Nov 4, Coordisports P.E. Report

Preschool November 21, 2022

Mr Shuhei comes to CGK Preschool every two weeks to lead his super fun PE lessons.
Each column will feature some insights or stories about physical development, reports for each PE lesson, and share some YouTube videos showing some physical activities that you can try at home with your child.

Expert Column

Last time I talked about the seven abilities. Do you remember what the most important ability was? That's right, the ability to balance. As we walk upright on two legs, we need to work on our balance first. Balance can be divided into two categories: static balance and dynamic balance. Static balance is the ability to maintain balance. A typical static balance exercise is standing on one leg. Dynamic balance is the ability to lose balance. When you try to avoid getting caught in a game of tag, you may lose your posture. If your dynamic balance is high, you can maneuver without falling even if you lose your posture. Skateboarders and snowboarders possess great dynamic balance. Among the 36 basic movements introduced previously, movements such as standing up, getting up, spinning, assembling, crossing, hanging, standing on your head, riding, and floating will develop your balance. You can enjoy and work on your balance not only by standing up, but also by doing various variations such as standing without using your hands, standing with your eyes closed, or standing back-to-back with someone.

Jungle (3-year-old) Class Lesson Report

【Think first.】
In this indoor PE lesson, we did (1) jumping game, (2) rabbit movement, (3) forward roll, (4) airplane roll, (5) X roll, and (6) random roll. For the forward roll, we looked at three key points: look at the navel, head on the mat, and hands out in front after the roll. We also emphasised on not putting our hands on the mat when rolling. Some children found it difficult to bend their bodies because they had their hands on the mat. For this reason, to bend their bodies the children tried to place the back of their heads on the mat rather than their hands. If the back of the head touches the mat, the children can roll safely. Random roll is following my hand signal to do the associated roll: rock is the X roll, scissors is the forward roll, and paper is the airplane roll. The children looked for my hand signal, processed the cue, and did the rolls, sometimes making mistakes. In math too, it is important to first take your time to think so that you don't make mistakes. At first it may seem clunky. But with practice, it will gradually get faster. It would be great if the children can pause first to think in all parts of their lives.

[Video] Reaction Forward Roll｜Paper→ Airplane Forward Roll, Rock→ Arm Fold Forward Roll, Scissors→ Forward Roll
Mountain (4-year-old) Class Lesson Report

【All movements are connected.】
This time, PE was conducted indoors we did (1) a series of rock-paper-scissors games in pairs and (2) mat and horizontal bar activities. To warm up, we played in pairs wheelbarrows. After rock-paper-scissors, the child who wins places their hands on the floor. The child who loses stands at the back. On my cue, the child in front puts their hands on the floor and raises their feet. The other child holds their partner’s feet and takes five steps forward. This movement called the wheelbarrow. By doing wheelbarrows, you can work on putting strength in your torso whilst supporting your own weight with your arms and shoulders. Repeating this exercise will give you the strength to be able to do handstands. We encourage parents and children to try this exercise together. In the horizontal bar exercise, we did the Earth turn: from the bat, the children have to grip the bars with their arms crossed and rotate once by lifting their legs off the bars. Since the children had seen the Sky class demonstrate this move, they were enthusiastic about doing it. The key point of the Earth turn is to keep the hips higher than the head. Once it becomes familiar it leads to other moves. All movements are connected even if they do not seem to be connected at first glance. In the future, I will talk about the connection of movements.

[Video] Slow turn around without feet｜Earth rotation｜The point is to keep lifting the hips.
Sky (5-year-old) Class Lesson Report

【Achievement and progress are important.】
On the day before Sports day, Sky class gave Jungle and Mountain class a special preview of their Sports Day PE demonstration. After 15 minutes of warming up before the demonstration, some children showed some slight nervousness. However, the children's skills on the vault box and horizontal bar, as well as their composure while waiting, the way the audience observed the Sky class, and the applause after the wonderful performances were all very impressive. All of them were role models of what it means to be the oldest children at CGK. The children in both Jungle and Mountain classes were inspired by their older Sky friends. Whether or not they jumped over the vault box or performed on the horizontal bar is an achievement. Achievements are important, but other things are also important: how did you feel on and after Sports Day? Have a conversation with your child and see how they feel.