Movement Madness: Keeping Kids Off the Walls!

by Rae Pica

Many teachers and caregivers hesitate to make movement part of their programs, because when they think of children and movement at the same time, they immediately form a mental image of children “bouncing off the walls.” This is certainly a realistic concern. Movement activities can generate a lot of energy, and unless the instructor has some idea of what to expect and how to deal with all that potential energy, the “walls” will certainly see much action.

Managing movement activities with children must be handled with special care. The good news is that common sense plays a big role in keeping the kids from bouncing off the walls and driving you crazy. For example, beginning at the beginning – wherever the children are developmentally – and building from there in a logical progression will ensure that the children are challenged yet not overwhelmed, as will using a success-oriented, problem-solving approach whenever possible (for example: “Show me how crooked you can be,” a challenge that lends itself to many possible “correct” responses). If children are challenged, they won’t be bored; if they’re not overwhelmed, they won’t be frustrated. Boredom and frustration often result in children – of any age – acting out. A child who is experiencing success is far less likely to want to wreak havoc on the class.

Another common-sense guideline is planning movement activities when children are well rested and not overstimulated from another activity.

Still, you have to establish guidelines and practice them just as you would other skills. You also have to enforce them consistently. Setting the stage for expected behavior is a better practice and is less stressful than waiting until children misbehave and then chastising them (Miller, 2006).

Determine what rules you consider most important for your young children, and because they’re young, keep the rules to a minimum. Most rules for young children are related to safety. With that in mind, you have to determine what guidelines are needed to keep the children safe (e.g., no participating on wood floors in stocking feet; no gum allowed). Beyond that, however, you want to implement guidelines that create the greatest potential for success and the least amount of frustration for the children and you.

Guidelines

One essential protocol is We will respect one another’s personal space. At first, this may be difficult to enforce because young children generally enjoy bumping into each other! So it’s your challenge to make sure the children want to avoid colliding or interfering with one another. Start by exploring the concept of personal space while the children are stationary (for example, bending and stretching while standing inside a hoop). Then, when the children are moving, use the image of each child being inside a giant bubble. They should stay far enough away from one another to avoid bursting anyone’s bubble.

Of course, children being children, they just may enjoy bursting one another’s bubbles. Should that be the case, use the image of dolphins swimming. Children who have seen these creatures in action, whether at an aquarium or on television, will be able to relate to the fact that dolphins swim side by side but never get close enough to touch one another. The goal, then, is for children to behave similarly. (Showing pictures of dolphins swimming together could be helpful.)

A second essential protocol is We will participate with as little noise as possible. Naturally, you can’t expect silence. But you shouldn’t have to raise your voice or shout to have your challenges, directions, and follow-up questions heard. One way to avoid this is to establish an auditory or visual signal indicating it’s time to stop, look, and listen: Stop, look at me, and listen for what comes next. Choose a signal the students have to watch for (two fingers held in the air or the time-out sign from sports) or something they must listen for (a hand clap, a strike on a triangle, or two taps on a drum) and make it their secret code. Love ones love such things!

With some children, either possibility works well. With more challenging groups of children, you’ll probably find an audible signal more effective than a visual one. After all, children can avoid looking if they want to but they can’t avoid hearing. If you choose an audible signal, however, be aware that your voice isn’t the best choice because the children hear it so often. Also, your signal should be a quiet one that can’t be heard above a lot of noise, which rules out a whistle.

Whatever your signal, it is reasonable to expect the children to stop, look, and listen within four seconds of seeing or hearing it. And you should have to give the signal only once (Graham, 2001). This, however, will take practice – sometimes considerable practice.

Young children are generally willing to follow rules as long as they know what’s expected of them, there aren’t a lot of rules, and the rules have some significance for them. With that in mind, you shouldn’t simply tell the children what the rules are; you should tell them why they’re necessary.

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References:

Graham, G. 2001. Teaching children physical education (2nd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.

Miller, D. 2000. Positive child guidance. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar Learning.