Incorporating Sports Bean Bags Into Gym Classes

Sports bean bags can provide an array of benefits for young elementary school students. They can be used to help develop coordination, and they can also be incorporated into activities to reinforce colors and shapes while helping children get playful exercise. Here are some of the many ways you can use sports gym bags in your elementary school's gym class.

Hot Potato

Hot potato is a fun childhood game, but it also helps reinforce hand-eye coordination. Seat children closely together in a circle, and have them practice passing the bean bags around in the circle. As they become used to this at a slow speed, encourage them to speed up as they anticipate you calling out "Hot potato!" The person who is left holding the bag can then take a turn as the person who calls out "Hot potato!" for the next round. Challenge older children by having two or more bean bags going around at the same time.

Relay Races

You can use sports bean bags for relay races as a way to practice teamwork skills. Choose one color of bean bag for each team, and choose a short distance for each leg of the race. Station one team member at a passing point along the race path, and encourage the children to pass the bean bag to the next person in line during the race. At the end of the race, there should be one child from each team holding a sports bean bag.

Balancing Acts

Sometimes, coordination means being still. You can help children improve their balance and concentration by challenging them to balance bean bags on their arms, hands, and head. Start by having each child balance one bean bag on the back of a hand, and increase the difficulty by moving up to two hands. You can even challenge them to balance as many bean bags as they can without letting one fall. Turn this into a contest by seeing who can balance the most bean bags or balance them for the longest amount of time.

Tossing Buckets

This activity is a playful take on the classic carnival game. Arrange a series of buckets in a row, and have your students try to toss a bean bag into each one. The further away the bucket is, the more of a challenge it will be. For younger children, use large buckets grouped closely together. Older children can be challenged by smaller buckets set farther apart.

Come up with other fun and unique ways to use sports bean bags in your gym classes, and give students challenges they can enjoy overcoming. For more information, talk to a company like Nusilla Inc.