Kids on the Ball: Using Swiss Balls in a Complete Fitness Program

They're colorful, big, and enticing. In recent years, innovative teachers have introduced the Swiss Ball, previously used primarily for therapy, into educational settings. Now you can use this unique tool to help children develop balance, coordination, rhythm, and fitness skills.

In Kids on the Ball the authors, three physical educators and a physical therapist,
-explain the benefits of using Swiss Balls,

-describe activities using the ball,

-include step-by-step instructions, reproducibles, and written objectives,

-discuss modifications for special needs students (mainstreamed or not),

-address safety procedures, management, and care of the ball,

-provide curriculum ideas for incorporating the Swiss Ball into your present program,

-integrate Gardner's Theory of Multiple Intelligences and different learning styles, and

-list content standards and benchmarks (NASPE and APENS).
The book presents 23 complete lesson plans and 118 activities that have been successfully used by teachers in physical education classes. Virtually all of these activities can be used in inclusive settings.

The activities cover the spectrum, including balance, coordination, rhythm and dance, flexibility, muscular strength and cardiorespiratory fitness, manipulative skills, and even games. The activity finder makes using the book a breeze.

This unique piece of inexpensive, low-impact equipment adds variety to your program and provides valuable benefits to your students, so get on the ball!

Anne R. Spalding is a recognized expert on integrating Swiss Balls into classroom settings. A physical education teacher in Boulder, Colorado, she has extensive training in developmentally appropriate practices and makes presentations on the use of Swiss Balls. Ms. Spalding is the coauthor of Physical Education Lesson Plans: Second to Fourth Grade Program, Basic Biomechanical Principles and Fundamental Movement Skills (1987). She also has done work in the area of integrating classroom academics into the gymnasium. Her adaptive teaching experience includes the areas of MPH, REACH, Non-Categorical, EBD, and LD students. She is a member of the American Alliance of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the Colorado Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CAHPHERD). Ms. Spalding was a 1997 recipient of the ""Torch Award"" from the American Heart Association.

Linda Kelly has taught physical education in the Boulder Valley Public Schools since 1972. She has used Swiss Balls extensively in her teaching since 1991. Ms. Kelly has presented numerous workshops on the use of Swiss Balls. She is the recipient of teaching awards from numerous organizations, including the Foundation for Boulder Valley Schools, the Public Service Corporation, and the Colorado Heart Association. She is a member of the AAHPERD and CAHPERD.

Janet Santopietro is an Early Childhood Physical Education Specialist in Arvada, Colorado, where she contracts with area preschools to teach physical education and movement to children ages two through kindergarten. Since 1991 she has included Swiss balls in her program. Ms. Santopietro speaks at numerous conferences and workshops that deal with early childhood education. She is a member of CAHPERD and a frequent contributor to its Communicator and Journal, Ms. Santopietro is also a member of the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and the Colorado AEYC.

Joanne Posner-Mayer is recognized internationally as an expert on therapeutic Swiss Ball applications. After graduating from the University of Colorado physical therapy school, she practiced in Switzerland for seven years, working with pioneering therapists using the ball. In 1980, while working at the University Orthopedic Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, she began lecturing on the therapeutic uses of the Swiss Ball. Since returning to the United States in the early 1980s, Ms. Mayer has taught at the University of Colorado Physical Therapy School, practiced as a physical therapist in various orthopedic and neurological settings, and has continued to lecture extensively in her area of expertise. Ms. Mayer has produced three instructional videos on exercise techniques using the Swiss Ball and has authored two previous books on Swiss Ball exercises.