By

Izabella Maxwell,   Ruskin Elementary School

Play:

NFL Player Challenges

Topics:

Physical Activity Participation

We like to kick off the school year with an NFL theme for PE. We like to introduce the game but mostly do skill challenges and various events like throwing, kicking, and punting. Most of the kids get excited and a select few do not like the idea. One particular student voiced his opinion on how much he hated the game. Well as the lesson went on from skill to skill he was still unsure…until we came to the kick off for distance challenge. Now all students were reminded that each challenge was to challenge yourself and try to beat your previous try. After I demonstrated how to set up and kick the ball this student ended up outkicking every student at class by a good 20 yards! Once he heard the wows and cheers he smiled. This was a good sign as he was having fun. He was receiving high fives from various students and even wanted to challenge me. The student wanted to beat his best try at kicking off.

How do you plan to make this Play last during the school year and beyond?

By introducing it at the beginning of the school year with challenges during PE and getting approval from administration to allow students to wear their favorite NFL team jersey on Fridays

How did you accomplish your goals?

The biggest goal was to have all try their best in the challenges during the lessons. Even though it was a struggle for some, in the end they all were having a good time and asking how to get better.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them?

The biggest challenge was getting those that were hesitant about the game football or the word football. Once they understood this was all about challenging themselves, they opened up to the idea and had fun. It was great to see those that didn’t like the game actually end up liking the challenges.