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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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Warm-Up Activities


Warm up Abstract #1: The Warm-Up Box

Objective: To improve cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and muscle strength.

Rationale: To add more variety to warm-up routines.

Equipment: milk crates, several pieces of equipment as described below.

Description: Secure 30-35 milk cartons (depending on the size of your class, one for each student). In each milk carton place the following pieces of equipment: large nerf-type ball, medicine ball, 5 poly spots, rope, velcro weights, elastic band. During the five or ten minute warm-up routine, ask the students to get their box as they come into the gym and place it at their spot. Perform different exercises with each piece of equipment. Ball exercises; rope - jump rope routine; medicine ball - throw back and forth to a partner; poly spot - hop back and forth from one poly spot to another, velcro weights - attach to ankle and do straight leg lifts, one leg at a time; elastic band - perform a series of routines such as biceps curls or triceps extension.

Adaptations

Physical: Children in wheelchairs can perform these activities from their chair. When doing the jump rope routine, the child in the wheelchair should hold one end of a jump rope while the other end is attached to a fixed object. The child should vigorously turn the jump rope with both hands. When doing the poly spot exercise, the child in the wheelchair should push their chair to each spot as quickly as possibly moving backwards, forwards and sideways. When using the velcro weights, have the child use their arms for any exercises that require the legs.

Cognitive: Make sure the child understands each routine. Use picture cards for each activity. Allow the child to take these cards home and practice them with their parents or siblings. When doing the poly spot exercise, allow child to jump on two feet if they are not able to hop. If the child is not strong enough to catch a medicine ball from another student, have the ball rolled to him or her.


Warm up Abstract #2: Out of Sight

Objective: To improve flexibility

Rationale: Blindfolding students will reduce distractions during the warm-up and will allow some students to focus on the activity.

Equipment: none

Description: Perform several different flexibility exercises while students wear a blindfold. It is important for the teacher to provide explicit instructions concerning each flexibility routine. Make sure each stretch lasts 15-30 seconds.

Adaptations

Physical: Students in wheelchairs can perform most flexibility exercises from their wheelchair. When working on the legs, place a chair in front of the student so that they can lift their leg onto the chair in front of them.

Cognitive: Does not have to wear a "sleeper" if they are unable to comprehend movements.


Warm up Abstract #3: Aerobic Cards

Objective: To improve muscular strength and endurance and cardiovascular endurance

Equipment: one basket or carton, and 10 to 15 large activity cards (to be made by the physical education teacher).

Description: Students will stand in a circle at arms length from each other. There will be a basket of activity cards in the center of the circle. The cards will be large and have a picture of a certain exercise with a one word description of what the exercise is (in order to assist students with intellectual disabilities). The instructions will be kept simple. Music will be played in 20-second intervals for 10 minutes. Twenty-five to 30 students should have time to perform one exercise. All the students will march around the circle whenever the music stops in order to keep the heart rate slightly elevated and to keep the students from being distracted. One student will start in the middle of the circle and will select an activity card and lead the activity designated on that card while the music is playing. When the music stops, the students will stop the activity and another student will enter the middle of the circle and choose a different activity card.

Card Examples:

  • Ladders - students will simulate climbing a ladder
  • High Knee Marches - lift legs high while walking around the circle
  • Rise on Toes - Come up on toes and hold for a few seconds and then put heel back on floor
  • Wild Card - Student gets to choose their own activity
  • Jog - Students jog/wheel into and out of the circle

Adaptations

Physical - The child in the wheelchair will have his or her own set of activity cards that relate to exercises that will improve strength or cardiovascular endurance of upper body muscles such as pushing up from the wheelchair.


Warm up Abstract #4 - Hug Tag

Objective: To improve cardiovascular endurance

Equipment: one nerf ball, 1 wiffleball bat, and 1 detachable flag for each child in a wheelchair, and 1 cloth strip for every two children who are not in wheelchairs.

Description: Hug Tag is useful as a 5-minute warm up routine. Children who do not have a disability are tied together at one thigh (small elastic bands work very well at keeping the legs together). The object of the activity is to avoid being tagged by the three-legged tagger who has been designated as "It." Once a pair is tagged, the new taggers are "It" and the previous taggers try to get away from the new taggers.

Adaptations

Physical and Cognitive - The child in the wheelchair and any child with a low functioning cognitive disability such as Down syndrome are not tied together. Instead, they are given a ball which they can use to try to "tag" a pair by throwing the ball at them when they become the taggers. In order for the child in the wheelchair to become the tagger, the children who are the taggers must grab the detachable flag on the back of the chair. The child in the wheelchair can try to protect the flag by turning the wheelchair around when approached by the tagger. The taggers must secure the flag in 10 seconds and if unsuccessful, they must try to tag another pair.


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