PE_Guidelines_english0

Strand units of the
gymnastics curriculum
• Movement
• Understanding and
appreciation of movement
Children prepare for a gymnastics lesson
Creative dance
When creating dance, the child
develops movements which express and
communicate ideas and feelings.
Children should have opportunities to
explore and develop an idea in
progressive stages, allowing time to
practise, discuss and refine their
movements. Creative dance encourages
children to acquire simple technical
and performing skills, focusing on the
expressive qualities of movement. The
emphasis should be on enjoyment and
developing positive attitudes to dance,
thus creating an environment where
children feel confident to experiment
with ideas and to perform the dances
which they create.
Gymnastics
The Gymnastics strand outlines the
movement activities for each class level
and indicates how movement can be
developed sequentially. The activities
outlined are designed to promote skilful
body management, an essential aspect
of the overall movement education of
the child. The focus is on body actions
such as jumping, turning, swinging and
balancing and with the control and
management of body movements in
increasingly challenging situations.
Movement tasks should provide all
children with opportunities for
achievement, with tasks set to match
their stages of development.
As the children gain in competence,
the teacher should apply appropriate
questioning to seek to increase the
child’s understanding of movement.
The gymnastics curriculum also
emphasises the importance of safety
when handling equipment.
Specific skills in gymnastics
The Gymnastics strand contains activities
which refer to the teaching of specific
skills. A specific skill is a set move which,
to be performed correctly, requires good
body line, for example a headstand or
handstand. Whereas all aspects of
gymnastics have to be planned with an
emphasis on the state of readiness of
the child, this applies particularly to the
teaching of specific skills. To be able to
perform these with a degree of success,
the child needs to be strong and supple
and be able to create tension
throughout the body. The teacher
should only teach these skills when the
child is proficient in the introductory
exercises. However, this does not mean
that skills are an end in themselves: they
are a basis from which purposeful and
creative gymnastics can develop.
Content strands
Physical Education Teacher Guidelines
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