many low positions as possible.

Play the Traffic Lights game. Ask the children to travel around the hall in different ways and directions.

Get the children to stand in a circle around the teacher. The teacher stands in the middle of the circle and the children copy their actions. Start by shaking their head from side to side slowly, then lift shoulders up and down. Shake 1 hand in the air (high / low) then the other and then both hands. Wiggle bottom, shake one foot then the other. The next stage is to lie on the floor and play run / sit /stand game.

Discuss reasons for a warm up. Ask the children to run in and out of each other and run into a space before stopping. Encourage children to have a taught body adn to hold their shape. The next stage is to get the kids to run around and then stop on the command before making themselves as small as possible and then as big as possible.

Sing 'The Grand Old Duke of York' - put heavy stamping actions to the words of the first part of the rhyme. For the second part of the rhyme, encourage children to walk on tip toes lightly, with their body stretched out tall.

Children should form a circle around the teatcher and follow the actions to the song. Ask the children to copy the teatchers actions to the rhyme.

Ask children to run into and out of space. On teachers command, ask the children to stop and curl up.

Play a Stop/Go game, ensuring that children have taut body position when stopped. Ask children to bounce on two feet and then on teachers command to run around the hall in a crouched position.

Place markers all around the hall floor to aid the children in finding space. The lesson starts with the children running lightly around the hall into spaces - no bumping or touching. The next progression is for the children to run lightly on their toes to all areas of the hall before then running using small steps. Ask the children to then run using large steps / strides and stop like a statue on the command from the teacher.

Ask children to run in and out of the mats using tiny steps and then using big steps. Let the children run in and out of the mats using the steps of their choice. Ask the children to run in and out of the mats, step onto a mat and make a small shape then a big shape.