Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade R
Physical education: movement, games and play – Week 6 focus
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Physical education: movement, games and play – Week 6 focus
Download the Lessonotes Mobile South Africa app for faster lesson access on Android and iPhone.
Subject: Life Skills
Class: Grade R
Term: 1st Term
Week: 6
Theme: General lesson support
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This lesson focuses on fundamental movement skills, which are the building blocks for more complex physical activities. For Grade R learners in South Africa, mastering these skills is crucial not only for physical development but also for social and cognitive growth. In their daily lives, children are constantly moving – playing 'amagents' (street soccer) in the neighbourhood, chasing friends on the school playground, or participating in cultural dances. This lesson helps formalise and refine these natural movements, improving their coordination, balance, and body awareness.
This section explains the core ideas learners will explore through movement.
A. Locomotor Movements: Moving Your Body Locomotor movements are the amazing ways our bodies can move from one place to another. They are the 'doing' words of our bodies!
Running: This is moving fast on your feet, much faster than walking. When we run, for a tiny moment, both our feet are off the ground!
How to do it: We pump our arms to help us go faster, lift our knees up high, and stay on the balls of our feet (the part just behind your toes).
Example: Imagine you are a cheetah chasing a springbok across the Karoo. You need to run fast and with purpose!
Hopping: This is a bouncy movement where you jump and land on the same foot. It requires good balance.
How to do it: Stand on one leg (your 'strong' leg), bend your knee, and push off the ground. Land softly on the same foot.
Example: Pretend you are a rabbit hopping through a vegetable garden, looking for a carrot.
Skipping: This is a tricky but fun movement that is like a 'step' and a 'hop' put together.
How to do it: Take one step forward, then do a little hop on that same foot. Then, switch to the other foot: step, then hop. The pattern is step-hop, step-hop, step-hop. It has a happy, bouncy rhythm.
Example: Skipping down the path to school on a sunny morning because you are excited to see your friends.
Galloping: This movement feels like you are a horse! One foot is always in the lead.
How to do it: Step forward with one foot. Then, bring your back foot up to meet it. The same foot always leads. It makes a sound like 'clip-clop, clip-clop'.
Example: Imagine you are riding a horse on a farm near Bloemfontein. You lead with one foot, and the other follows quickly behind.
B. Balance: Staying Steady Balance is the skill of keeping your body steady and not falling over.
There are two types: Static Balance (Still Balance): This is when you are balancing without moving from your spot.
Why it's important: It helps us stand, sit up straight, and control our bodies.
Example: Standing on one leg like a flamingo waiting in the water. To make it easier, you can put your arms out to the side like airplane wings or focus your eyes on one spot on the floor that isn't moving.
Dynamic Balance (Moving Balance): This is when you are balancing while you are on the move.
Why it's important: It helps us walk, run, and play without tripping.
Example: Walking carefully along a line drawn on the floor, pretending it's a narrow bridge over a river full of crocodiles. You have to place one foot in front of the other and use your arms to help you stay steady.
C. Spatial Awareness: Knowing Your Space Spatial awareness is understanding your body and the space around it. It's about not bumping into people or things!
Personal Space: This is the 'bubble' of air all around your body. It moves with you. We need to respect our friends' personal space bubbles too.
Example: When standing in a line for tuck shop, you leave a little bit of room so you are not breathing on the person in front of you.
General Space: This is the big area that everyone shares, like the playground or the classroom carpet. We need to look where we are going so we can all move safely in the general space.
Example: When playing a game of tag, you have to run in the general space while also being aware of where other players are so you don't crash. Guided Practice (With Solutions)
Activity 1: The Animal Parade Task: "We are going on an animal parade! I will call out an animal, and we all have to move like that animal across the playground. First, let's be galloping horses! Let's gallop all the way to the jungle gym." Worked Solution &
Commentary: The teacher first demonstrates galloping, exaggerating the 'step-and-catch-up' motion.
They provide verbal cues: "Lead with your front foot! Good! Your back foot is catching up!" The teacher observes the learners, offering individual praise ("Lindiwe, you look just like a racehorse!") or gentle correction ("Sipho, try to keep the same foot in front."). The use of animal imagery makes the abstract movement concrete and fun for the learners.
Activity 2: Balancing Meerkats Task: "In the Kalahari desert, meerkats stand very still on their back legs to look for danger. Can you be a meerkat? Let's all stand on one leg. I am going to count to five. Let's see who can balance without wobbling. Ready? One... two... three... four... five!" Worked Solution &
Commentary: The teacher models the pose, standing on one leg with a straight back.
They offer a helpful tip: "Find a spot on the wall and stare at it. It will help you stop wobbling!" This teaches a simple self-regulation strategy for balance. The teacher acknowledges effort over perfection: "Wow, that was tricky! Even if you wobbled, you tried your best, and that's what matters! Let's try the other leg." Activity 3: Traffic Light Game (Stop and Go)
Task: "I am the traffic light! The whole carpet is our road.