What’s up Phys Ed Fam!
In this post I wanted to share a fun Locomotor Open Space movement activity we play with our Kindergarten and First Grade students.
It’s called “I See” and it’s an awesome activity to get students moving in different ways and finding open space.
It’s a great game to have in your back pocket because it’s a no equipment game, so there is no setup requried.
You can check out an example of how I explain and run the game below:
*The Locomotor Movement Posters above my TV available Here
Explain the concept of Open Space
We start by defining open space as space where there is nobody else close to you.
We teach the concept by having students pretend they are in a bubble.
Students can demonstrate their knowledge of open space by being able to move around the room without crashing into each other.
Demonstrate with a students the different ways they can move if someone comes close to them (show them how to go in a different direction or stop to keep from popping their bubble)
Explain the Boundary Area
“I See” is also an opportunity for students to practice moving within the boundaries.
We teach when the music is on we move, and when the music stops we freeze.
Check out the blog post Music for PE Class: What I’m listening To for music ideas and playlist.
Call and Response
This a call and response activity.
When the teacher says “I See” the students respond with “What do you see?”
Then the teacher names an activity and the student pretend to do the activity in their personal space moving toward open space.
Before you begin, you will want to practice the call and response.
With Kindergarteners, it might not going to go well the first couple of times you try it
But stick with it, eventually they will get the call and response
After students begin the activity, observe to see whether students are:
- Performing the correct movement
- Moving to Open Space
- Staying inside the boundaries
Check out our Stopping Signal for Classroom Management:
Give Positive Shout Outs for Desired Behaviors
After each movement, send positive shout out to students who are following direction.
You also want to remind students of the expectations for movement.
We usually allow for students to move for one minute before we switch to another movement.
Check out Rules and Procedures for Kindergarten below:
Obviously you can use whatever movement prompts your creative brain can come with during the game but here are a few ideas if needed:
- Walking your favorite pet on a leash
- Swimming in a pool
- Ice Skating on a frozen pool
- Shooting baskets and dribbling around the room
- Snakes slithering in the grass
- Leaves floating in the wind
- Giants stomping around
- Boats driving on a lake
- Birds flying through the air
- Bunnies jumping around in a field
- Race cars speeding on a track
- Dolphins swimming in the ocean
Hope this helps to give you another activity you can do with your kiddos!
More Tips for Teaching Kindergarten PE Here
Have Fun and Teach On