Animal Walk Zoo: Getting Wrists Ready to Bear Weight

Students travel along mat lanes imitating animals (bear, crab, seal, bunny). It prepares wrists, shoulders and core to carry body weight before rolls and inverted balances.

How to play

1. Wrist circles with palms on the floor: fingers pointing forward, sideways and back (2 min).
2. Bear crawl (hands and feet, knees off the floor) up and back along the mat lane (2 min).
3. Crab walk with hips high, then seal walk dragging the legs (2 min).
4. Bunny hop: hands down, feet hop toward them, shifting more weight onto the arms each time (2 min).
5. The teacher calls an animal at the cone and everyone switches without stopping (2 min).

Rules

• Hands flat and fingers spread in every support.
• Pass only on the right and without touching anyone.
• If your wrists hurt, switch to fists or forearms.
• Maximum four students per lane.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited leg mobility: seated weight-bearing work, pushing the body up with hands on a bench.
• Wrist injury: does the animals on forearms or travels upright copying the rhythm.
• Low vision: lane edges marked with bright tape and a partner calls the end of the lane.

Learning goals

• Activate wrists, shoulders and core.
• Get used to carrying weight on the arms.
• Do a gymnastics-specific warm-up.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 12
• cones: 8

Teacher tip

Set the lanes side by side so you can see them all from the front. Typical mistake: fingers together and sinking wrists; remind them before each animal.

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