Reception Body Management Unit 2 Lesson 5

Lesson Summary

Learning Intentions

  • Travel along a variety of equipment using different modes of locomotion
  • Incorporate stretches, shapes and rolls

Success Criteria

  • I can move in different ways
  • I can roll, stretch and jump
  • I can perform shapes with my body and move over apparatus

We are learning...

to travel across apparatus.

Links To Early Leaning Goals

PD – Develop agility, balance, and coordination and begin to apply them in challenging situations.

PSED – Show resilience when trying something new, especially when it feels tricky or challenging at first.

CL – Talk about which part of the activity they enjoyed the most and which part they found a bit hard.

M – Identify how many children should be in their group and order themselves.

Equipment

  • Hoops, cones
  • Music
  • Mats, box tops, benches

Key Questions

  • What happens when you practise something over and over again?
  • Which station did you like the most? What made it fun?
  • If you did this again next week, what would you try to get even better at?
  • Which activities did you do where you had to balance?

Teaching Points

✔️ Assault course guidance

  • Demonstrate each movement before starting, use the resources to support.
  • Practise the more technical moves before starting such as 2 footed jump (rebound jump) and tuck roll.
  • Have some adaptations prepared, e.g., pupils who are not confident about traveling on a bench can bunny hop next to it, etc.
  • Remind children that each course uses the same activities—they’re just in a different order each time.

Lesson Content

Starter Activity - ‘Hills and ponds’

  • Spread out enough button cones (Hills) and hoops (Ponds) so there’s one for each child (e.g. 15 of each for a class of 30).
  • Children move around the space, weaving in and out of the cones and hoops.
  • Change the way they travel to warm up their bodies—for example: big steps, tiptoes, or side steps.
  • When the music stops or you shake a tambourine, children must quickly find the nearest Hill or Pond.
  • If they go to a Hill (cone), they jump over it.
  • If they go to a Pond (hoop), they jump in and out.
  • All jumps should be two feet to two feet.
A guideline image demonstrating this lesson plan content

Activity 1

Assault Course Overview

The assault course helps children practise and apply skills like balance, coordination, and agility in a fun and slightly more challenging way. It gives them the chance to use what they’ve learned in a more active setting.

Each lane of the course should have the same types of activities, but laid out in a different order. This helps keep the course interesting and encourages problem-solving.

This activity is not mainly about winning or racing. However, once children are confident, you may choose to add a little friendly competition if appropriate.

Organisation Tips

  • For a class of 30, aim to set up at least 5 separate courses (more if space and resources allow).
  • Children work in small groups, one group per course.
  • As soon as the first child in a group has passed a clear point (e.g. halfway through), the next child can start.
  • This helps keep the activity moving, with fewer children sitting and waiting.

See Example below

A guideline image demonstrating this lesson plan content

How to Play

  • Line up a group of children behind each assault course station.
  • Children take turns to go one at a time through their course.
  • When they finish, they return to the back of their group’s line.
  • Once everyone in the group has had a turn, rotate the groups to a new station.
  • The activities stay the same, but they will be in a different order at each station.

Extension

  • Turn it into a friendly race. The first team with all players finished and sitting quietly behind their cone wins.