Year 4 Physical Education Semester One Overview

Try and get your child to be physically active with structured activities for at least 2 hours a week.
This time can be broken up (e.g. 30min a day for four days), while also encouraging unstructured
play when not engaged in learning or as short break from class work. It is important for your child to
engage in physical activity not just to improve their skills, but to help with their mental health and
distract them from current issues.

Focus skills for Year 4 students include underarm and overarm throwing, catching, kicking a soccer
ball or football and dribbling a basketball. Although most of these skills should be performed in an
open area (such as the backyard), games and activities can be modified to suit indoor areas. As long
as your child is performing the skills correctly, encourage them to make up their own games and
rules. This will stop them from getting bored of the activities. Also try and include a scoring system to
the activities/games so they have a score to beat the next time they play. If you don’t have the
available equipment at home, try and substitute in an alternative (e.g. instead of cricket stumps as a
target, you can use a block of wood, old magazine, chair or a wheely bin).

Underarm Throw:
- Body facing partner, eyes on their hands, ball held with pointer finger, middle finger and thumb.
- First action is drawing the beanbag straight backwards, then stepping forward with their opposite
foot and swinging their throwing arm through. After they release the ball, their throwing fingers
should be pointed at the target.

Activities) Throwing at a target (e.g. cricket stumps), throwing to a partner (to catch), throwing
over/under an object to hit a target and throwing to knock down a target (e.g. building blocks).

Overarm Throw:
-Side on to target, ball starts in throwing hand with fang-finger grip in front of chest, opposite hand
in front of body, not pointing at target, eyes on target.
-Throwing hand comes down, backwards and up into high L
- Opposite foot steps forwards towards target, opposite arm swings across body.
-Follow through after release, eyes stay on target the entire time.

Activities) Throwing at a target (e.g. cricket stumps), throwing to a partner (to catch), throwing
over/under an object to hit a target and throwing to knock down a target (e.g. building blocks).

Catching:
-Feet shoulder-width apart, knees bent, hands together with fingers spread, eyes on the ball.
- Watch the ball through the air, move your hands and if need be, body towards the ball
-Watch the ball into your hands, wrap your fingers around the ball.

Activities) Throw and catch by themselves (clapping between throw and catch, touching head,
shoulders, knees and toes between throw and catch), throwing and catching with a partner,
throwing at a wall and catching or fielding the rebound.

Kicking (Football):

- Football straight up and down with both hands, thumps pointed up and touching laces near valve,
pinkies down, middle finger down side stitches. Eyes on target first, then on the ball
- Step forward with opposite foot and drop the ball from knee height (try and guide down with one
hand), eyes on the ball.
- Draw kicking foot back, kick with top of foot (shoelaces) and follow-through with toe pointed at
target. Eyes on the ball during entire action.
- Typically, we get children to start with a one-step kick, then a three-step kick, then a 5 step kick and
then a kick while on the run.

Activities) Kick to kick with partner, kicking at a target (e.g. chair), kicking at goals, kicking quickly
after picking up off ground, kicking on the run/under pressure (e.g. tackle, someone on the mark).

Kicking (Soccer ball):

- Start behind and slightly to the side of the ball (to the left if right footed and to the right if left
footed). Eyes on target, then down to the ball.
- Step to the ball with non-kicking foot planted next to the ball and draw back kicking foot. Eyes on
the ball.
- Kick the ball with inside of foot to pass, top of the foot to shoot at goals. Head over the ball to keep
it on the ground, leaning back to lift the ball. Eyes on the ball throughout entire kicking action.

Activities) Kick to kick with partner, kicking at a target (e.g. chair), kicking at goals, kicking after
dribbling, kicking on the run/under pressure (e.g. tackle).

Dribbling (Basketball):

- Knees bent, body slightly forward, ball held in both hands.

- Begin dribble with dominant hand, gentle downwards push with mostly wrist and finger pressure.
Fingers contact the ball for each bounce, then push back down towards the ground. Swap hands if
possible, move forwards, sideways or backwards if possible.
- Eyes up when possible, looking down at the ball briefly if need be.

Activities) Dribbling on the move, swapping hands, non-dominant hand dribbling, dribbling around
obstacles, dribbling to get around a partner.

Note: If you have climbing equipment or a trampoline available, encourage your child to play on
these for 15min if possible. Try and mix-up the activities so your child doesn’t get bored and modify
where necessary to suit your child.

Suggested websites to help complement and vary physical activity: Kiddo ; Go Noodle
(movement/dance) ; PE with Joe (exercise and fitness) ; Openphysed (online PE Network)

‘Play of the day’: If you are performing a skill really well and would like to show us, send a video to
one of the email addresses below and we will create a highlights reel of ‘Plays of the Day’ to show at
assemblies when we all get back to school.

We hope to see you back at Atwell Primary School soon. If you have any questions or issues, feel free
to email us between 8:30am and 3:30pm Monday to Friday.

Bryden.Smith@education.wa.edu.au
Joseph.Mccarthy@education.wa.edu.au

Regards,

Bryden Smith and Joe McCarthy

Physical Education
Atwell Primary School