Teaching Children Games: Becoming a Master Teacher (American Master Teacher Program)

Teaching Children Games goes far beyond most games books, which simply describe games for children. Written by David Belka, an expert in developing and teaching games, this practical guide also explains the why and how of teaching children to become skilled games players.

In Part I Belka answers the why by defining developmentally appropriate aspects of games, addressing criticisms of traditional games, explaining how to fit the teaching of developmentally appropriate games into a physical education curriculum, and showing how to tailor games teaching to fit particular teaching situations. He also offers several specific methods for assessing psychomotor, cognitive, and affective development through games and provides sample evaluation forms.

In Part II Belka shows you how to teach games skills effectively with 23 practical, child-tested examples of game activities (Learning Experiences). Most of the Learning Experiences are designed for Grades 3 through 6 (with some tag games geared to pre-K through Grade 2). The Learning Experiences are divided into five game categories:

? Tag

? Target

? Net and wall

? Invasion

? Fielding

Within each category, the games are arranged in order of difficulty, from simple to complex. The descriptions for implementing the games are written from the teacher's perspective and include ideas for changing the level of difficulty. Lesson plan information and selected readings for additional reference are also provided.