Activity Break
Aims:
To offer a stand alone activity to individual pupils to help them achieve
the ‘calm, alert’ state.
Objectives
Offers the means for a pupil to positively expend excess energy.
Can act as a positive ‘distracter’ in reducing pupil anxieties.
Improves physical co-ordination
Increases well being.
Can help pupils to engage more positively in subsequent whole class activities.
Outcome:
Improves pupil confidence.
Reduces pupil anxieties.
Helps establish positive pupil / adult relationships.
Creates pupil readiness for class activities.
Adults role
To readily have available necessary equipment and ‘Communication Sheet’.
To respond to pupil request to ‘Take a break’ or to establish as part of a regular
time tabled activity e.g. First activity of the morning etc.
Adult to teach pupil how to follow ‘Communication Sheet’ and fade support as
soon as possible so pupil can independently follow ‘Communication Sheet’.
Once routine established, to observe from a distance.
To provide differentiation to task as pupil gains familiarity e.g. indicate how
many star jumps you want the pupil to do / or depending on age of pupil – agree
how many or for how long pupil is to do each chosen activity.
Equipment / Facilities
Playground space or gym / hall space to be made available.
Bucket / box readily available with:Communication Sheet
Feedback Sheet (Smiley faces / Emotional thermometer etc)
Bean bags
Skipping rope
Mini cones
Jump bar
As well as any other equipment that is needed to follow the instructions of the
Communication Sheet.
Guidance.
In summary the pupil will complete a number of physical activities, either
outside or inside – but where there is enough space to allow a mini circuit
to be set up.
The circuit needs to be ‘set up’. The pupil can do this but initially may
need the adult to teach. Make use of cones to indicate the ‘ task station’.
The objective is for the pupil to start at the first cone, and do the
physical task as shown on the communication sheet. When the first task
is completed, the pupil runs to the next task station and carries out the
next task on the communication sheet.
This is an activity that a pupil can take ownership of.
It offers a pupil the opportunity to be physically active in a positive manner.
For a competitive child – they can work towards improving last ‘score’ either in
repetitions or time.
The communication sheet can be ‘set up’ by either the adult or the pupil.
It is a laminated sheet with a start and end task that are non negotiable.
The first task = ‘Warm up’ – running on the spot
The last task = ‘Cool down’ - with stretch and hold
In between these two ‘fixed’ tasks are up to 6 other tasks.
There are extra velcro spaces where the selected tasks are placed – in any
order.
For example you may have selected two other tasks – this then equals 4 tasks in
total for the pupil to complete.
The communication sheet allows the pupil to work towards adding other tasks.
There is also space to write in how many times or for long to engage in the task.
At the end of this activity, build in a routine for the pupil to evaluate activity
and then to collect up any equipment and tidy away before transitioning to next
timetabled activity.
All tasks have been selected on the basis that they can offer a level of
proprioception activity that helps a pupil achieve a state of mind called ‘Calm,
alert’. This is where the pupil reaches the optimum state to calmly engage and
respond to adult direction.
Suggestions are:
Star jumps
Squat thrusts (bunny jumps)
Arm thrusts
Hopping on the spot, alternative legs.
Throwing bean bags into a bucket.
Up and down squats
Jumping over a bar with two feet together.
Skipping
Marching on spot
etc
etc