Reception Body Management Unit 2 Lesson 5
Lesson Summary
Learning Intentions
- Jump with confidence and consistency
- Travel through an activity course using coordination and balance
- Use a range of travel actions to move through the course
Success Criteria
- I can jump with control
- I can travel through the activity jumping, rolling and crawling
- I can try my hardest on each activity
We are learning...
to take part in an activity course
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/tabletops, 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 that required you to balance?
Assault course ideas
Assault course
The assault course allows children to practice skills such as balance, coordination, agility, and jumping in a fun, active environment. It encourages children to move in different ways, solve movement challenges, and build confidence through repetition and exploration.
Teaching Points - Assault course guidance
- Demonstrate each movement clearly before starting and use the supporting resources where needed.
- Practise key skills first, such as rebound jumps and tuck rolls.
- Prepare simple adaptations, e.g. children can bunny hop beside a bench if needed.
- Remind children that each course contains the same activities in a different order.
Lesson Content
Starter Activity - ‘Hills and ponds’
Set-Up: Spread out enough button cones (Hills) and hoops (Ponds), so there is one space for each child. For example, use 15 cones and 15 hoops for a class of 30.
How to play:
- Children move freely around the playing area, weaving in and out of the Hills and Ponds.
- Change the way children travel to warm up their bodies, for example:
- big steps
- tiptoes
- side steps
- jogging
- skipping
- When the music stops or a tambourine is shaken, children must quickly move to the nearest Hill or Pond.
- If they reach a Hill (cone), they perform a two-footed jump over it.
- If they reach a Pond (hoop), they jump in and out using two feet together.
- After completing the jump, children begin moving around the space again.
Extension:
- Add movement around the hill or pond before jumping
- Hop over or in
- Rebound over the hill to the right and back to the left and vice versa
- Rebound in the pond and out again right in, left out and vice versa
Look for: Two feet taking off and landing together. Soft, controlled landings with bent knees. Eyes looking ahead while moving around the space. Good balance before and after jumping. Awareness of others when travelling.
Activity 1 - Activity course
Overview: Each course should contain similar activities arranged in a different order. This keeps the activity engaging and encourages children to think and adapt as they move.
The focus should be on control, movement quality, and enjoyment rather than speed or winning. Friendly competition can be introduced later if appropriate.
Organisation Tips:
- For a class of 30, aim to set up at least 5 assault courses.
- Organise children into small groups with one group at each course.
- Children complete the course one at a time.
- Once the first child reaches a clear point in the course, the next child may begin.
- This helps keep children active and reduces waiting time.
- Rotate groups to a new course once everyone has completed a turn.
See example below ⬇️
How to Play:
- Line children up behind their assault course.
- Children travel through the course, completing each activity in order.
- Encourage controlled movement and safe use of equipment.
- When finished, children return to the back of their line.
- Continue until all children have completed their course at least once before rotating stations.
Easier: Simplify activities by reducing the number of obstacles. Allow children to walk through sections before increasing speed.
Harder: Add timing challenges while maintaining control and technique. Include more complex movements such as hopping, balancing, or turning.
Extension: Turn the activity into a friendly team race. The first team with all players finished and sitting quietly behind their cone wins.
Look for: Balance and body control during movements. Safe landings with bent knees. Coordination when changing direction or levels. Awareness of space and equipment. Confidence and perseverance when attempting challenges. Improvement through repetition.