Resource 3: Using games and physical exercise
Background information / subject knowledge for teacher
Physical exercise serves many functions. As we know, it helps children build up their strength and fitness. But it can also help pupils to develop social, creative and leadership skills. It can help pupils make friends and discover new things from their peers, and it contributes to their emotional well-being.
Think about the range of different physical games and exercises there are:
- sports e.g. football, wrestling;
- play e.g. skipping, dancing, tag;
- word and number games e.g. singing, rhymes.
Children will automatically invent and play games with each other and you can exploit this as part of your teaching.
The use of physical games and exercises as part of your teaching can encourage pupils to enjoy learning, and so develop a greater interest in coming to school.
By using physical games as part of your teaching, you will also encourage pupils to learn new skills and behaviour patterns.
These can include:
- collaborative learning;
- creative thinking skills;
- sharing resources and taking turns;
- motivation and involvement in learning.
All of these are attributes you should encourage in the classroom, as they will contribute to more effective learning.
Footballs can be made from rolled up banana fibres. Hoops can be made as follows:
To make a hoop
Materials: a stick, a strip cut from an old tyre tube or other types of strings.
Construction: Bend a stick to make a circle, overlap the two ends of a stick to make a joint. Tie the overlapped part securely with a strip cut from an old tyre tube or other types of strings. Cover the overlapped edges of the hoop well. The edges can hurt children if not well covered.
Adapted from: Games from Uganda, Website
Resource 2: Planning ways to introduce the four principles of physical development
