Manipulative Skills Activities with balloons and balls Emphasize

Manipulative Skills • Activities with balloons and balls • Emphasize hand-eye coordination • Success for less skilled learners • Balloons and beach balls are larger, move slower, and are more predictable • Instructional cues • Catch and control with fingertips • Keep your eyes on the object • Move body into the path of the object • Reach, catch, and move the object to the body Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with beanbags • All parts of the body can be used • Beanbags lead to catching with the hands • Used with older youngsters with more challenging activities • Instructional cues • Stress a soft receipt of the beanbag by giving with the hands, arms, and legs • Keep eyes on the beanbag when catching • When tossing and catching, toss slightly above eye level Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with balls • Handling balls without other equipment • Hand-eye skills – throwing, catching, bouncing, and dribbling • Foot-eye skills – kicking, trapping, and dribbling • Instructional cues • Keep your eyes on the ball • Catch and dribble the ball with the pads of the fingers • Use opposition and weight transfer when Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Juggling • Novel task that is exciting • Challenging and demands practice • Begin with scarves and move to balls • Allow children to move at their own pace and provide plenty of practice time • Examples: • Cascading • Reverse cascading • Column • showering Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with scoops and balls • Scoops can be purchased or made • Excellent for practicing catching and tossing skills • Examples: • Individual activities • Partner activities • Games and relays Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Bowling activities • Younger children practice informal rolling • Bowling skills begin with two-handed rolling and progress to one-handed rolls • Activities: • Begin with two hand roll between legs • Roll the ball first with right and then with the left hand • Practice putting different kinds of spin on the ball Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with paddles and balls • Precursor to racquet sports • Informal exploratory play • Different types of objects can be used • Instructional cues • Hold the wrist reasonably stiff • Use a smooth arm action • Stroke through the ball and follow through • Watch the ball strike the paddle Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with Frisbees • Popular with children • Younger children need considerable guidance • Instructional cues • Release the disk parallel to the ground • Step toward the target • Follow through on release of the disk • Snap open the wrist and make the Frisbee spin Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with wands • Can be bought or made • Rubber crutch tips may decrease noise • One meter (length) wands are recommended • Instructional procedures • Limit noise • Girls may perform better than boys because of flexibility • Make sure students have self-space • Wands are not used as fencing foils Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with hoops • Standard hoop is 42 inches in diameter • Smaller hoops are desirable (36 inches) for primary-grade children • Instructional procedures • Have students lay hoops down during instruction (noise) • Allow free exploration • Provide self-space • Hoops can sever as a “home” for activity • Hoops are good targets Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Activities with jump ropes • Excellent form of conditioning all parts of the body • Increased popularity (Jump Rope for Heart) • Jump rope possibilities • Rope forming a straight line • Rope forming a circle • Rope forming various figures • Partner activity • Group activity • Long-rope jumping Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Footbag activities • Leather stitched bags 2 inches in diameter • Object is to keep bag in the air • Types of kicks • Inside • Outside • Back • Types of play • Individual • Partner • Group Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon

Manipulative Skills • Rhythmic gymnastics • Became popular in the 1970 s • Activities are broad in scope • Excellent unit for developing group routines • Types of skills • Ball skills • Rope routines • Hoop movements • Ribbon movements Copyright 2001 by Allyn and Bacon