Step Up Prep
Why This Exercise Is Important:
Step Ups help students get used to using the step up exercises. They learn to follow a particular style of directions. They get oriented to particular positions- in front of, behind, beside, on. Moving forward, moving backward, stepping up, stepping down, hopping down and hopping up. Doing these preparation exercises help student learn to manage their movement and balance with the stools safely.
Directions
Step Up Prep: these are moves to orient to the step up stool by touching and putting weight on it but not yet standing on the stools.
When introducing Step Ups, it best to have student already in a positive embodied state. I recommend doing some higher intensity run or doing 'Elevators' particularly 'spaghetti to flying superheros' as warmups to step ups. The elevators bring a lot of core activation. And flying superheros helps get students into the right attitude or frame of mind.
"Two feet, on the ground, behind your stool
"Touch the red dot with your toe."
"Touch the red dot on the stool 8 times to the beat."
Work to get the touches in rhythm
"Touch the blue dot on the stool 8 times."
Alternate touching red, then blue then red then blue.
"Push up and down".
Stand on the side of the stool with the red dot. Put your left foot on the red dot. Push up and down with one leg. Then switch to the blue dot and do the same with the right foot.
The 'push up and down' can be small or large.Step up, step down backwards
Step up, hop down forwards
Note: I show students that if they jump too far forward, the stool will kick back and they may fall forward. Step up, (two feet on the stool, step down backwards) Step up, Arm Swings ( generally swing the arms to challenge balance a little bit) Step up, tick tok ( 1 arm swing), clap clap, hands a sleep, hop down walk around, two feet on the ground Clapping Rhythm Words Use Sticks and play Rhythm Words Using your finger ( or a stick) in the air - Draw or Write:Step Ups
- a circle,
- a square.
- a triangle.
- a line going up.
- a line going down.
- a letters.
- a number.