Sports: Theme Activities for the Classroom
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Brainstorm a list of all the different sports your students can name. Talk about whether each one is a team or individual sport. Which are played indoors versus outdoors? Which sports are played typically in the winter months and which in spring and summer? Which sports have your students played themselves? Which have they seen on television? Have they attended any professional or local middle or high school sporting events?
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Divide the class into teams of four for a relay race around the playground or nearby park. Create relay batons with the Relay Race worksheet. Before the race, lead your students in a series of stretching and warm-up exercises. On race day, reward all participants with quartered oranges and other healthy snacks.
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One of the hardest lessons for young children to learn is how to win and lose gracefully. Talk about how it feels to win and to lose and have students role-play good and bad sportsmanship behavior. Reward good sportsmanship on the playground and in the classroom by passing out "I'm a Good Sport" stickers or cards when you see examples of positive behavior.
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Play a sports-themed version of Simon says called "Curious George says." Make all of the actions sports-related and encourage your curious learners to practice good form while miming the various sport-related movements: Curious George says throw a baseball; shoot a basket; swim a lap; run in place; etc.
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Invite local high school athletes to visit your class and talk to your students about their passion for sports and the training involved in being a competitive athlete.
Print the Relay Race worksheet
Print "I'm A Good Sport" stickers