The Purpose of Introductory Activities [Interactive]

IntroductoryActivities

[0:02] You never have a second chance to make a first impression. I think that’s true of every lesson in physical education, and I think you never have a second chance to start a lesson actively.

The Magic of Introductory Activities

[0:38] As you’re well aware our time and PE is short and efficiency is critical. I wasn’t always the best at time management, and then I discovered the magic of introductory activities. Some call these introductory activities, instant activities or warm-ups or ASAPs, and every lesson in the dynamicpeasap.com curriculum has an introductory activity and they serve several purposes.

Get Them Moving Quickly!

[1:04] First the Introductory Activity ensures that every lesson starts with movement or physical activity, not squad lines, not sitting on the floor, not standing in lines outside the gym. How I like to approach this is by greeting the students at the door and just a real quick introduction to the lesson and get the students moving. It might sound something like “I have a ton of fun things planned today, let’s get moving when you get on the floor, let’s skip” and they’re off and the lesson begins. In my experience, a long explanation of the day’s events and all the activities we’re gonna do would fall on deaf ears that are really, really excited to move. So I chose to feed their desire and get them moving quickly.

[1:44] Introductory activities also allow teachers to establish and practice their management protocol, especially those things they’re going to use during that lesson. Those first moments are essential and will establish the tone and the lesson. It’s fun, it’s exciting, but it’s fun and exciting with expectations.

Establish Expectations with Move and Freeze

[2:02] So the first part of every introductory activity is moving free students three times, and I found that if classes can’t freeze, I may need to work a bit to get them with me and to get them freezing, not in a militaristic you’re gonna freeze approach, but I have high expectations of you class and here are my expectations. When I give the signal I expect you to freeze, let’s try that. The introductory activity takes about 3-4 minutes of a 30-minute lesson and it’s a fun way to start the class, it gets students ready for a fun lesson and feeds exactly what they’re looking for. They’re looking to move.

My Favorite Introductory Activities From DynamicPEASAP

[2:39] Some of my favorite introductory activities from the dynamicpeasap.com website are move and freeze, high fives, home base, and equipment exploration. I just really like those activities because it’s a variety of activities and again it really hits home on how those introductory activities work. These are just a few we have to offer on the website so take a look and try a few with your class. Get your lessons moving instantly, and introductory activities are a great way to do that.

THRIVE!

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