Four Soft Islands Circuit

In small groups, children rotate through four mat islands: the rolling island, the bottom-spinning island, the sit-fall island and the crash mat jump island. It reviews turning and safe falling skills in a circuit with turns.

How to play

1. Set up four islands, each with a colored hoop at the entrance: roll sideways down the wedge, spin on your bottom, fall into a sit from standing, and jump onto the crash mat (2 min).
2. The teacher visits each island with the whole class and shows what to do (3 min).
3. Make four groups, each starting at an island; when the drum sounds, move to the next one (8 min).
4. Free round: each child goes back to their favorite island (2 min).
5. Everyone to the big island (the crash mat), lying down, and we share which island was the hardest (1 min).

Rules

• At each island, wait sitting inside the hoop.
• We only switch islands when the drum sounds.
• There's an adult at the jumping island.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: each island has a version: roll with help, twist the upper body, lean and protect the head, slide onto the crash mat.
• Autism: a picture map of the four islands with an arrow showing the order.
• Hearing impairment: also signal island changes by flicking the lights.

Learning goals

• Review rolling, spinning, falling and jumping safely.
• Respect turns and station changes.
• Stay focused on short, varied tasks.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Mats: 8
• Thick crash mat: 1
• Foam wedge: 1
• Hoops: 4
• Hand drum: 1

Teacher tip

Put the jumping island where you can always see it, and if there's another adult, station them there. Two minutes per island is plenty; any longer and kids start making up their own moves.

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