The Class Moves! is a classroom-based exercise method that supports teachers’ daily teaching practice. By using brief assignments as a didactic instrument, the teacher creates an open and positive atmosphere that is focused on learning and concentrating.
The method supports sensory-motor development in children. Because it encourages children to collectively discover how many possible ways there are to move, this increases their enthusiasm to move purposefully, individually, and as a group, throughout the whole school day.
Material
The Class Moves!consists of seven calendars and seven guides; you need one of these pairs for each grade in primary school (although grades 1 and 2 have been combined). Each calendar includes nine months, and each calendar page introduces a new movement theme. In February, for example, the main theme for all grades is stability, whereas September is devoted to expressing emotions, and March is about balance.
The level of difficulty of the exercises is adapted to the developmental level of the children, and therefore varies by grade. The tenth month, which is included in all the calendars except for grades 1 and 2, is meant to repeat all of the exercises from the previous months.
Learning Objectives
The Class Moves! integrates seamlessly with a wide range of learning objectives that are pursued in primary education, namely:
• a safe working posture
• social and emotional development
• self-expression
• physical self-awareness
• promoting health
• motor development
In addition to the English version, this method is also available in Dutch (De klas beweegt!), Welsh (Symud Y Dosbarth!), and German (Klasse in Bewegung!®).
Translation for special education
In Wales, a new variant of the programme The Class Moves! has been created. This version has been specifically adapted for the mentally disabled, and was developed following the huge success of The Class Moves! in Wales. In 2002, the method was introduced in every primary school in Wales.
This special version for the mentally disabled is now also available in Dutch, for special education in the Netherlands.
