Garden-based Olympics for primary schools

With the UK currently in lock-down with all schools closed, we’ve put together a set of fun activities for young children to practice in their gardens with the aim of developing fundamental athletics skills

Introduction

Team GB Olympian, Sonia Samuels and World & European Duathlon Champion, Nick Samuels introduce the activities. The aim is to keep them fun, safe with a good helping of competition, whether with your siblings or improving on your previous performances. Practice makes perfect!

Wall throw

Great for coordination and agility, see how many times you can throw and catch the ball off the wall.
Set a starting point 3-4m from the wall (can be increased as your ability improves)
Set yourself a target and see if you can beat it.
Great fun practiced in pairs.

Speed bounce

This plyometric skill will build speed, power and stamina, getting you out of breath very quickly.
Create a lightweight, low-height hurdle e.g. using upturned plant pots and bamboo cane
Have a partner time 15s whilst you jump double footed sideways back and forth over the hurdle
Record how many bounces you complete and see how you progress with a few weeks of practise.

Garden sprint

Simple, yet fundamental skill
Sprint from one end of your garden to the other, turn quickly and return
Have a partner time your sprint
Create a household leader-board of best times

Frog jumps

Another plyometric activity, building explosive leg power and endurance
Mark a start line then perform 5x double leg frog jumps covering as much horizontal distance as possible
Try to stay upright after every jump and no cheating, always start each jump from where you landed on the previous.
After a few weeks you will need a bigger garden

Diagonals

An endurance activity to get the heart and lungs pumping
This will really improve your endurance and overall cardiovascular health as a fun way to introduce HIIT
Mark four corners of your garden
Sprint diagonally between markers, jogging the horizontals in between.
One lap is 2x diagonal sprints and 2x horizontal jogs
Simply keep going until you need a rest, or alternatively, time yourself for a set number of laps

Hops

For great single leg explosivity and power development try this hopping challenge
Mark a start line and hop 5x for distance ensuring you stay upright and start each hop from the previous landing point
Measure the distance you cover and watch how you improve with practice
Try this activity on both legs and compare the results

High knees

Rapid high knees are a fundamental building block for sprinting ability, developing speed and reactive floor contact
Ask a partner to time 10, 15 or 20s (depending on your ability) and see how many you can manage
Sprint as fast as you can, reacting quickly off the ground.

High jump

How high can you jump?
Develop ultimate leg drive and power by jumping as high as you can
Put coloured chalk on your fingertips then jump as high as you can next to a wall, placing your fingertips as high up the wall as possible
Measure the jump from the floor to the top of the chalk mark made on the wall