More often than not, we hear about students having issues playing games during recess and times of unstructured activity. In Soccer for instance, 'He didn't follow the rules' and 'She used her hands to pick up the ball' are some of the comments we sometimes hear as recess supervisors.
It wasn't until now that I've started to think why do these arguments occur at recess. There must be some reason for it. Many say 'Kids will be kids', and 'not everyone will play fairly', but what seems to be the reason (I think) is simple - a lack of ability in fundamental skills.
Why do students use their hands in soccer? Often, it's a result of not having the ability to trap the ball with their feet. I've seen this over the past few days teaching our students kicking and trapping skills. The students we've seen having difficulty on the field at recess have usually been the same students struggling to effectively trap the ball or kick for accuracy. Simple drills of dribbling to control the ball and stopping on a whistle, or music, cue have highlighted the challenges that some have.
I've learned that the relationship between the students struggling in Phys Ed are sometimes the same students encountering roadblocks in other aspects of their life at school. This illustrates the importance of Physical Literacy and how fundamental movement skills are so important in a child's development. My focus has really changed over the past while to incorporating fundamental movement skills into as many aspect of our PE program.
Ask your child if they can hop, gallop, skip, catch or throw. Better yet, show them how or ask them to show you!
Thanks for reading!
-CFM
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