Four-Skill Floor Routine Project

In groups of three, students design, rehearse, and perform a gymnastics floor routine that must include four elements: a roll, a balance, a jump, and a turn, linked with transitions. It builds project planning, quality of movement, and body expression.

How to play

1. Form 8 groups of three (one group of four). Each group gets a row of 3 mats and a sheet of cardstock with four boxes: roll, balance, jump, and turn.
2. Plan (5 min): the group picks one element of each type that everyone can do and draws or writes them in order on the card. Add a starting pose and an ending pose.
3. Rehearse (10 min): practice the routine with background music. It can be in unison (all three together) or in canon (one after another, two seconds apart).
4. Review (4 min): pair up with another group and show your routines. The watching group names one thing that went well and one to improve (hold balances 3 seconds, quiet landings).
5. Polish (4 min): apply the feedback and run it twice more.
6. Perform (5 min): with music, each group performs for the class. The audience claps and guesses which element looked hardest.

Rules

• Only include elements all three students can do safely.
• Hold balances for 3 seconds and finish with a clear ending pose.
• Stay on your own row of mats without drifting into the next one.
• During performances, the audience watches quietly and respectfully.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: swap the roll and jump for a log roll and an expressive arm movement, keeping the structure.
• Shyness: perform only for the partner group instead of the whole class.
• Lower skill level: choose the simplest element of each type, like a rocker or a jump with a half turn.

Learning goals

• Plan a gymnastics routine toward a shared goal.
• Perform elements with control and smooth transitions.
• Give other groups respectful feedback with ideas to improve.

Equipment for a class of 25

• mats: 24
• music player: 1
• cardstock: 8

Teacher tip

This works best as the end of the unit, once students know the elements. Snap photos of the routine cards to assess the design as well as the performance.

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