Equipment Set-Up
Purposeful PLAY Equipment/Set-up
  • Equipment varies based on skill challenge stations chosen.
  • Set various equipment in a 6-station format. Students begin with their teammates at the assigned skill challenge station.

Challenge Time: Skill Stations

This purposeful play allows students to explore appropriate fundamentals of locomotors, balance, and object control in various ways at specific skill stations. It provides opportunities for students to use previously learned skills in new ways to challenge themselves.

Procedure:

  1. Share with students that they will continue to use skills to try to challenge themselves.
  2. Explain that they will use their locomotors and other previously learned skills (object control) to try to complete different challenges at each station. (See suggested skill station ideas below or design stations to coordinate with your culminating event)
  3. Remind students that it is okay if they don’t succeed at the challenge, because some things can be difficult to do the first few times that you try them, but they should keep trying with their best effort to try to improve at the challenge.
  4. Explain that each team will start at a challenge station and stay there trying their skills, until they hear your cue for them to move to the next station.
  5. Review that they will be moving in a clockwise direction to the next station.
  6. Review each challenge station and the expectations for that station.
  7. Assign each team a station to begin at.
  8. Start music to begin activity.
  9. Pause music every 2 minutes and cue students to move to the next skill challenge station.

Possible Skill Challenge Stations to Explore:

  • Snake and Frog Swamp: Ropes set on the ground throughout the station area. Space Spots set out throughout the station area. Students attempt to locomotor throughout that area without touching any of the snakes/ropes. Students try to jump from space spot to space spot like a frog to a lily pad. They may move around the snakes or attempt to jump/hop/leap over them. (Can you move yourself all through the swamp area and never touch any of the snakes? Can you jump/hop/leap over a snake without touching it?)
  • Aim to Target: Various heights of targets and various types of throwing objects (Can you throw your ball at a target from one step away? How about 2 or 3 steps away? Can you try bigger targets/smaller targets?)
  • Crazy Cone Run: Cones set in pathways with varying amounts of distance between the cones. (Can you do your fastest run through the cone path without touching or tipping any of them?)
  • Through the Hoop: Various-sized hula hoops and age-appropriate-sized foam balls (Can a partner from your team hold up a hoop while you try to toss your ball through it? Take turns with each other and try it!)
  • Over/Under: Various heights of hurdles positioned in a straight pathway (Can you go over a hurdle without touching it and then under a hurdle without touching it, try an over/under/over/under/over/under pattern)
  • Stack and Strike: Stacking cups or tissue boxes and medium-sized foam balls (Can you make a stack with your cups/boxes and then stand away from it and hand strike your ball to it and knock it down?)

Transition:

Ask students to high-five their teammates and begin walking one lap around the activity area.

Variations The above skill challenge stations 1-6 are examples/possibilities. There are many variations that can be added to the lesson or the above can be used and modified to fit the student population as needed. The stations should review/challenge students to use skills they have learned throughout the year. Distances and levels etc. can be changed in the stations to progress the difficulty from 1st grade to 2nd grade.