The Bluearth Approach is built around six key elements, which are proven to help children move confidently and competently, and improve their physical, social, and emotional wellbeing.
Skill Activities is the second element in the Bluearth Approach, which as the name suggests, involves activities that develop a suite of skills in students which improves their overall physical performance when they’re moving well.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look into Skill Activities, so you can understand what they are and why they are important. So keep reading to learn all about Bluearth Key Element 2.
What are Skill Activities?
Activities that provide opportunities to develop skills that underpin more specific sport or physically demanding abilities.
The focus during these activities is for students to gain awareness and acceptance of their abilities and to develop along their own continuum.
These skills are then applied to a relevant game or cooperative activity where decision-making, teamwork, problem solving, and healthy competition is involved.
Bluearth’s skill activities fall under six categories:
- Exploration
- Ball Handling
- Passing
- Throwing
- Kicking
- Juggling
The Benefits of Skill Activities
Here is what each skill activity helps students develop:
Exploration
Exploration activities are designed to introduce lower and middle primary aged students to fun physical activity. The aim of these activities is for students to explore their abilities and what can be achieved with, and without, various pieces of equipment. Once an adequate level of familiarity and competency has been achieved, the students may attempt some of the more specific skill activities that follow.
Ball Handling
Ball handling activities develop students’ underlying ability to control and use balls. Touch, feel and awareness are developed by combining activities such as dribbling, catching and tapping with correct movement patterns.
Passing
Passing an object to and from a partner helps students to throw accurately to a stationary or moving person.
Throwing
Throwing activities develop student’s ability to propel an object from the hand using efficient and correct technique.
Kicking
In a similar vein to throwing, kicking activities develop students’ ability to propel an object from the foot to a stationary or moving person, with accuracy, using efficient and correct technique.
Juggling
Tossing balls through the air helps students improve their hand-eye coordination and is a specific extension of ball handling.