Primary School Warm-ups
for Reception and Key Stages 1 & 2

A teaching manual by Val Sabin

Music arranged and performed by Jacob Grant, Darren Lee, Carolyn Robson

This compendium of warming-up activities is unique.

There are 5 sections, each containing a themed set of activities which cover the generally recognised sections of a warm up and can be used in a variety of combinations to suit the situation / age of the children.

The activities are designed to be used in Reception and Key Stages 1 and 2 across all six areas of activity in the Physical Education curriculum.

Section 1 contains jogging tasks and challenges and Section 2 general whole class activities promoting aerobic activity games These first two sections can be used as aerobic activity warm-ups to raise the core body temperature and get the blood flowing. Increased blood flow in the muscles improves muscle performance and flexibility and reduces the likelihood of injury. So this type of activity is an essential part of any warm-up.

If you feel you must give your children some stretching exercises – take care! An ever increasing number of research projects and surveys are beginning to suggest that whilst careful stretching prior to exercise generally does no harm, there are also no real benefits either! So, to lead us through the uncertainty of stretching and to ensure safe practice in Primary Schools, the "Alphabetashapes" in Section 3 have been created. These encourage children to assume the shapes of letters with their bodies without overstretching, whilst mobilising joints and activating large muscle groups in an engaging way.

Section 4 contains 70 different ways of using the twenty-two tracks of music on the accompanying CD. These activities are ideal for gymnastics and dance warm-ups and for any indoor activity. They utilise travelling in different ways and making different body shapes, and enable children to work as individuals; in pairs or in small groups to create their own warm-ups.

Section 5 takes us into more focused activities at a higher pace and therefore needs to be preceded by some aerobic activity to increase blood flow and improve muscle performance and flexibility. Some of these activities are game or activity specific (e.g. hockey, football, rugby etc). Some can be used to take a principle or idea into the games lesson (e.g. sprint dodge in "rats and rabbits") whilst others are variations of "tag" games. Tag games can be game or activity related and encourage the development of moving in different directions and at different speeds, various ways of dodging, stationary and mobile balance, and peripheral vision. These activities are clearly interlinked with all forms of games and athletics.