Core Skills Analysis
Health and Physical Education
Arrie participated in a one-hour physiotherapy session that developed movement, balance, coordination and body awareness through crash-mat play, trampoline activities, a stomp rocket and bean-bag tossing. She briefly maintained a single-leg stance for 1–2 seconds during the stomp-rocket activity and experienced one mild fall on the crash mat. The session also observed that Arrie used toe walking for approximately 90–95% of the observation period, showed instability while walking and did not complete the prompted dorsiflexion movement during bean-bag play. Her willingness to engage in sensory-seeking activities and selected games suggested that playful, motivating contexts supported her participation.
English
Arrie participated in the Spot It/I Know You game with the physiotherapist and social worker, practising attention to shared interaction and responding within a game structure. She also worked on a friend book and completed the first four letters of the alphabet. This activity gave her an opportunity to practise letter sequence, early written communication and creating a personal text about friendship. Completing part of the book showed engagement with a structured literacy task alongside movement-based activities.
Mathematics
Arrie encountered early mathematical ideas through turn-taking games, movement repetitions and the ordered sequence of the first four alphabet letters. The Spot It/I Know You game required her to attend to visual information and participate in a shared activity, while the stomp-rocket and bean-bag tasks created opportunities to notice timing, position and movement. The session did not provide evidence of formal counting, calculation or measurement, so these mathematical connections remained informal and activity-based.
Science
Arrie explored how her body moved in response to different sensory and physical environments, including the crash mat, trampoline, stomp rocket and bean-bag activity. Observations focused on balance, gait, posture, toe walking, instability and the attempted dorsiflexion movement. She experienced cause-and-effect relationships as actions such as jumping, stomping and tossing produced movement outcomes. The session provided practical observation of human movement without testing a formal scientific hypothesis.
Personal and Social Capability
Arrie engaged with adults in a Spot It/I Know You game and participated in a friend-book task, both of which supported shared attention, communication and social connection. She accepted some movement challenges while declining prolonged single-leg stance and a prompted dorsiflexion component. These responses provided useful information about her participation preferences and the value of offering choice, playful contexts and gradual physical demands. The mild fall and observed gait instability also highlighted the importance of attentive adult support during movement activities.
Tips
Tips: Build future practice around Arrie’s preferred sensory activities, using short, playful movement challenges followed by a motivating choice. Try a visual sequence of four to six stations, such as trampoline, crash mat, stomp rocket, bean-bag target and friend-book writing, while recording duration or repetitions without pressuring her to continue a refused task. For literacy extension, add one letter and one simple word or drawing at a time to the friend book. Keep balance activities close to safe support surfaces and follow the physiotherapist’s guidance, particularly in relation to toe walking, gait instability and dorsiflexion.
Book Recommendations
- From Head to Toe by Eric Carle: A movement-focused picture book that invites children to imitate different animal actions and notice how their bodies move.
- The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle: A repetitive picture book that supports shared attention, sequencing and participation in a predictable reading routine.
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. and John Archambault: A rhythmic alphabet story that connects naturally with Arrie’s friend-book work on the first four letters.
Learning Standards
- English AC9E3LY01: Arrie planned and created part of an informal personal text through the friend book, practising ordered letters and early written communication.
- Science AC9SPS01: The session involved observing how body movements changed across the crash mat, trampoline, stomp rocket and bean-bag activities.
- Mathematics AC9M3M01: The activities offered informal comparison of movement duration and balance performance, including a 1–2 second single-leg stance; no formal metric measurement was recorded.
- WACAO alignment note: The listed Year 3 codes are the closest provided matches for a 10-year-old’s activity, but this session alone does not demonstrate every element of those standards. Physiotherapy observations should be interpreted by the treating professionals rather than used as a diagnosis.
Try This Next
- Create a four-letter friend-book worksheet with one letter, picture and movement for each page.
- Make a simple movement chart recording the activity, number of turns and whether Arrie chose to repeat it.
- Use picture cards for safe actions such as jump, stomp, toss and stop, then invite Arrie to sequence three cards.
- Play an alphabet Spot It game using only the first four letters practised in the friend book.