Camp

Gymnastics

Mr. L.

 |  Apr 13, 2019

You have many options for a Gymnastic lesson in your Physical Education lesson.  It doesn’t have to be flips, parallel bars and advanced movements.

Jog & Search

Equipment: Index cards

Grades: 2nd-12th

• Spread out index cards labeled with exercises all over your gym floor.

• Have your students jog around the basketball court or designated area.

• On your whistle the students will sprint to an index card and perform the exercise.

• Exercise choices: Squats, jumping jacks, wall seats, jump up, balance on one foot, push-ups and curl-ups.

• Once the student completes the exercise, they return to a slow job around the court until you blow the whistle again.

Individual Mat Work

Equipment: 2 X 4 floor mats

Grades: 1st-5th

• Balance on 1 foot.

• Airplane balance on 1 foot with arms out and lean forward.

• Jump up and perform a 180 and 360.

• Push-ups.

• Curl-ups.

• Jump straight up.

• Jump up and to the side.

• Jump forward & back.

• Air jacks. Jumping while doing a jumping jack.

• Jump up from a kneeling position to a stand.

• Hand stands.

• Walking hand stands.

Partner Work

• Squats back to back.

• Lifts: Stand back to back, hook elbows and lift your partner off the floor. Take turns back and forth. 

• Face your partner, grab hands, touch toe to toe and lean back as if your sitting in a chair.

• Balance on a partner. One partner gets on all fours and another partner does the same on their back.

• Same as above from a standing position. (Piggy back)

• Partner does push-ups while the other holds them up by their ankles.

• A,B,C Push-ups with a partner. Slap hands while doing push-ups each time you come up.

• Groups of 3.  All 3 partners hold hands while 1 of the partners attempt to jump over the arms of the other two.

• One partner down on all four’s and the other partner in the same position, but on top of their partner.

• Falling correctly.  Hold your partner’s hands while leaning back ward and let go.  Strike hands on the mat as you fall.

Gymnastic Stations

Equipment: Mats, balance beams, cones

Grades: 3rd-8th

• Balance beam station.  Low to the ground walking, cartwheels.

• Rolling station.  Use a high mat 2-3 feet in thickness. Run up and log roll or forward roll.

Rock Wall Station

CLICK HERE for more rock wall activities.

Tumbling station

Equipment: Mats

Grades:  K-5th

• Log rolls.

• Forward rolls.

• Back rolls.

Rope Swing Station

Equipment: You’ll need a rope attached to your ceiling & a 6-12 inch thick mat.

Grade: 2nd-6th

• Students will swing over the mat.

Rope Climb Station

• I recommend a 2-3 ft thickness in your mat with a teaching spotting. 

Box Jump Station

• Use different heights for ability.

Plank Station

• Front and side planks.

• Wall seats.

Moving Station

• Bear crawls

• Army crawls

Relays

• Jumps 

• Leap frogs with a partner or group.  Jump over partner back as the bend over.

• Wheel barrel with one  partner holding the ankles while the other walks on their hands.

• Double Wheel barrel. First partner in push-up position with feet resting on partners shoulders.  2nd player in push-up position with other partner holding the ankle’s.

• Walking hand stands.

Balance before the beam

Equipment: Mats

Grades: K-5th

• Balance on one foot. Flamingo style.

• Chair seat.

• Feet and hands only with rear up in the air.

• One foot touch side of your other leg and both hands together above your head.

• Stretch over to side, with arm out.

• Head down and foot up.

• Advanced side plank.

• Advanced balance.

• Advanced balance split.

• Elbow balance.

Balance Beam activities

Equipment: Benches & Mats to be place underneath the benches or beams.

Grades: K-5th

• You can use a bench if you don’t have a balance beam’s.  They’re wider and less expensive.

• Crawl across.

• Hands and feet only.

• Crab crawl forward and backward.

• Army crawl.

• Straddle walk sideways.

• Run.

• Hop.

• Jump.

• Walk backwards.

• Turning in circles.

• Pause half way and stand on one foot.

• Pause on one knee.

• Pause and balance on one foot leaning forward.

• Forward & backward dismount practice.

Obstacle Course

CLICK HERE to see a obstacle/ninja warrior course to give you some ideas for your class.

• There is no set way to set up a obstacle course, but I recommend requiring your students to perform a balance movement after each apparatus. 

• Log Roll on a mat.

• Walk on a low balance beam.

• Crawl thru a tunnel.

• Swing on a rope.

• Perform 3 cartwheels on a mat.

• Walk on hands and feet in a push-ups.

• Jump from 2 X 2ft mats with touching the ground.  Place a thin mat underneath. Similar to how Ninja warrior begins.

• Army Crawl.

Hope you enjoyed this post.  Feel free to leave a comment or question below.