Let's get active and try the Bean Bag Balance activity!
With the Bean Bag Balance activity you can develop the following skills:
- Balance and control
- Coordination and fluency
- Focus and concentration
- Flexibility
This resource is suitable for Physical Education and activity for P2, P3, P4, P5, P6 and P7 (First and Second Level Curriculum for Excellence).
Watch this
Learn how to take part in the Bean Bag Balance activity with help from primary school teacher, Danny Denholm.
DANNY: Hey, I'm Danny. And welcome to let's do this. Where we will get active together.
This activity is called Bean Bag Balance. As the name suggests, this game is great for developing your balance and control.
You will need a bean bag and some cones.
You can do this on your own. So I'm going to show you how to do this but I've got Hannah here who will help join in with me.
HANNAH: Hello!
DANNY: Step one, place the bean bag on top of your head.
Step two, try to sit on the ground without dropping the bean bag.
Step three, once you have made it to the ground, try standing back up while keeping your bean bag balanced.
Let's do this.
Well done, Hannah.
Nicely done, Hannah.
NARRATOR: Too tough?
DANNY: If this is too tricky, you can use your hands to help to build your confidence.
NARRATOR: Go up a notch?
DANNY: Want to develop your skills?
Weave around several cones before sitting and standing, making sure that bean bag stays on your head.
You could even experiment using different parts of the body to balance the bean bag on.
How about performing a fitness exercise every time the beanbag falls off? For example, five star jumps before you place the bean bag back into the balance position.
NARRATOR: Danny's challenge.
DANNY: For my challenge, you can set yourself a target on how many times you can sit down and stand up without dropping the bean bag.
As well as developing your balance, this will require you to show focus and concentration.
NARRATOR: Final thoughts.
DANNY: Well that wasn't easy. Don't worry if the bean bag falls off. Keep persevering and have fun.
NARRATOR: Let's do this!
What you need
| Equipment | Alternatives |
|---|---|
| Bean bag | Balled-up socks |
| Optional: Cones | Optional: Any objects that can be used to create an obstacle course, like pieces of paper or small soft toys |
Try it yourself
Follow these step-by-step instructions and give it a go!
Image caption, Get into position
Place the bean bag on top of your head.
1 of 3
Want to play with a friend?
With a partner, take turns sitting down and standing up without dropping the bean bag.
While your partner is taking their turn, try completing your own fitness challenge. For example, try jumping jacks, toe taps or lunges.
How was Bean Bag Balance for you?
We are all unique and have different strengths and skills. Some of us may find some skills easier than others but we can all develop and improve.
You can adapt the Bean Bag Balance activity to suit your needs. If we practise our skills regularly, we can improve and progress over time.
Too tough?
If you find Bean Bag Balance too challenging, don't worry!
Try these tips to make the activity a bit easier.
- Use your hands to help keep the bean bag balanced.
- Sit down and stand up without the bean bag to get used to the movement.
Go up a notch?
It's great to look at ways to develop our skills and we can do this by challenging ourselves.
If you enjoyed Bean Bag Balance but are looking for a bigger challenge, try these tips to make it trickier.
- Weave through some cones, or other markers, before sitting and standing.
- Use different parts of your body to balance the bean bag. For example, your foot or arm.
- Perform a fitness exercise any time the bean bag falls off. For example, complete five star jumps before placing the bean bag back into the balance position.
Danny's challenge
Bring in some goal setting!
Set yourself a target of how many times you can sit down and stand back up without dropping the bean bag.
For example, can you sit down and stand up ten times without dropping the bean bag?
Time to reflect
Enjoyment
The most important part of physical activity and movement is that you enjoy it. We all need to stay active in our daily lives in order to stay healthy. It’s a lot easier if you’re having fun.
After you’ve taken part in this activity, take some time to think about what you enjoyed and how you might approach the activity differently next time.
- What did you enjoy about this activity? How could you do more of this?
- What did you dislike about this activity? What would make it better?
- What would you do differently next time?
Developing your skills
The skills you’ve worked on in this activity are useful in other parts of your daily life and in sport.
Can you think of any activities or sports where you might use these skills?
The skills you've developed in this activity could help with:
- focusing on reaching your goals in other activities
- moving fluently in dance or gymnastics
- staying balanced in skateboarding or surfing
Physical activity skills. list
Learn more about the different skills you've developed in this activity and how we use them in daily life.
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