Reception Set Sail on a New Dance Adventure in PE!

This week, Reception began their brand‑new PE topic — Dance — and what an exciting start it was! The children jumped straight into the theme with a brilliant pirate‑themed warm‑up game that had everyone moving, stretching and giggling.

To warm up their bodies, the children practised using high and low movements, pretending to be pirates sailing the seas. One of the favourite moments was the “submarine” move, where children lay on their backs with one leg stretched high like a periscope. Another popular challenge was “scrub the decks” — getting as low as possible while keeping in control of their movements. These playful actions helped build strength, balance and coordination.

🏃‍♂️🎶 Moving Like Pirates

In the main part of the lesson, the children explored different ways to move like pirates, using fundamental skills such as skipping, hopping and jumping — all in time to the music. They then paired up to perform for each other, showing confidence and creativity. Each partner gave feedback on the movements they liked best before swapping over, helping the children learn to watch, listen and respond to others.

🌟 Why PE Matters in Early Years

This lesson wasn’t just fun — it provided so many important benefits for our youngest learners:

• Physical development: improving balance, coordination and core strength
• Listening and attention skills: knowing when to move, when to stop and how to follow instructions
• Social skills: taking turns, watching each other perform and giving kind feedback
• Confidence-building: encouraging children to express themselves through movement

PE in Reception lays the foundation for a healthy, active lifestyle while supporting key Early Years curriculum goals.

The children had a fantastic time and are already looking forward to next week’s session. Well done, Reception — what wonderful little dancers you are becoming! 🌟💫

If you’d like a shorter version for a newsletter or a more playful one for social media, I can create that too!