Gymnastics in the Curriculum may be simply described as learning fundamental movements and learning through movement; it is the A, B, Cs of physical Literacy – Agility, Balance, Co-ordination etc..
Despite the changes in the National Curriculum for 2014, there is still a place for Gymnastics within the Curriculum. It allows children to explore, improve and refine movements with skilful control and develop transferrable skills for other sports and physical activities. It gives all children, whatever their ability, the chance to experiment, practice, make decisions and perform.
In time I will be putting various articles and bits of information here. It is in NO way meant to be a substitute for an appropriately qualified gymnastics coach or teacher, but is meant to support coaches or teachers in skills they are currently qualified for, or skills at the level they are currently working towards with a mentor. Coaches must only coach moves they hold current qualifications for.
At all times an appropriate risk assessment must be a part of the coaching or teaching process. As well as environment and apparatus, the risk assessment must include the age, ability/limitation, learning stage, and consolidation of learning and body preparation for each skill, for each child/young person.
Hazel Colton can accept no responsibility for any accidents resulting from the support offered here on this website - gymnastics is an inherently risky sport and you must make the appropriate risk assessments, and take the necessary safety precautions before using any of the information read from this site; by reading these articles you are agreeing that any information used is entirely at your own risk and with an appropriately qualified gymnastics coach or trained teacher in attendance.
For teachers, you must be compliant with the afPE guidance on gymnastics in PE AND your local authority rules and guidance, as there may be additional safety decisions and restrictions in force in your area.
Despite the changes in the National Curriculum for 2014, there is still a place for Gymnastics within the Curriculum. It allows children to explore, improve and refine movements with skilful control and develop transferrable skills for other sports and physical activities. It gives all children, whatever their ability, the chance to experiment, practice, make decisions and perform.
In time I will be putting various articles and bits of information here. It is in NO way meant to be a substitute for an appropriately qualified gymnastics coach or teacher, but is meant to support coaches or teachers in skills they are currently qualified for, or skills at the level they are currently working towards with a mentor. Coaches must only coach moves they hold current qualifications for.
At all times an appropriate risk assessment must be a part of the coaching or teaching process. As well as environment and apparatus, the risk assessment must include the age, ability/limitation, learning stage, and consolidation of learning and body preparation for each skill, for each child/young person.
Hazel Colton can accept no responsibility for any accidents resulting from the support offered here on this website - gymnastics is an inherently risky sport and you must make the appropriate risk assessments, and take the necessary safety precautions before using any of the information read from this site; by reading these articles you are agreeing that any information used is entirely at your own risk and with an appropriately qualified gymnastics coach or trained teacher in attendance.
For teachers, you must be compliant with the afPE guidance on gymnastics in PE AND your local authority rules and guidance, as there may be additional safety decisions and restrictions in force in your area.
Coaching and teaching specific skillsDeveloping the handstand - a one-page aid memoir for handstand preparations. Preparation for the handstand follows a suitable amount of conditioning to take the body weight on the hands; do not attempt any of the preps until this conditioning has been properly consolidated and only then with an appropriately qualified coach or teacher.
Taking weight on the hands requires strength in the hands, arms and shoulders, and flexibility in the wrists. It is vital that this strength and flexibility is built up over time, to allow the correct amount of control for skills such as forward rolls and handstands. Begin with basic preps like front support and caterpillar walks, (starting in front support, walking the feet in until the hips are high in the air, then walking the hands forwards to resume a front support position.) 
The Handstand - an article written by Hazel Colton regarding the handstand in gymnastics and how to develop it.
Fizzy Kids Game
Holiday Colouring
Again, another initiative to motivate training for holidays, colouring in with conditioning instructions. Complete the exercise before colouring in a part of the picture . . . instruct the children to warm up and general stretch before beginning their colouring and exercises.
The Dragon and Lion are harder, with the truck, biker and 'Conditioning_butterfly' more medium. Lightening MacQueen and the 'Butterfly_Conditioning' is easier. Some pictures will need therapy/resistance bands to complete some exercises. 
Of course, we can argue that these stages are important for learning gymnastics at any level of participation, but with more compromises for recreational participation (within safe boundaries); focusing on enjoyment of participation and achievement over competitive performance.
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Gymnastics Support for Teachers
At KS 1 and 2 there is no requirement to TEACH a complex gymnastic move like a forward roll, however a child might do this as their choice of skill. This is where some technical knowledge of the move is required, not to teach but to evaluate and correct, or make safe. Without competence in the area a teacher must not teach gym skills that are beyond the curriculum. As a teacher, if a child performs a move unsafely or a move you are not comfortable with evaluating and correcting, then ask them not to do that move, but to select an alternative one; for example, a forward roll can be replaced with a log/pencil roll.
What is below? Downloadable files to support you gymnastics in schools.:
Lesson Planning is something I do a session for on in the workshop for teachers. Ideally, it is not to instruct teachers how to plan a lesson, as they can already do this, but more to break down the content and objectives of the gymnastics unit and allocate across the number of weeks the class will do gymnastics over the year. During this session we have used a slight adaptation of R McGills '5 minute lesson planner' from 'Teacher Tools' to help with a quick plan scenario. The planner, an explanation of the planner and a very basic example can be found below. (I've now added another version which is more familiar to some.)
Reception Gymnastics PE Resource
A small group of illustrations and ideas for fundamental shapes and skills for reception PE. (See the two files below; the document is too big to put on the website in one go.)
PE KS 1/2 Gymnastics Shapes Cards
A set of 9 Gymnastics PE Resource cards for Primary Schools, to print off and use in your PE sessions. These cards show gymnastics shapes with the correct vocabulary. There are also some helpful points typed below the card that can be cut off. (See below)
New Shape CardsThe 10 'Shape Cards' below have been updated from the ones above and look nicer. You can download, print, cut the description off and paste it to the back of the main picture before laminating. These cards make a great visual resource for your lessons. They are in twos as site restrictions on file size will not let me put them on one file, but the extra effort of downloading these is worth it. :o)
Basic Gymnastics Skill Development
The Side Roll
A resource for teachers who wish to develop rolls without doing a forward or backward roll. The side roll is a great alternative, is still a more complex move, but avoids head and neck issues often experienced with forward and backward rolls.
The Teddy Bear Roll
A resource for teachers who wish to develop rolls without doing a forward or backward roll. The Teddy Bear Roll is a another alternative, is still a more complex move, and possibly more difficult than a forward roll. However, children who do not like going up-side-down may prefer it to forward and backward rolls.
The Forward Roll
A resource to develop preparatory skills for teachers who are teaching forward rolls. The preparatory skills can be used for lessons building up to forwards roll, or used in lessons to keep children engaged and active whilst the teacher supervises and supports the full skill. These preparatory skills can also support teachers without knowledge, experience or confidence in teaching full forward rolls.
Worksheets for gymnastics shapes - Key Stage 1 or 2. Choose from a worksheet that asks pupils to connect the picture of the gymnastics shape with the correct word, (Key Stage 1 worksheet), or one that shows the shapes as illustrations and asks the pupils to write the correct name of the shape below each picture; correct shape names are included on the sheet to assist the pupils.
Year 5 - How muscles work worksheet.
Inclusive Key Steps SupportBelow are the four files for Adapted Key Steps, these support inclusive participation in the Schools Games Gymnastics Key Steps Competition. These adaptations give a range of alternatives for disabled pupils, dependant on their ability.
Floor: Routine for the overall descriptions, in competition order Floor: Adaptations with diagrams to support the above Body Management: Routine for the overall descriptions, in competition order Body Management: Adaptations with diagrams to support the above Please remember these are basic pictures, intended only to illustrate points and improve understanding.. Floor
Body Management
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