Cartwheel Hand-and-Foot Trail
Students learn the cartwheel by following a chalk trail of hand and foot prints (hand, hand, foot, foot) after hopping over a hoop. It builds sideways body orientation, alternating hand support, and shifting weight through the arms.
How to play
- Outside on the blacktop, in pairs, draw 5 straight-line chalk trails: one foot, hand, hand, foot, foot. Lay a mat next to each trail for anyone who prefers a soft surface.
- Phase 1 (4 min): bunny hops. Hands inside a hoop, hop your feet from one side of the hoop to the other, low at first and then lifting the hips higher.
- Phase 2 (5 min): walk the trail slowly, placing each hand and foot on its print and saying out loud 'hand, hand, foot, foot'.
- Phase 3 (5 min): same trail with higher legs, like a spinning star. Your partner checks whether hands and feet land on the prints.
- Phase 4 (4 min): cartwheel on the mat or the trail, trying to finish facing where you started. Three in a row earns a try on the other side.
- Partners swap every 2 attempts, and at the end each pair draws a new, longer trail for another pair.
Rules
- Always start with arms up and eyes on the trail.
- Keep at least 10 feet between trails so nobody collides.
- The next student waits until the previous one has finished and moved away.
- Firm arms: if they bend, drop the hip and roll out sideways.
Variations
Easier
Only do bunny hops over the hoop, keeping the hips low.
Standard
Cartwheel along the trail with legs as high as possible.
Harder
Two cartwheels in a row or a one-handed cartwheel.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: travel the trail touching each print with the hands from a wheelchair or on hands and knees.
- Autism: keep the same partner and preview the phases with a picture card showing the four prints.
- Low arm strength or larger body size: stay with phases 2 and 3 using low supports, without going through vertical.
Learning goals
- Perform a cartwheel with alternating hand and foot placement.
- Keep the body turned sideways during the rotation.
- Coach a partner using the prints as a reference.
Equipment for a class of 25
- chalk: 12
- mats: 5
- hoops: 12
Teacher tip
Many students put both hands down at once and look straight ahead; the prints help fix that. Check that the ground is dry and free of gravel before you start.
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