Games?

[gym4life123]

Does anybody have any good warm up or cool down games that they play with there recreational classes? I'm looking for something new to play with my gymnasts. My gymnasts are ages 5-9. Thanks.

 

[gymnastjess]

for warm ups go around the circle and get them each to say their favourite food, when everyone is done get them to hold their hands out and grab two handfulls of their favourite food and put it in the blender (grasp both hands together) and mix it all about (roll the wrists). To warm up their necks tell them to eat the food off their sholder, then the other sholder, then their stomach, then the roof, then tell them to wipe off the leftovers off of their shoulders and stomach and roof. for the straddle (warm up of the legs) get them to put their hands behind their back and go in a semi circle eating their favourite foods. These exercises are great because it teaches you more about the gymnast (their favourite food) and also makes it fun to warm up. As for games get them all to stand on the beam in a line and hold hands, give one of the end gymnasts a hoop and they have to get it to the other side without letting go, increase the difficulty with a hoop on each end (two hoops) and gradually add up more, it gets dificult because they need to remember what colours they started with in order to cross over and go the right way. Also get the gymnasts to stand up on the beam and you throw them a ball and they have to catch (try pretending to throw it to another person to trick them), if they fall they are out, it teaches them balance too which is why most games are good to be played on the beams, add in a clap before catching the ball etc. Good luck

 

[jasminekayla]

A couple games that our younger gymnasts play is stick it. Coach says something to do and the girls have to do it and who ever does it continues. Another one they love is who can last the longest. For example last week it was who could hang on the bar the longest or handstand walking contests.

 

[gymcoach26]

Bridge wars for flexibility... It's basically tag while being in a bridge. One person is it and the rest have to walk around in their bridge to avoid being tagged. For less advanced kids, it can be done in a crabwalk position.

Another bridge game is to have all the kids lay down really close together (they should be touching like sardines). Everyone pushes into bridge to make a tunnel and the first person crawls under then pushes back up at the other side, next person goes etc. until you reach the other side of the floor. To make it easier it can be done in a push up position with the person crawling under flat on their stomaches like an army crawl.

Beam warm ups we play simon says. If you do the wrong skill, go without simon "saying" or fall off you are out.

hula hooping or jump roping on low beam, throwing a ball back and forth between 2 people standing on beam.

For conditioning we have dice (made from foam blocks) that have various moves on them (push ups, v ups, hollow holds, wall sits etc) and another dice that has a number on it. Each kid gets a turn rolling the skill and number (can either be seconds, or repitions) and everyone has to do what is rolled.

 

[mumoftwogymnasts]

Everyone lies down on the floor under the beams, nominate a magic word eg cabbage, either the coach or a nominated gymnast starts to tell a story eg Last week my mum cooked the worst meal ever of corned beef and cabbage... when the word cabbage is said everyone has to jump up and stand on beam in releve... last one on is out and becomes the storyteller.

Handstand competitions, who can hold dish the longest, lie on back with legs in air and "write" the entire alphabet in the air with your feet

 

[cazoon]

This might be too hard for them, but we play a fun game called switch that has to do with handstands. You get them all to partner up and you make 2 circles, an inner one and an outer one. The girls stand facing their partners. The girls on the inside circle do a handstand and their partners on the outside circle catch them up in the handstand. Then, you call switch and the people on the outside cricle have to run and grab the person to the right of them. It gets really difficult for the people on the inside circle to stay in their handstands as the people on the outside are switching.