Fun and simple warm up ideas for movement based lessons to get minds thinking and bodies moving…

Let’s Warm Up!All your questions answered…

How can I relate movement to the curriculum?

I where do I start?

I am not confident in dance how can I lead a warm up?

What movements can I use?

Which music is best to use?

How do I plan a warm up?

Written by Katie Vernon-Smith, with thanks to Stephen Mason, Alison Swann, Kit Smith and Kath Duhigg

WHY WARM UP?Warms ups are very important part of the lesson and can be changed and developed according to your lesson and topic. There are several different ways of warming up which canbe varied each week to improve children’s movement vocabulary, fitness and motor skills.

Reasons to warm up: Focuses the children for a physical lesson which can help with behaviour management Physically warms up the children which prepares muscles and can help prevent injuries Ideas for topics can be filtered into the session which the children can use later on in their

creative work A consistent start to the lesson each week

Parallel positionThis is often a good solid starting position for children to stand in to begin some warm ups. It helps with alignment and focuses their attention where you would like it to be.

CONTENTSWarm up exercise Why use this one?

1. The Flock oUses the main muscles groupsoUse of countsoIntroducing different body parts

2. Countdowns o Uses the arm and leg muscleso Learn to keep regular counts with movemento Builds up stamina

3. Levels o Works the children’s stamina o Introduces levels

4. Pathways and Directions o Requires a high level of concentration & coordination o Increases spatial awareness

5. Travelling o Introducing travelling ideaso Working as a team

6. Call and Response o Good for concentration and listening skills o Using different levels, size and body parts

7. Ripple Runs o Developing ideas of travelling o Working together as a team o Building stamina

8. Magnets and Springs o To learn about the forces between magnets o Working together in par work

9. Music and other resources o Different ideas for music and how to use it o Useful vocabulary

1. THE FLOCK Ask the group to spread out in the space so no-one is touching anyone else or anything around

the edge of the room Put the music on (if required) and ask the children to start walking around the space Call out numbers and the children follow the actions that correlate to these numbers

Numbers and their actions 1 - rolling down for 8 counts and rolling up for 8 counts 2 - swing the arms in front and behind, bending the knees and keeping the feet in parallel 3 - stand with feet wide apart and reach out the arms side to side 4 - twitch! Any fidgeting movements as fast as possible Use 8 counts for each action and change the order through out the exercise

How does this help us warm up? These movements stretch muscles in the back, arms and legs It is a good way of the children using simple counts with movement It helps children become aware of different body parts which can be used when creating

dances later in the session

2. COUNT DOWNSVersion 1 Ask the children to find a space in the room and spread out Standing in parallel, shoulders relaxed shake out the hands with straight arms above the

head for 8 counts Shake the hands and arms out in front at shoulder level for 8 counts Shake the hands and arms out to the floor for 8 counts Shake the hands and arms out to the sides at shoulder level for 8 counts Repeat this whole exercise with counts of four, 2 and then counts of 1 performing the

exercise twice on this count

Version 2 Repeat the exercise, bending the knees in parallel in time with the music

How does this help us warm up? This is a good way of warming up the muscles in the arms and also the legs in version two This exercise also helps with keeping regular counts with movement This is good to build up stamina

3. LEVELS Ask the children to spread out in the space not touching each other Slowly mark through the movement first by taking a small step to the right Step the left foot over the right foot, then step the right foot out to the side The arms stay by the sides until the last step where the right arm reaches to the right side Repeat on the other side by stepping on the left foot, cross the right foot over the left foot

and stepping again on your left foot reaching the left arm to the left side Repeat the exercise by reaching out the arms to the sides at different levels

High Medium Low

This can be sped up or slowed down depending on the ability of the children You can also try and catch the children out as they try to guess which level you will try and

reach for!

How does this help us warm up? This works on the children’s stamina and pumps blood around their bodies preparing their

muscles for movement This is a good way of introducing the children to ‘levels’ which they can use their dances later

on in the session

4. PATHWAYS AND DIRECTIONSThe class face the front starting in parallel position and copy the teacher working in unison (alltogether) focusing on directions and pathways. You can lead by:

Directions Travelling 4 x steps forwards Travelling 4 x steps backwards Travelling 4 x steps to each side Focusing on quarter, half and full turns around the room (or 90, 180, 360 degrees)

Pathways Walking, hopping, skipping, sliding in different pathways:

circle, zigzag, square, diagonal…

How does this help us warm up? This requires a high level of concentration from the children who have to be alert throughout

the exercise. A great warm up to get their attention. To increase children’s spatial awareness and movements that can be used in creative tasks.

5. TRAVELLINGTravelling Is a great way to introduce linking movements together which can form a basic dance. These travelling ideas can be developed to suit your topic and class.

Working in lines across the room trying to stay in a line in unison: 4 runs, two jumps (in parallel), 4 runs, two jumps 4 runs, 2 jumps, 4 runs, half turn, half turn 4 runs in a circle, jump forward, jump backwards, run forward You can add in different travelling movements such as :

hopping skipping leaping sliding jumping

How does this help us warm up? This is a fun way of getting children travelling across the space using different ways of travelling A good way to get children to work with each other as a ‘team’

6. CALL AND RESPONSE - GAMESCall and ResponseThis is a good game is your want to let the children start exploring their ownmovement skills which they can use later on when developing their own dances. Like the warm up earlier in The Flock you call out a word and the children respond to it. Thisexample is taken from the topic of Bangladesh:

Island (small isolated shapes) Mainland (wide and flat shape on their own) Borders (children have to link up with 3 other children and create a border which can

be straight, curved, wiggly…)

How does this help us warm up? Good for concentration and listening skills Using different levels, size and body parts

7. RIPPLE RUNS

In lines of 4 or 5, the back person comes to the front of the line travelling anyway they like down the left hand side of the line and stands in front of the person at the front of the line

As soon they are at the front (and not before!) the next person at the back of the line travels to the front

This continues until the whole group are at the other end of the room This can be developed by the children linking body parts to each other when they reach the

front of the line and by using different levels

How does this help us warm up? This is a fun way of getting children travelling across the space using different ways of travelling A good way to get children to work with each other as a ‘team’ This can also be turned in a race which is good for building stamina

8. MAGNETS AND SPRINGS

This warm up game relates directly to the topic magnets and springs focusing on the forces between magnets – push and pull and attract and repel. The children have to be in pairs labelled A and B. When the teacher calls out repel

the children have to run as far away from their partner as possible against the walls of the space.

When the teacher calls out attract the children connect a different body part to each other. E.g. elbow to knee, head to hip

By encouraging children to use different body parts in the warm up and games, will allow the children’s movement vocabulary to develop which they can use when creating their own dances later on in exploration and improvisation.

How does this help us warm up? To learn about the forces between magnets from the magnets and springs unit of

work Learning to work together in pairs

MUSIC Music can be an important and useful tool in the warm up and can help create

different atmospheres (energetic, calm, creative…) depending on what you would like to achieve.

It is a good when planning your warm up and games to decide what music you are going to use and plan it with your session. This saves time when you are teaching the warm up to know the track you are going to use and also if you are using counts you can be clear of them so not to confuse the children.

Often music can be played in the background to give the children ideas but not necessarily used to create a dance to.

Music should be used for a reason and not just played for the sake of it. The music should relate to the session (in counts, theme, creatively) and this will make the lesson more productive and allow the children to make links with sound and movement.

Music for Dance Chillout compilation albums Film soundtracks World music

USEFUL VOCABULARY

Levelshigh

mediumlow

Directionsforward backward

sideways

Movementsjump turn

slide travelhop skip

gesture stretchtwist bendleap gallop

spin still

With otherscopying/mirroringleading/following

unison (performing the same movements at the same time)

canon (performing 1 after the other or at different times)1 moving/1 still

Body Shapebig small

straight curved Body Partshead neck

shoulder elbowsarms wristshands fingerstorso backhips legs

Pathways zigzagcurvedspiral

Forcestronggentle

Speedfast

mediumslow

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Body Shapesmall big

straight curved

Body partshead neck

shoulders elbowsarms wristshands fingerstorso back

hips legsknees feetankles toes

Pathwayszigzagcurvedspiral

Movements jump stretchturn twistslide bendtravel leap

hop gallopskip spingesture still

balance

Directionsforwards backwards sideways

Levels high medium low

Speedfast

mediumslow