Superheroes!

Superheroes conditioning is a favorite with my preschool classes.  Especially preschool boys gymnastics!  I will usually do a superhero day during dance camp.  For this activity, you will need pictures of all your favorite superheroes (list below).  I have my own set of pictures that I found on the internet, but I don’t have the rights to those pictures…so you’ll have to go find your own.  And let’s face it, this superhero is way cuter than any comic book hero. 🙂

We will usually do super hero conditioning in gymnastics class right after our cardio warm-up.  Everyone lines up on the red line and someone who is paying attention/listening/not jumping on equipment (or pulling someone’s hair) gets to pick a superhero picture.  Each activity and accompanying super hero is listed below!  (Bonus pic for cuteness!)

Obviously, some of these activities are better suited to dance, and some are better suited for gymnastics.  Pick your favorites and the ones you have the right equipment for!

Superman: Do leaps over small objects/cones as if flying.

AND/OR

Superman: Jump off of a large gymnastics mat as if flying, or practice rebounding off of a springboard or trampoline.

Captain America: He has to dodge bullets and weapons to use his shield.  Dive rolls, forward rolls, log rolls.

Hulk: When he gets angry, he smashes!  Make a large stack of gymnastics mats/yoga blocks and allow every student to “Hulk Smash” the tower as part of a circuit of activities.

Thor: He winds up his hammer by swinging it in circles as quickly as he can  before throwing it.  Practice chaine turns or 3-step turns.  Then, create your own turn.

Iron Man:  He has many amazing weapons and tools.  Using his suit, he can see what’s behind him.  Practice backwards runs, walks, hops, jumps, and rolls.

Hawk Eye: He has to shoot his arrows quickly and accurately.  When he finds a target he has to turn and freeze to aim quickly.  Practice half turns (turn and freeze) on the balance beam.

Black Widow: She is a spy.  Spies have to be careful and avoid obstacles like laser beams or tree branches.  Create an obstacle course out of chairs and ribbon or crepe paper.  Line up the chairs to make a tunnel.  Then, criss-cross the tunnel with ribbon or crepe paper by winding it around chair legs, backs, slats, etc.  Students must make it through the tunnel without touching the obstacles, or else the bad guys will know that they are there!

Spider Man: He uses his webs to swing from building to building.  Swing on the monkey bars or gymnastics bars.  Practice skills including under-swings and chin-up pullovers.

Mr. Fantastic: He is super stretchy.  Go through your regular series of stretches.

Green Lantern: Green Lantern uses his power ring to do anything that he can think of.  His power ring lets him make the things that he imagines come true.  He can choose the super power he needs to use for each situation.  Now it’s your turn to create a super power!  What would your super power be if you were a super hero?  Create a dance move or frozen shape to show us what your super power is!

Black  Canary: She uses her canary cry to defeat villains.  It is very loud.  When I turn the music on loudly, kick (or skip, hop, jump, wiggle, turn, punch, leap, crawl, roll, etc.) throughout the room.  When the loud music stops, freeze!

Wonder Woman: She uses her lasso of truth to fight villains. Each of you may have a lasso (ribbon).   Dance with your lasso floating behind you.  Spin it around your head.  Arc it over your head or under your leg.  Toss and Catch.

Batman: He is very good at martial arts like Karate or Tae Kwon Do.  He punches and kicks to fight villains.  Show me your best kicks across the floor.  Repeat with jumping kicks, backward kicks, turning kicks, etc.  Each of you create a new way to kick.

Robin: He is an acrobat.  He grew up in the circus learning all kinds of tricks to do on the bars.  Let’s learn a skill on the bar.  Practice skin the cat, back hip-circle, or other appropriate bar skill.

The Flash:  He is incredibly fast!  So fast that you cannot even see him run by!  Let’s have a race!  Everyone glue your back to the wall!  When I say go, show me your fastest one leg hops all the way to me.  Give me a high five, then hop back to the wall.  Repeat with backwards runs, two foot jumps, bear walks, crab walks, inch worms, army crawls, forward rolls, etc.