Level 1 Lesson Plans: Group 1

We have arrived to the fun part: the games and activities that drive what you will do each time you are with kids. This is the juicy part! Below you will find several tools to help you lead the games successfully.

Video: First there will be a video that will show the game in action, directions for the game given in real time and often in several different scenarios. Currently, not one of my Catalyst Coaches was willing to be filmed, so alas you are stuck with me until I can talk one of them into becoming a superstar for you. That being said, please keep in mind we are working with children and that means privacy. In an effort to share as much as we can with you, the videos aren’t always fancy due the use of children’s images online. As you will soon surmise, there are times I have captured myself giving directions and sometimes I am able to have someone do the filming for me. Just bear in mind, in an attempt to share with you as much valuable, on the ground, put it to work, nuts and bolts as possible, Oscar winning cinematography has been forfeited!

Lesson Plans: After the videos you will find your lesson plans. We have provided downloadable plans that include equipment lists, a reference sheet of terms, a copy of the Pivot to Play™ Strengths and Skills System with games from that lesson plan included so you can be confident of the “learnable” piece in each game. We have also laid out the activities in an order that will help you limit down time with quick transitions, so you can focus on fun, safety and classroom management. Print these lesson plans and keep them in a notebook as you practice and reference them. We have also included downloadable cards which are mini versions of the lesson plans. These can be printed for on the go, particularly after you have begun to master the flow of the lessons. They also lend themselves to mixing and matching once you are comfortable with the children and the space you are working with.

Level 1, Lesson Plans: Group 1

Muscles

If You Are Wearing

Notice we remind them to check what spot they are standing on and who they are standing next to, giving them a reference for where to stop in their running. Even elementary aged kids need this, as you can see with the second group.

Reinforcing direction is important too, not just ensuring they run in the same direction around the circle but using directions like: around the circle, behind your friends, outside the circle, through the middle or past your spot.

Take advantage of the opportunity to quiz them on the directions: do we run past our spots, through the middle, etc.

Other options for running cues: buttons, zippers, socks, stripes, letters or numbers on clothes, zig zag on clothes, boots, sandals, etc.

Color Run

Color Run is a great way to get kids moving, listening and thinking. It is an easy way to transition from If You are Wearing and from this game to Bridge Building. However, notice that this game does not have to be played with spots. We have used everything from colored sponge balls, to playground balls, to hoops to scarves. Different pieces of equipment will build different strengths and skills, depending on your goals for the group: Hoops for strength and body awareness, spots for grip and upper body strength, scarves or balls for young children who are working on their listening and colors.

Bridge Building

Brown Bear

Frog Pond

With the first group in this video, there were a lot of elementary aged kids, and not enough spots to make lily pads without having them wait a long time for a turn. So they were divided in half. Half had to jump on spots, the other half had to jump in hula hoops. With this elementary aged group, we had them going back and forth between spots and hoops, so when they finished one side, they went to the end of the line on the other side. This added in additional movement since the grouping of spots and hoops were very far apart. In the second half of the video, the game is harder because there are frog-eating spiders on some of the spots. Again, it was a large group of children but they were preschoolers, so they were divided into two groups so there was less waiting. But having them switch sides was asking a little bit too much, so they stayed on their side each time.

Children aged 4+ can manage the challenge of adding the frog eating spiders and having to avoid specific spots while children less than 4 can only manage the challenge of hopping and landing on a spot with two feet glued together. Elementary aged kids love working up to a place where almost all the spots have frog-eating spiders on them, particularly if they are asked each time in between, “Do you want to make it harder?”

Number Turnover

With young preschoolers, particularly ages 2 to first semester aged 3, this game should be played together, so that all the children are doing the same thing at the same time. With second semester 3 year olds and up to age 7, this game is best played in teams, with one side in charge of one color or number and the other side in charge of the other color/number.

A Full 20 Minute Class

This is an example of how you can use transitions between activities to your advantage. We have set you up for success by making sure you can transition quickly and easily. Listen carefully during If You Are Wearing! One of the kids has a hilarious response. Also note; some kids will spend a lot of energy tattling on each other. There are a few examples in this. We have found a great way to shut that down is to just tell them: “Worry about you.”

If you add in the other two games: Brown Bear and Number Turnover, you will have a class that is about 30 minutes in length and is appropriate in its entirety for kids ages 4 to 6 or even 7.