Physical Education is off and running! We started with our running unit and just finished the soccer unit. Trying to fit in some key sports before the snow hits has been interesting, especially when its pouring sideways or so windy you can barely even hear yourself think! The most amazing thing with the weather changes is that most of these kids are unfazed. They just want to play, play, play. and they don’t care what the weather is doing. I’m on board with that, but sometimes I have a lesson planned that isn’t quite so easy to do in the wind or rain. Here comes the creativity.
One thing that I’ve started doing is that if it’s raining we go under the tent outside and practice juggling or do team building challenges. Each has it’s own benefit so it isn’t a complete loss. Juggling can be super frustrating and I’m actually learning along with the kids. Honestly, I found an amazing youtube video that breaks down the juggling into a progression that is easy to follow. I did tell the kids about the video so if they show interest at home all they need are 3 similar sized balls or socks rolled up. Juggling is great for building hand-eye coordination and it has constant cross-body movements which helps form new neural pathways. It improves reaction time, reflexes, spatial awareness, strategic thinking, and concentration. This helps improve confidence as well as athletic ability. Seeing their faces light up when they have moved one step closer to juggling 3 balls is pretty exciting.
Soccer was.a pretty huge hit. There is quite a crew of kids that play soccer at recess EVERY day! It was fun to teach them the actual rules because these creative kiddos have come up with quite the interesting recess soccer culture. Soccer is one of many sports that increase basic gross motor skills, coordination, balance, and increase cardiovascular health. We’ve all seen those soccer games that consists of basically one huge swarm of kids that just follow the ball around…not at PNA! These kids know the job of each position and take that pretty seriously. If your child has shown interest in soccer there are some great indoor opportunities throughout the winter at the dome. Please reach out if you have questions on how to sign up!
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Sometimes we even end up just running through the puddles or playing beach ball puddle soccer. Just letting these kids be kids is a joy in itself. Having an extra set of clothes and socks at school makes these impromptu puddle sessions much more palatable.