Key Stage 2 PE · Flexibility, strength and technique

KS2 gymnastics: flexibility, balance and sequences

Gymnastics is the second example the National Curriculum gives for developing flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance at Key Stage 2. Children make body shapes, hold balances, roll, jump and travel, and learn to join these actions into smooth sequences with a clear start and finish. The focus is on control and quality of movement, not on difficult tricks, and every child works at their own level.

Gymnastics, explained

In Years 3 to 6, gymnastics lessons build on the basic movements learned in earlier years. Children practise a small number of core actions: travelling (such as walking, hopping, rolling and sliding), jumping and landing, balancing, rolling and making shapes. They learn that the quality of a movement matters as much as the movement itself. A shape held with tight, stretched muscles and pointed toes looks and feels very different from one that is floppy, and teachers use words like “tension”, “control” and “extension” to help children think about it.

Shapes and balances are the building blocks. Common body shapes include straight, tuck, pike, star, straddle, dish and arch, and children practise holding them still. Balances are often described as point balances, where only a few small parts of the body touch the floor (for example two feet, or one hand and one foot), and patch balances, where a larger area touches (for example the back, shoulders or seat). A good balance is held still, usually for a count of three, which shows control. Flexibility and strength are developed naturally, because reaching, stretching, supporting body weight and holding shapes all use them.

Rolls, jumps and travelling actions provide the movement between the balances. Children usually start with simple rolls such as the log or pencil roll (rolling sideways with the body long and straight) and the egg roll (rolling sideways in a tucked shape), and may move on to the teddy bear roll and the forward roll if the teacher judges the class is ready. They learn to jump with different shapes in the air and to land softly on two feet with bent knees. Apparatus such as mats, low benches and boxes is used when a teacher is present and has set it up carefully, and children are taught how to carry and place it safely. Schools differ in what they include, and not every class will teach every skill.

The curriculum also asks pupils to link skills into sequences of movement. A simple sequence has a beginning, a middle and an end: a starting shape, two or three linked actions and a finishing shape that is held still. Children work to join each movement smoothly, with no pauses or wobbles between them. They can add variety by changing the speed, the level (high, medium or low) or the direction, or by working with a partner, mirroring or matching each other’s actions. Children perform to the class and give feedback to one another, such as “I liked your smooth landing”, which builds their understanding of what makes a good sequence.

Words your child will hear

Sequence: A series of movements linked together in order, with a clear start and finish.
Point balance: A balance where only a few small parts of the body, such as hands and feet, touch the floor.
Patch balance: A balance where a larger, flatter part of the body, such as the back or seat, touches the floor.
Tension: Holding the muscles firm and stretched so a shape looks strong and controlled.
Tuck: A curled shape with the knees pulled towards the chest.
Pike: A folded shape with straight legs and the body bent at the hips.
Level: How high or low the body is: high, medium or low.

What the National Curriculum says

The programme of study for Key Stage 2 says:

Pupils should be taught to develop flexibility, strength, technique, control and balance [for example, through athletics and gymnastics]
Pupils should continue to apply and develop a broader range of skills, learning how to use them in different ways and to link them to make actions and sequences of movement.

Objectives from the National Curriculum in England, © Crown copyright, used under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Try it: building a three-part sequence

Create a gymnastics sequence with a balance, a roll and a jump, with a clear start and finish.

Choose a starting shape. Pick a shape you can hold completely still, such as a tall star standing on a mat. Hold it for three seconds before you move.
Add a balance. Move into a point balance, such as standing on one leg with arms out for a count of three, or a patch balance sitting on your seat with the legs lifted and the arms reaching forward. Keep your muscles firm.
Choose a way to link. Decide how you will move from the balance to the roll. For example, lower slowly to the floor and turn into a log roll along the mat. The link should be smooth, not a stop and start.
Add a jump to finish. Stand up and take a couple of steps, then jump with a tuck or star shape and land on two feet with bent knees. Hold the landing still, as your finishing shape.
Practise and improve. Repeat the sequence several times, aiming for smoothness. Ask a partner what they liked and what could be better, perhaps a straighter leg in the balance or a softer landing.

A good sequence might be: tall star, one-leg balance held for three, a smooth log roll, a stand, a tuck jump and a still landing. The child can explain it as, “I start and finish still, and I linked each part without stopping.”

Common mistakes and how to help

Believing that gymnastics is only for children who can do splits or cartwheels

Competition gymnastics is full of advanced skills, so children think that those are what count.

What helps: Remind your child that the curriculum is about control, balance and flexibility at the child’s own level. A beautifully held balance is as valuable as a harder skill.

Rushing through balances without holding them

Holding still can feel dull, and children eager to move on may only touch a shape before dropping out of it.

What helps: Count to three out loud. Ask your child to freeze like a statue. Holding a balance shows control, and a still balance is far more impressive than a quick wobble.

Treating a sequence as a list of separate tricks

Children often learn one skill at a time, so they perform each one, stop and then start the next.

What helps: Focus on the joins. Ask your child to move from one action into the next without pausing and with a clear start and end. Try a sequence in slow motion first.

Having floppy shapes with bent knees and loose feet

Making the muscles firm takes effort and children may not realise that it changes the way a shape looks.

What helps: Ask your child to squeeze their muscles as if they were turning into a statue and point their toes. Look in a mirror, or ask another person to compare a floppy shape and a tense one.

How to help at home

Shape statues. Call out a shape, such as tuck, star, pike or dish, and ask your child to make it and hold for three seconds on a rug or soft grass. Take turns choosing the shapes, and look for the most controlled one.
Balance challenge. See how long your child can hold a balance on one foot, or on hands and feet, while staying completely still. Try with arms out, then arms up. Practise on the left and right sides.
Make a sequence. Ask your child to put three movements together, such as a shape, a balance and a jump, with a start and a finish, and perform it to the family. Ask the audience to say one thing they liked.
Line travel. Lay a rope or a line of tape on a clear floor and ask your child to travel along it in different ways, such as tiptoe, hopping or crab walk, keeping their balance. It builds control and strength.
Keep it safe. Practise only on a soft, clear surface such as a carpet, mat or lawn, away from furniture, with an adult nearby. Leave forward rolls, cartwheels and handstands to supervised classes, where a trained adult can check technique.