All-Star Making Tiny/mini Practices Fun

[coachFIERCE]

For the first time ever, I'm working with a very young age group: five-and-six-year-olds. Any suggestions on how to make practices fun? Any great games you know of? For the first two weeks, I need to spend quite a bit of time on conditioning... any ideas on how to make that fun and enjoyable for the girls?

Thank you so much in advance, Fiercers! :D

 

[kaylalalaxo]

I need this thread too! I coach a mini team from ages 4- about 6 and I keep running out of ideas to keep them entertained while still working on their tumbling, jumps, motions, etc. One thing I do like doing is gettting some hula hoops and having the kids do forward rolls through them and playing simon says to work on their motions but I need something different! lol :P

 

[Nothanks]

obstacle courses!

i'm trying to remember the games i used to play with tinys, aside from simon says. but i'm having a brain lapse.

 

[cheeeeer93]

For cardio, play follow the leader down the tumbl trak and do different things. You can also incorporate jumps and tumbling into this.

 

[kaylalalaxo]

obstacle courses!

i'm trying to remember the games i used to play with tinys, aside from simon says. but i'm having a brain lapse.

I do those too! Like I will have a wheel out for backhandsprings, a cheese mat for back and front walkovers, a blow up tumble track type thing for jumps and roundoff/cartwheels and then a folded up panel mat for cartwheels also.

 

[CLAshley]

I do this thing called marble buckets for my Minis. They get a marble if they are tight, hit a stunt, get a new tumble skill, etc. When they get 20 marbles they get to pick a prize. They respond very well to this and they always want to work hard to get those marbles. It's very fun for them!

 

[CheerCoach84]

For practices in general, give them themes for the practices, something fun that they can relate to: whatever is popular to them at the moment, and award small little prizes to the cheerleader who dresses up the best, original, etc... As far as doing things with cardio, Obstacle course with using all of the gym equipment that you can get your hands on. Have contests for most improved jumps, tumbling, motions, etc, and give thema certificate or small prize tumbling lesson or something like that... Stations can be set up for all areas of the team, for tumbling: cartwheels, bridgebacks, kickovers, handstands.....

For motions, play "Simon" says, but change the name for you, and then let each kid, a few during practices be the leader when their motions have improved, and let them be the leader of the team for this activity. Follow the leader around the entire gym is something that I have done all of the time-keeping it safe of course, is fun, and they love it!!!! Just change it up a bit everytime you do it, to keep it fresh... Hope some of these ideas work for you...:fro:

 

[AllHeartxo3]

Reward them with games! I loved playing games at the end of practice like Captains coming and stuff. We played chase the coach for running and honestly, it doesn't take much to make little kids happy haha

 

[yooolizzi]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-E-Ejaiyg
I'd be so happy if my team got to do this at practices. I'm sure the younger ones would love it!

 

[AllHeartxo3]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd-E-Ejaiyg
I'd be so happy if my team got to do this at practices. I'm sure the younger ones would love it!

Those are so much fun!

 

[yooolizzi]

Those are so much fun!

cheer aerobics = <3

 

[INeverStopCheering]

My Tinys and Minis don't really play games. They understand they are a big girl team, who competes seriously. Some of these girls have been cheering for 2 or 3 years already. Because their practices are so short we don't get a lot of time to do what we need to do. We do have a Tiny Exhibition team that we get to have fun with. When we stretch we make a pizza or cake while we straddle. We ride a roller coaster with our hands and draw happy faces with our ankles. For condition we do "star Jumps" where you start in a ball then jump up to a spread eagle position with jazz hands. It is optional to yell "I'm a Star!" Sounds easy but those kill your thighs. We do cherry pickers and see who can pick the most "cherries" In terms of giving out awards. Proceed with caution. Kids that young often don't understand the concept of "winning" or a special treat. They come to expect them all the time. So if you're giving awards its a good idea to give everyone one or else suffer the consequences of "Susie got one and I didn't"....

 

[RazzyJazz]

I do this thing called marble buckets for my Minis. They get a marble if they are tight, hit a stunt, get a new tumble skill, etc. When they get 20 marbles they get to pick a prize. They respond very well to this and they always want to work hard to get those marbles. It's very fun for them!

I really like the marble idea. Thanks!

 

[Cheer4bella]

I agree with @INeverStopCheering about the prizes. I think that the marble bucket idea should be a team effort. When the marble bucket is filled to 20 (or more, since it's a team effort) the whole team gets a small prize, like candy, or a party favor type toy. My coaches used to have a jar of Skittles. They would have contests for a Skittle or if a child stood out by being clean or focused they would get one. I've always been competitive so the Skittle idea motivated me. :)

 

[VTX]

When I coached a tiny my girls had a thing for duck duck goose. So I made it a rule that if I didn't have to get on to them for talking/not paying attention more than 3 times they got to play duck duck goose at the end of practice, then I had an individual thing where if I didn't call on them for talking at all they got a sticker. I found it kept the girls more motivated and focused during practices, and even though I took time out for a game they got more done that way.
And Simon says is a great motions and attention-span developer.