The BEAM programme
Children should work in bare feet but they don’t need to change into their PE kit.
In each session, the children should do roughly four BEAM activities; really concentrating on improving the activity.
Emphasis is on the quality of movement and on helping the children’s stability in each activity. Every activity can be broken down to the level that your child is at. For best results, work on improving one aspect of an activity at a time.
Each block should be completed before moving on to the next block and they should be done sequentially, so A first, followed by B and then C. Remember, the emphasis is on achieving quality of movement before moving on.
Please make sure you spend time establishing that the children are able to achieve stable and controlled positions on Block A before moving on. This means investing time to really improve each individual activity and not going too quickly through each one.
The emphasis is on progress, however small and making the activities as fun as possible. You can use music or imaginative games as long as the children do not deviate from the activities.
Warm-ups
Warm-ups should be done at the beginning of each BEAM session for a maximum of one minute.
Let’s introduce you to Runner bean, Chilli bean, Jelly bean, Beans on toast, String bean, Jumping bean, Broad bean, French bean and Frozen bean.
These are the warm-ups that we recommend you do before starting on the BEAM exercises. You can do all of these or a combination; whichever suits you and your class best.
Warming up
Ask the children to move around the room and stop when instructed to pretend to be specific BEAM beans.
Runner bean
Run on the spot.
Jelly bean
Shake all over, head arms, legs and body.
Beans on toast
Lie on the mat with your arms and legs stretched out widely.
String bean
Stretch arms above your head and try to go on tiptoe.
Chilli bean
Shake arms and legs, keeping your body as still as possible.
Broad bean
Stand on the mat with your legs and arms stretched out wide.
Frozen bean
Stop moving when signalled to and freeze like a statue.
French bean
Kick alternate legs forward, like a can-can dancer.
Jumping bean
Jump on the spot with springy knees.
Time
You need to allow 20 minutes for the activities in this block. Ideally a session needs to be done three times a week and will need preparation and tidying up time.
Equipment
You will need floor mats, bean bags and PE benches.
- Ask your children to stand in the middle of their mats and then to curl up as small as possible, like a hedgehog.
- In this position, they should be encouraged to look towards their tummies to ‘curl’ their backs.
Look out for
Children with poor stability may sit their bottom between their legs. They should be encouraged to try to place their feet parallel to each other, with heels together and then balance their bottom on their heels. Poor stability in their back will make it difficult for them to sit up straight in class while using their hands.
Some children may lean over to one side.
Encourage
The children should be encouraged to balance their torso on their knees in a symmetrical fashion.
You should ask your children to stand in the middle of the mat and then lay down in a straight position with their arms over their heads.
Look out for
Children should be encouraged to make a symmetrical shape and place themselves centrally on the mat. If they have difficulty with this, they can look at each other’s position to work out what is a straight shape and a non-straight shape. Children with poor body image will find it hard to anticipate their position on the floor and to achieve a symmetrical shape.
Improve
This activity helps the children to begin to improve their spatial awareness skills.
- When doing this activity, you are encouraging the children to be able to weight bear through their arms without locking their elbow joints – their arms should be kept slightly soft.
- To make sure that they are weight bearing, the arms and legs should be vertical and at right angles to the trunk. This will give a square shape between the arms and legs.
Look out for
The children should not be asked to lift their arm until they are confidently weight bearing through their arms and are able to keep a stable controlled position.
Children who have difficulty weight bearing through their arms will often try to move their knees and arms closer together in this position. They should be encouraged to maintain a square shape between their arms and legs.
The children can be asked to push their hands down onto a firm cushion to encourage them to push down through their arms.
You may notice your children gripping their toes or crossing their feet; they should be encouraged to keep their feet relaxed with the front of their feet facing flat on the mat and parallel to each other.
When doing this activity, children should keep everything still, except for the arm that they are moving.
- Ask your children to sit in the middle of the mat and then
lean back on straight arms with the soles of their feet flat
on the floor. - Then ask them to push up from their legs and arms to
propel their hips and tummies upwards to achieve a flat
table-shaped position.
Look out for
Many children with poor core stability will try to achieve this by hanging their heads back or by going on to tiptoes. The children often hold their breath when doing this activity.
To develop their core stability in this position, the children should make sure they have their feet flat on the floor with their heads facing towards their tummies.
As they improve in this position, they can be encouraged to raise their tummies higher each time they do this; eventually creating a flat table shape.
Shoulder, head and body stability are essential for accurate hand function, such as pencil skills.
Sing
To discourage the children from holding their breath, they can sing or recite a poem.
- The children should lie on the mat making sure they are in a central position.
- They should bend their knees with the soles of their feet flat on the mat.
- Ask the children to feel the hollow between their back and the mat. They can keep their hand in the gap if they wish to.
- Then ask them to squash their hand into the mat by tilting their pelvis slightly.
Look out for
When the children can rock their pelvis back and forth, they can be encouraged to lift their hips slightly higher to make a bridge position. If they can maintain a stable position without any movement, they can then lift their hips into a higher bridge position.
Encourage
Some children may push up into the bridge position by pushing their feet away from their bodies. They should be encouraged to keep their feet just under their bottoms and to push up from their hips.
- Place several mats together and ask the children to line up at one end.
- The first child should lie down and be encouraged to align themselves with the sides of the mat.
- They should then roll on their side along the length of the mats, trying to keep a straight roll along the length of the mats.
Look out for
To encourage the children to identify their positions on the mat, they can use their hands to identify how close the top of their heads are to the edge of the mat.
When they get to the end of the mats, they can check if their head is still close to the edge of the mats.
Children with poor body control will find it difficult to keep a straight roll along the course of the mats and will deviate from a straight roll.
Control
Encourage the children to do this activity in a slow, controlled way and don’t be tempted to rush. When they reach the end of the mat, they should roll back in the opposite direction.
- Ask the children to kneel in the middle of their mat.
- The children should then sit back on their heels in a slow and controlled manner.
- Then, they should kneel up into a high kneeling position in a slow controlled manner.
Look out for
You may notice the children lean their hands on their knees when they do this activity. To begin with, they may benefit from having a bench or small chair to lightly rest their hands on while doing this activity.
Some children may cross their feet or grip with their toes in this position, they should be asked to keep the front of their feet face down on the floor, relaxed and parallel to each other.
Children with poor core stability will find it difficult to do this in a controlled way. They may sit back on their heels quickly and then sit up quickly. The emphasis is on controlled movement.
When the children can maintain a kneeling up position, they should be encouraged to keep their knees still in this position, but move their head to look around the room at items. This can be done by holding up items for them to identify as you move around the room; making sure they do not move their knees from the static position.
- Ask the children to sit in the middle of the mat with their knees bent to one side; they should be encouraged to do this without placing hands on the floor.
- If they find this difficult, they can rest one hand on the floor
to help with balance and then they can work towards doing
this without hands. - When they can do this activity to one side, ask them if they
can adopt the same position with their knees on the other side.
Look out for
Many children may find it difficult to plan this movement and can find it easier in one direction. Children with poor hip and body stability may show big differences from one side to the other.
Identify
It may be helpful to get them to identify which way their knees are pointing and which way their feet are pointing in this position, for
example knees pointing towards the window and feet pointing towards the door. Then ask them to place feet pointing towards the window and knees pointing towards the door.
- Ask the children to kneel up high, as in activity seven –
kneeling up. - Then, ask them to place the sole of one foot flat on the floor.
Look out for
Many children will find it difficult to maintain a controlled stable position. The children should be encouraged to keep their feet and legs in a straight aligned position.
The children may need to use a bench or small chair to lightly rest their hands on when doing this activity.
Encourage
The children can be encouraged to catch/pass a bean bag from a partner with both hands, but use the bench and chair, as necessary, to help with balance.
- This activity is best started by using a PE bench to place
one leg on, while balancing on the other leg. - The children can then develop their core stability in a
relaxed manner. - They should be encouraged to tap their foot on the bench.
They can tap out a rhyme or syllables and encourage them
to clap their hands over their heads or down by their sides.
Look out for
As the children become more confident in removing one leg and foot from the bench, they can be encouraged to try standing on one foot. It is important to be able to stand on one leg so that they are stable when running and going up and down stairs.
Help
Children with poor stability may need added assistance from using PE wall bars to help with balance.
- The children should be asked to jump on the mat on the spot.
- They can be asked to do a variety of jumps – high, low, soft
or heavy.
Look out for
Some children with poor stability will find it very difficult to propel themselves from the mat into a jump. Reaching up for a bean bag may help them to co-ordinate their arms and legs as they attempt to jump.
Encourage
They can be encouraged to jump from a pile of three or four mats, so they can begin to feel the motion of jumping without having to propel themselves upwards.
Time
You need to allow 20 minutes for the activities in this block. Ideally a session needs to be done three times a week and will need preparation and tidying up time.
Equipment
You will need floor mats, soft balls and bean bags.
- The children should be asked to lie in the middle of the PE mat on one side in a curled up position.
- They should try to roll onto their other side, keeping the curled position and keeping their heads off the floor.
- If they can achieve this, they should then be asked to hold a curled up position lying on their backs, with their heads off
the floor.
Look out for
Many children find holding their head up quite difficult, they need to be reminded to keep their head off the floor.
Practise
If they are having a lot of difficulty raising their head in this position, ask them to practise lying on their backs and just lifting their head from the floor, while keeping their shoulders on the mat.
- Ask the children to lie on their tummies in a straight
symmetrical shape, encouraging them to identify a central
position on the mat. - They should then lift their heads up and look forward.
To discourage the children from holding their breath, ask
them to recite a song or rhyme.
Look out for
Children with a poor body image will find it difficult to anticipate
their position on the floor and those with poor spacial awareness
will find it hard to align themselves.
Remember
Remember, you are still looking for symmetrical, aligned positions.
- It is essential that the children have mastered the hands and knees activity in Block A before attempting this activity.
- When they are able to keep a stable position on their hands
and knees without locking their elbows, they should be encouraged to tuck their heads towards their tummies and
curl their backs upwards. - Then, keeping their arms and legs as still as possible, they should arch their backs and lift their heads up looking forwards.
Look out for
Children with poor core stability will find it hard to achieve both positions and will have a more neutral body position with a small amount of movement.
Encourage
If you are working with young children, they can be encouraged to make the sounds of a happy cat and angry cat as they move position.
- The children should be able to do the table position in Block A before attempting this activity.
- When the children can hold their tummies up in a flat table position without locking their elbows or holding their breath, they should attempt to lift one foot off the floor.
- Then, try the other foot.
- They can try lifting one hand and then the other, which is
more difficult.
Look out for
If the children cannot do the table position correctly in Block A, they will not be able to achieve this. Children with poor shoulder stability will let their head sag between their shoulders. Children with poor body and hip stability will not be able to raise their hips sufficiently and may push up onto their toes to try to get higher or push their head backwards.
- The children should adopt the bridge position in a row next to each other.
- You can then see if they can maintain this position while you or one of the group rolls a small ball underneath their legs.
Look out for
When your children have mastered a good stable bridge position in Block A, they can attempt this activity.
- When the children can achieve a straight log roll in Block A, you can place two mats on the floor with a mat width space in between them.
- The children can roll along one mat in a straight manner
and then maintain this roll through the gap and on to the
second mat.
Look out for
Children with poor body control will find it difficult to keep a straight role along the course of the maps and will deviate from a straight roll.
Remind
Remind the children that this activity, along with the other activities, is about slow, controlled movements.
- Ask the children to kneel up high and then to walk on their knees along the length of the mats.
- They can play follow the leader.
Look out for
Children with poor core stability will sway their shoulders and swing their arms.
Control
Try giving them a ball to hold to help them to control their upper body movement.
- Ask your children to sit centrally on the mat with their legs to one side.
- Without placing their hands on the floor, ask them to swing their legs around to the opposite side.
Look out for
Children with poor movement planning may find it difficult to move their legs without changing the position of their bottoms.
Help
It may be useful to give them cues as in Block A, to help identify where to point their knees and where to point their feet.
- When the children are able to balance on one knee with one foot forwards, as in Block A, you can walk around them asking them to maintain the position and keep a still as possible, while following you with their heads.
- You can hold up items for them to identify, for example puppets, numbers and photos of famous people.
- This can be done with a variety of things, depending on the children’s age.
Look out for
Many children find it hard to maintain a controlled stable position.
- This should only be started with children who can reliably stand on one leg and jump.
- As the children become more confident, you can ask them to hop on the spot; they should attempt to land on the same spot and then hop in a straight line.
- Once they can do this, they can try hopping on the alternate leg.
Look out for
Some children with poor core stability can find it hard to carry out this activity.
- Ask the children to jump to a fixed target with springy knees.
- This makes sure they are jumping with accuracy and maintaining their balance.
Look out for
Some children with poor core stability will find it difficult to propel themselves into a jump.
Time
You need to allow 20 minutes for the activities in this block. Ideally a session needs to be done three times a week and will need preparation and tidying up time.
Equipment
You will need floor mats, PE benches and bean bags.
- For this activity, the children should find the middle of the mat and then lie on their backs.
- They then need to curl their heads and shoulders towards their tummies and bend their knees towards their tummies.
- They should be encouraged to balance in this position for as long as possible.
Look out for
To deter the children from holding their breath, they can sing a song or recite a rhyme.
- For this activity, the children should lie on their tummies and stretch out their arms in front of them while lifting their heads; they can attempt to slightly lift their feet from the mat.
- For many children, this will be difficult to achieve without
holding their breath. - As with other activities, encouraging the children to talk or
sing will prevent them from holding their breath.
Look out for
Children, who have difficulty lifting up their arms, can practise holding a ball up in both hands.
Practise
Practise holding a ball up in both hands.
- As with Block B, the children need to be able to do a stable balanced table shape before attempting this activity.
- Once in the table position, they should try to dribble a bean bag along the mat.
Look out for
As the children become more confident, they can try to dribble the bean bag around an obstacle. You may need to keep reminding them that they need to keep their tummies up high in the table shape.
Confident
As the children become more confident, they can try to dribble the bean bag around an obstacle.
- The children should be asked to sit in a central position on
the mat. - With their legs stretched out in front of them, they should endeavour to push up with their arms to lift their bottoms
off the mat.
Look out for
The children need to make sure that their hands are by the
sides of their hips and not behind them when they attempt
to push upwards. Children who have poor core stability and balance often have tight muscles behind their knees, which
stop them straightening their knees fully. They may need to sit on a small pile of mats to enable them to keep their knees straight. Children with shorter arms may need a block under each hand to push on.
- The children should sit in the middle of the mat and try to walk on their bottoms, without bending their knees.
- They can put the mats together in a line and walk along the line.
Look out for
The children should be encouraged to do this without making too much arm movement and keeping their legs as straight as possible. The movement should come from the hips.
If the children are unable to do this movement without bending their knees, ask them to place their feet against a wall and keep their legs straight. Then, with just a very slight movement, they should push their left foot against the wall and pull the right foot away, then alternate legs.
Identify
This helps the children begin to identify movement in their hips that they need to make to achieve this activity.
- This activity is designed to help children develop crossing
their midline. - The children should sit on a PE bench and bring their left
knee up to meet their right elbow. - They should then alternate this activity with their right knee
and left elbow. - This can be made into a rhythm game or to help children
develop their left and right.
Look out for
Children need to be able to cross their midline to achieve many functional activities, such as writing and tying shoelaces.
Encourage
You may notice that the children try to twist their bodies to achieve this activity. They should be encouraged to try to keep their trunk and bottoms still.
- Like the kneeling up activity in Block B, the children should
high kneel. - This time, they should attempt to walk backwards on high knees.
Look out for
Children with poor core stability will find it difficult to do this in a straight line and may well use big movements to achieve this.
Try giving them a ball to hold. Those with poor hip stability will tend to sit back on their heals as they attempt to move.
Encourage
They should be encouraged to make small steps and keep as straight as possible. As with all activities, the children should be aiming for slow and controlled movements.
- For this activity, the children should sit with knees to one side, as in Block A and B, but this time they should lift up their hands and kneel up high and then sit their bottoms over to the opposite side.
Look out for
The activity requires a lot of strength and balance to achieve.
You may find that the children can do this on one side and not so well on the other.
Help
Initially, you may need to let them use a hand for balance on their weaker side.
- This activity is like those in Block A and B, except this time now the children are able to maintain a stable and balanced position, they should be asked to kneel alongside one another and pass a bean bag to one another.
Look out for
To extend this activity, try asking the children to retrieve the bean bag from the child to their left with their right hand behind their back and then pass it to the child on the right, with their left hand behind their back.
- This should only be attempted with children who can hop.
- Ask them to hop on one leg and then on the other.
- As the children become more confident hopping from one leg to the other, they should be asked to do this and lift their knees.
Look out for
As with many of the activities, this may take some time to accomplish; regular practice of each activity will make them more accomplishable. Children who attempt this before they can hop on both legs will gallop with one leg forward.
Practise
They should be encouraged to make small steps and keep as straight as possible. As with all activities, the children should be aiming for slow and controlled movements.
- You will need to mark a line on the mat and ask the children to line up behind it.
- Then, ask the children to do a high kangaroo jump over the line.
Look out for
Some children with poor stability will find it difficult to propel themselves into a jump.
Progress
As the children progress with this, they can run up to the line and jump over it. They can progress to running up and jumping over several lines.
Ball skills
The ball skills sections of the BEAM programme can be done at the end of a Block A, B or C session, or on their own periodically, depending on time available.
Block A ball skills
You need to allow an additional few minutes for each exercise in this block and will need balls and PE benches.
Ball skills 1
The children should sit on the floor with their hands rolling a ball between their legs.
This enables the children to feel the movement of the ball and begin to develop their hand to eye co-ordination.
Ball skills 2
Now ask the children to raise their knees and roll the ball under their knees, catching it with their hand as they roll it from side
to side.
Ball skills 3
Place a PE bench on its side.
Ask the children to roll a ball towards the bench.
They should be encouraged to think about aiming and accuracy.
Try rolling the ball with one hand and catching it with the other.
Then, they can try rolling the ball towards the bench so that it will roll back at an angle towards a friend.
Ball skills 4
Sitting on the floor, ask your children to form a circle touching their feet together to make an enclosed circle.
The children should then roll the ball towards each other.
This can be done by one child calling another child’s name and then rolling the ball towards that child.
That child then decides on a friend to roll the ball to.
Ball skills 5
Arrange the PE benches next to each other to form a track
between them.
Ask the children to roll a small ball along the track and then
run to the end of the bench to catch the ball before it reaches
the end of the track.
Confident
These activities will begin to help your children to develop confidence and accuracy with their ball skills.
Learn
This helps the children begin to make the link between how hard they have to roll the ball and how fast they need to run. This, in turn, helps to develop their skills in speed and distance.
Block B ball skills
You need to allow an additional few minutes for each exercise in this block and will need balls, PE benches, bean bags and hoops.
Ball skills 1
This is similar to Block A, except that this time, the children should roll a ball along the floor and then run past the ball to catch it.
Ball skills 2
The children should attempt to throw a bean bag into a small hoop or on to a coloured square.
This is to help them begin to improve their hand to eye co-ordination.
Ball skills 3
This involves the children dribbling a ball with their hand around the inside of a large hoop.
They should concentrate on controlling the ball and keeping a smooth motion going.
Develop
This activity allows the children to start to develop the relationship between distance and speed.
Block C ball skills
You need to allow an additional few minutes for each exercise in this block and will need balls, skipping ropes, hoops, soft fabric, bean bags and PE benches.
Ball skills 1
The children should be asked to dribble a ball or a bean bag alongside a zig-zagged skipping rope.
Then, they should be asked to dribble a ball around a large hoop.
Ball skills 2
The children should now be asked to gently kick the ball and then to run past and stop it with their foot.
Ball skills 3
This helps the children develop their throwing and catching.
They should begin by using soft fabric, such as a chiffon scarf.
They can throw the item up and then retrieve it with both hands,
away from the body.
Judge
As with all ball skills, this helps the children to begin to judge moving objects.
Control
As the children progress, they can move on to bean bags and then eventually foam balls. The emphasis is on control and they should be encouraged to make their throws small to begin with.
This will help the children begin to develop their hand to eye co-ordination.
As they become more confident, they can use balls of different sizes, textures and weights.