SMILES
Safe
Safe Physical Environment
- The playing area is clean and clear of obstructions and trip hazards
- There is adequate runoff area around the playing areas
- Children recognise a safe environment free from hazards and appropriate for the activity taking place
- Personal belongings are kept safe
- Playing area is large enough for the activity, with clear boundaries that children can point out
- Direction of play, especially for striking games, is far away from other participants
- Equipment is stored safely away from the playing area
Safe Emotional Environment
- Children recognise a safe and supportive emotional environment
- All children, regardless of gender and socio-economic and cultural background, feel safe to participate and contribute
- Ground rules – agreed (ideally created) by the children to ensure a sense of belonging
- Children feel comfortable and confident in offering ideas and opinions to ensure progress
Encourage the children to:
- Help set the ground rules and make sure they and others stick to them
- Explain how the ground rules help to keep the activities safe and fun
- Take responsibility for checking that they are ready to play safely – shoe laces tied, jewellery removed
- Help get the equipment out, and when it’s not being used, keep it safe and clear of the playing area
- Put equipment away safely at the end of the session
- Identify possible safety issues and suggest solutions
- Report any broken or damaged equipment
- Respect each other’s contributions and offer support and encouragement
- Help check that the playing area is clean and clear
- Value difference and celebrate everyone’s success
Maximum Participation
- Get everything ready for play before the children arrive
- Keep explanations really short – let’s get playing
- Start with gradual warm-up, preparing minds and bodies for a fun, active session
- Use the pictures on the cards to show the children what they are going to be doing – a picture says a thousand words
- Interrupt only when necessary
- Watch each individual – is someone feeling left out? How can you help them join in and be successful?
- Be prepared to adjust the pace of the activity if the children are over-exerting themselves
- Break larger groups down into smaller groups so that everyone has the chance to be active all of the time
- If children need to wait for their turn – what can they do in the queue? For example, set a pathway or obstacle course that will take them time to travel to get back to the beginning of the game, or set up a challenge or activity that they can do whilst they are waiting – targets; balancing; shapes; throw and catch with a partner
- Participation means thinking as well as playing – ask the children for their ideas to develop the game; maybe they can help one another to be successful
Encourage the children to:
- Get ready to play straight away – listen and look as you explain the activity (in as few words as possible)
- Create their own ‘do in the queue’ activities, if there is no alternative to them having to wait for a turn
- Stick to the ground rules so that there is minimum disruption to the games and activities
- Solve problems and make decisions for themselves – so that they can keep playing without having to wait for help
- Talk about the changes in their bodies as they get active – feeling hot and breathing a lot
- Think about the way they feel after being active and playing; they might recognise that they feel energised, happier, calmer, successful, a sense of achievement – as well as being tired
- Recognise and talk about their improving stamina and endurance
Involved
- Make sessions child-centred – children are individuals, with names – use them
- Talk to the children about what they are doing, and listen to what they are saying
- Encourage the children to relate to one another, as well as to you
- Ask questions and don’t always provide the answers – children love finding solutions with their own ideas
- Give children choices – which ball, which space, which partner, which activity?
- Conversation coaching – encourage children to talk about:
- What they are doing
- What they can do
- What they might try to do differently
- How they are performing
- What targets they have set for themselves
- What they plan to do next to improve
- Children are individuals, each with their own ability, goals, rate of progress, likes and dislikes, and self-belief
- Ask the children for their ideas for making an activity easier, harder or safer, or ways in which the rules may be changed to involve everyone
- Celebrate their achievements as individuals
- Encourage children to take on different roles and responsibilities – co-operate and support one another; keep score, apply rules, set up and clear away
- Even very young children will be able to reflect on the session – the things that made it fun, what they did well, what they need to practice and what they would like to do next time – be prepared for some honest feedback!
Encourage the children to:
- Choose:
- Who they want to play with
- What they want to play
- What equipment will help them to be successful
- Make decisions about ways to change the activity to make it easier/harder, to include everyone or to help them progress
- Participate at a level that’s right for them to find solutions to problems and to try out their own ideas
- Progress at a pace that is right for them as individuals
- Talk about what they are learning
- Contribute to the review of the session
Learning Takes Place
- Find out what each child can do
- Talk to the children about what they can do and what they want to do – encouraging them to assess their ability and set targets to improve
- Stand back and observe – what might they need to do differently?
- Use STEPS – gradually introduce changes to help the child to be successful and to progress
- Ask them about the changes they would like to make and why
- Plan activities that help children to apply their skills and knowledge from:
- Playing on their own
- Working with a partner or in a small group
- Increasing the intensity of the activity; changing the space, targets or time; changing the equipment; changing the size of the targets or the size of the obstacle – just think STEPS
- Learning by solving problems
- Give children feedback on progress – and ask them for their feedback too
- Encourage children to talk about what they have learned
- Set up ‘opposite groups’ of able and less able children who can help each other to learn
- Think about the broader learning that is taking place:
- Communication and co-operation
- Fair play and friendships
- Planning, progression and problem solving
- Healthy bodies, health minds
- Success, self-esteem and self-confidence
- Respect for each other and respect for the rules
Encourage children to:
- Progress at a pace and a level that are right for them
- Set their own challenge – as long as it is achievable – and celebrate success when they achieve it
- Analyse for themselves the things that make them successful. What did you do differently that time that helped you to succeed?
- Talk about what they are doing to help them to analyse what they need to do differently – ask them questions – they will give you the answers
- Talk about how they feel about what they are doing; Physical Literacy is about confidence, motivation, knowledge and understanding as well as skill – ask them the questions that help them to analyse these things
- Make mistakes and learn from them, without fear of criticism or blame
- Recognise what they can and can’t do, and be honest in your praise and feedback – it’s important that they build ‘inner belief’, but encouragement is like gold dust, sprinkled in the right place at the right time
Enjoyment
- Children will:
- Be eager to participate, full of energy, smiling and chatting
- Want to keep on playing, even when it’s time to stop
- Be willing to try new challenges and willing to make mistakes, knowing that they are in a safe learning environment
- Be able to tell organisers and each other what made the session fun and enjoyable
- Take their cue from you – if you are smiling, energetic, enthusiastic and putting them at the centre, they will respond in a similar way
- Be engaged in and talk about what they are doing
- Behave in a positive and focussed manner
- Be willing to share and co-operate with others, helping other children to succeed
- Have the determination to keep going
Encourage the children to:
- Choose who they want to play with – physical activity sessions provide an opportunity for children to play with their friends and to socialise
- Set targets that they can achieve, with a little effort
- Make their own decisions about adapting the activity if they are struggling, or making it more challenging if they find it too easy
- Decide what they would like to do and then encourage them to progress and develop the game when they are ready – children like the familiarity of games and activities they have already played
- Tell you what they enjoyed about the session and what made it fun – then bottle it and do the same next time
- Be creative – listen to their ideas about different ways to play
Success
Children will achieve success if:
- Activities are aimed at the right level for each and every child – they are unique!
- Activities are adapted so that all children ‘can do it’ – but this might look different for every child
- Organisers recognise and comment on achievement – however small
- They:
- Are encouraged to set their own (challenging) targets and persevere until they succeed
- Believe for themselves that they ‘can do it’ – the intrinsic belief and motivation that comes from within, rather than from external praise and feedback
- Are encouraged to reflect on the progress they are making and to celebrate their achievements, honestly and fairly
- Feel safe and are willing to learn from mistakes without any fear of blame or criticism
- Are encouraged to work with others in different groups so they they co-operate to solve problems and find solutions
- Success breeds success – children’s aspirations will be raised by experiencing success
Encourage the children to:
- Adapt the activity for themselves – nearer to, further away from, on their own, with a partner, bigger target, smaller target, different equipment, faster, slower…
- Be creative and try out different ways of doing things to learn what works and what doesn’t
- Recognise and talk about progress they are making
- Apply their new skills in lots of different ways – same skill, different challenge
- Play in different groupings:
- Pairs or groups
- Children with similar needs
- Interests and abilities
- Mixed pairs or groups
- Opposite pairs or groups where talented children work with those whose skills are developing – children love to learn from other children
- Talk about the things they do well and how they achieved success – they can then apply their learning to the next challenge