Ten Ways Over the Vaulting Box

Each group must discover and try at least ten safe ways to get over a low vaulting box (over the top, rolling, on all fours, seated, with a hand support) and then teach its favorites to the class. Students develop fundamental movement skills through exploration and creativity.

How to play

1. Groups of 5, each with a low vaulting box (2 or 3 sections) surrounded by mats. On the whiteboard, the conditions: get from one side to the other, no jumping off the top, and always land on the mat.
2. Examples (2 min): the teacher shows two ways: bear crawl up and slide down seated, and lie across the box face down and roll off sideways.
3. Exploration (8 min): groups try new ways. Every time the whole group masters a way, they write it on a sheet with a made-up name.
4. Category challenges (4 min): the teacher asks for at least one way with no hands, one with no feet on the box, one going backward, and one in pairs.
5. Showcase (6 min): each group shows its three best ways, and everyone else tries them.
6. Wrap-up (2 min): a show of hands for the most creative and the safest way.

Rules

• Every new way is tried slowly first and approved by the teacher.
• Safety: no rolls over the box and no jumps from the top; climb down with support.
• One at a time on the box; everyone else waits off the mats.
• A way counts only if every member of the group can do it.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the group invents ways to pass objects over or around the box from the wheelchair, and one counts toward the total.
• Autism or shyness: can be the group recorder who writes down and names the ways before trying them.
• Lower strength: a one-section box for them and ways with more support points.

Learning goals

• Explore different ways to get over an obstacle.
• Decide which movement solutions are safe and effective.
• Share and try other students' ideas.

Equipment for a class of 25

• vaulting box: 5
• mats: 15
• whiteboard: 1

Teacher tip

Approve each way yourself before the group repeats it; that stops risky ideas without killing creativity. Keep the sheets, they are great for building a circuit another day.

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