NON-COMPETITIVE MOTOR ACTIVITIES:
A Guide for Elementary Classroom Teachers

by ROBERT GAMBLE and JULIA WILKINS
1st ed., April 1996, 213 pages, $19.95
ISBN 978-0-89641-291-0 

After teaching for many years at the elementary level, Dr. Gamble came to realize that physical activity was severely lacking in the average school day. He felt that a solution was to incorporate some motor activity into his own classroom routine. After searching for books of ideas or activities to use within the classroom, he found that there was a shortage of literature and materials in this area. Although books were available, most of them were dated, competitive in nature, and seemed to be geared toward learning in specific content areas. There was nothing that just provided motor activities that could be used by the classroom teacher at any stage of the day, with little preparation.

Non-Competitive Motor Activities was written to fill this gap in the market place. It is intended for elementary teachers of all grades, to be used at any point when it is felt that a break from academics and some physical activity would be beneficial to the learning process. This book is also appropriate for after-school programs, day care centers, play groups and summer programs. This book is also every camp director’s dream for those “rainy days” when activities are confined to the recreation hall. The book is divided into six sections containing over 200 examples of motor activities, accompanied by easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions. All activities emphasize participation, cooperation, development of small and large motor skills, while also improving self-esteem. The activities vary from individual exercises requiring minimal space to group games necessitating a large area such as a gymnasium or outdoor play site. All the activities have been field tested over a number of years.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1: BALL GAMES

Chapter 2: RUNNING, CHASING AND TAGGING GAMES

Chapter 3: OBSTACLE COURSES AND BALANCING EXERCISES

Chapter 4: DIRECTED MOVEMENT ACTIVITIES

Chapter 5: BODY MOVEMENT GAMES

Chapter 6: STRETCHING AND EXERCISING WORK-OUTS

INDEX

About the Authors

Robert Gamble is a professor of Education at D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York. He has a master’s degree and Ph.D. in early childhood and elementary education and has been published widely in these fields.

Julie Wilkins has a master’s degree in social policy and wrote her thesis on education in women’s prisons. She has been published widely in this area. She has taught at all grade levels from kindergarten through twelfth grade and also has years of experience teaching a broad, particularly in England.