There’s no doubt that covid-19 is going to be around for the next year, if not longer. And many parents are worried about social distancing in school. Classrooms can be made secure, but PE and sports are a bigger challenge.
Anyone who has watched a primary school football match will know that young children will swarm onto a ball. This close contact can be the perfect place for the spread of illnesses. So, how can children be given sports that are more aligned to social distancing, have fun and learn important skills? Here are some suggestions.
A classic example is to have zonal sports. This is where a sports pitch is split into several zones and children are picked to stay in one zone. This zone is theirs and no other player is allowed to enter it. The children can then pass the ball between zones of players in their own teams.
The idea here is that there is no contact but it also teaches important sports skills. The importance of the pass, teamwork, looking up at where people are. Those defending are also taught about interceptions and predicting what the player is going to do. These skills aren’t often mastered at a young age, but this style of game can be an excellent opportunity to do so.
Cricket can be adapted where the bowling team are placed into zones around the field and the batter has to run between two posts that don’t go near the bowler or another fielder. Instead of the stumps being hit by anyone, only the bowler can hit the stumps by throwing the ball towards the stump.
To add fairness to the game, the bowler can throw the bowl at any time, so the batter must learn when he should run and when not to.
Running and other races can’t be major, mass events. Instead smaller groups are likely to be the main play. However that doesn’t mean whole groups can’t compete. Instead, groups of students could have time trials where their times are recorded and others have to beat those times. A league table could be setup to enact more competition.
In addition, time trials teach children about recording time and being patient as they wait underneath a school canopy.
Conclusion
Sports in schools for the time being might have to adjust to the new normal of society. However, that doesn’t mean children can’t have fun while exercising. Use the examples above to create new PE lessons for your school and share some of your ideas in the comments below.
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