Digital Spinner: The Screen Picks Your Warm-Up

A digital spinner on a tablet decides which mobility drill or movement pattern the whole class does next. It warms up the body progressively and shows a simple way technology can help run a lesson.

How to play

1. Easy jog inside the coned area with ankle, knee, hip and shoulder mobility (2 min).
2. The teacher spins a digital wheel with six mobility drills; everyone does the one that comes up for 40 seconds (3 min).
3. Second wheel with six movement patterns: high knees, butt kicks, side shuffle, zigzag, bear crawl and light hops; chain them without stopping (3 min).
4. A volunteer spins the wheel and decides whether to repeat or change; finish with two build-up sprints (2 min).

Rules

• The tablet stays in one fixed spot, away from the running area.
• Only the teacher or that round's helper touches the tablet.
• The teacher calls out each drill, so nobody stops to look at the screen.
• Everyone moves in the same direction to avoid collisions.

Variations

Adaptations

• Deaf or hard-of-hearing students: the wheel shows the drill in writing with a picture, and the teacher signals it with a gesture.
• Students with low vision: the drill is called out loud and a partner moves alongside them.
• Limited mobility: every option on the wheel has a seated version agreed on before starting.

Learning goals

• Warm up the body progressively.
• Learn a range of mobility and movement drills.
• Use a simple digital tool to organize an activity.

Equipment for a class of 25

• tablets: 1
• portable speakers: 1
• cones: 8

Teacher tip

Any free spinner or random-picker website works; set it up ahead of time in case the Wi-Fi drops. Without a tablet, a big foam die and a numbered list on the whiteboard do the same job.

More activities like this

More warm-ups for Middle School