Are you in Canada? Click here to proceed to the HK Canada website.

For all other locations, click here to continue to the HK US website.

Human Kinetics Logo

Purchase Courses or Access Digital Products

If you are looking to purchase online videos, online courses or to access previously purchased digital products please press continue.

Mare Nostrum Logo

Purchase Print Products or Ebooks

Human Kinetics print books and Ebooks are now distributed by Mare Nostrum, throughout the UK, Europe, Africa and Middle East, delivered to you from their warehouse. Please visit our new UK website to purchase Human Kinetics printed or eBooks.

Feedback Icon Feedback Get $15 Off
Skip to content
  • Call Us

    800.747.4457

  • Hours

    Mon-Fri 7am - 5pm CST

  • Contact Us

    Get in touch with our team

  • FAQs

    Frequently asked questions

Human Kinetics
Search Log in Cart
Menu
  • Browse By Subject
    • Browse By Subject
    • A-F
      • Active Aging
      • Anatomy
      • Aquatics
      • Athletic Training and Therapy
      • Biomechanics
      • Coaching and Officiating
      • Dance
      • Fitness and Health
    • G-P
      • Health Care in Exercise and Sport
      • Health Education
      • Kinesiology/Exercise and Sport Science
      • Motor Behavior
      • Nutrition and Healthy Eating
      • Physical Education
      • Physical Therapy/Physiotherapy
      • Physiology of Sport and Exercise
      • Psychology of Sport and Exercise
    • Q-Z
      • Recreation and Leisure
      • Sport Management and Sport Business
      • Sports and Activities
      • Strength Training and Conditioning
      • Stretching, Flexibility, and Recovery
  • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12 / Higher Education
    • K-12
      • State Adoptions
      • Find a K-12 Sales Rep
      • K-12 Review/Desk Copy Request
    • Higher Education
      • Adopting a Textbook
      • Find a Higher Education Sales Rep
      • Higher Education Review/Desk Copy Request
      • Custom Textbooks
      • Instructor Ancillaries
  • Professional Education
    • Professional Education
    • Continuing Education Center
    • PE Central Professional Development
    • Teacher Professional Development
    • Coach Education
  • Student Resources
    • Student Resources
    • Accessing Online Materials
    • Browse HKPropel Access
    • K-12 Online Resources
  • Discover More
    • Discover More
    • Newsletters
    • Scholarly Journals
    • Blogs
      • Excerpts
      • Active at Home
      • Buying Guides
      • Dance
      • Learning with HK
      • Physical Education and Health
      • Strength, Conditioning, and Fitness
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • My Account
  1. Home
  2. Excerpts
  3. Ensure effective delivery of gymnastics in primary education
  • Fitness & Health
  • Sport & Exercise Science
  • Physical Education
  • Strength & Conditioning
  • Sports Medicine
  • Sport Management
  • Dance

Ensure effective delivery of gymnastics in primary education

This is an excerpt from Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics by Lindsay Broomfield.

Planning for Gymnastics in Primary Education

When planning your gymnastics programme you should address three questions:

  1. What are you trying to achieve?
  2. How will you organise learning?
  3. How will you know when you are achieving your aims?

In this teaching resource, planning takes the form of meeting targets through long-term, medium-term and short-term planning.


Long-Term Planning

The scheme of work on the DVD contains a curriculum in the key activity area of gymnastics in physical education for primary school pupils (reception through year 6). The long-term plan meets the guidelines of the early learning goals and primary National Curriculum.

A long-term plan focuses on the targets you would like your pupils to achieve by the end of the programme. The long-term plan therefore ensures that pupils have acquired the physical attributes to achieve a reasonable level of skill in gymnastics and the knowledge to extend gymnastics tasks in a meaningful way with a view towards evaluating and improving performances, thus preparing them for participation in gymnastics in year 7 at secondary school. The scheme of work on the DVD details many procedures, such as building on basics, the introduction of partner work, and tasks based on themed ideas to ensure the continued acquisition of knowledge and skill.

The long-term plan demonstrates how the units of work on the DVD are distributed across the foundation stage and key stage 1 and key stage 2 periods in a sequence that promotes curriculum continuity and progress in pupils' learning. Supporting the principle that gymnastics activities have wide-reaching benefits, different aspects of the units of work are cross-curricular, linking with other key areas of learning in the national curriculum. Your long-term plan should answer this question: What are you trying to achieve?


Medium-Term Planning

Medium-term planning takes into account the methods you can employ to reach your long-term targets. Think of the medium-term plans as the stepping stones to achieving your long-term targets. In this scheme of work, the medium-term plans can be identified as the targets you would like your pupils to achieve by the end of the foundation stage, key stage 1 and key stage 2. By the end of the foundation stage, pupils will have acquired a repertoire of elementary movement skills through simple physical coordination activities involving body management tasks, locomotor skills and object control skills centred on basic gymnastics activities that enable them to become competent movers with an understanding of simple rules that ensure that they are responsible for their actions. Attainment of the skills and knowledge will enable pupils in key stage 1 to focus on further skill development introducing gymnastics-specific skills learnt through the gymnastics formula and through observation. They will learn to value the performances of others so that by the end of the key stage they understand how their bodies work and what skills and movement patterns they can achieve. In key stage 2 those previously learnt skills become channelled into themed units of work that challenge pupils to extend their learning through partner and group work and to use those skills in creative and meaningful ways, thus meeting the long-term targets.

The individual units of work build on pupils' experience and ability, enabling the use of progressive activities that meet the requirements of the National Curriculum and plan towards achieving the long-term target. Your medium-term plan through implementing the scheme of work in Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics answers this question: How will you organise learning?


Short-Term Planning

The short-term plan involves the steps and procedures you will take to meet your medium-term and ultimately long-term plans and targets. Short-term planning in Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics refers to the individual units of work featured on the DVD. Each unit of work contains instruction for the basic structure of the gymnastics lessons and details the learning intentions and learning outcomes explained in the overview at the beginning of each unit. A focus on learning through a progression of lessons will enable pupils to meet the short-term targets identified in the learning objectives. The learning objectives are varied, giving pupils many opportunities to demonstrate their understanding and achievements through avenues such as acquisition of gymnastics skills, creative movement patterns, open discussion, evaluating and improving techniques, question-and-answer tasks and problem-solving initiatives. Your short-term plan should answer this question: How will you know when you are achieving your aims?

If you wish to take gymnastics instruction further than the curriculum-based activities, Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics and its scheme of work on the DVD provide an excellent foundation and insight into teaching gymnastics. It provides a clear understanding of the basics for teachers' continued professional development (CPD). For further information regarding teaching courses and qualifications, contact your national governing body for gymnastics. (In the UK, awards for teachers are offered by the national governing body British Gymnastics [www.british-gymnastics.org] and UK Gymnastics [www.ukgymnastics.net]).

More Excerpts From Complete Guide to Primary Gymnastics

SHOP


    HK INSIDER

    Get the latest insights with regular newsletters, plus periodic product information and special insider offers.

    JOIN NOW


    Latest Posts

    • Outdoor recreation and adventure activities lead to positive health outcomes for children
    • Schools offer a wide variety of adventure programs for children
    • Using sport to change society
    • Despite progress, equity remains a pressing challenge for women in sport
    • What today’s athletes expect from coaches
    • Barriers to youth participation in physical activity and sport
    Back to top

    About Our Products

    • Catalogs
    • Special Offers
    • Newsletters
    • Report Piracy

    Services

    • Review/Desk Copies
    • Customer Service
    • Accessibility
    • Business to Business

    About Us

    • About Human Kinetics
    • About Lotus Books
    • Career Opportunities
    • Become an Author

    Contact Us

    1607 N. Market Street
    Champaign, IL 61820

    p: 800-747-4457 / f: 217-351-1549

    CustomerSupport@hkusa.com

    • Facebook
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • TikTok
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    Payment methods accepted
    • American Express
    • Apple Pay
    • Diners Club
    • Discover
    • Google Pay
    • Mastercard
    • Visa

    © 2025 Human Kinetics.
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Privacy Policy
    • Product Safety
    • Safe Harbor Policy
    • Returns Policy
    • Shipping Policy
    • Continuing Education
    Human Kinetics Virtual Assistant