KEY INFORMATION
Recommended age group: 7–11
Time required: two 45–60 minute sessions
Equipment: Paralympic Movement presentation, Paralympic timeline activity sheet and Paralympic inspiration presentation (optional).
ACTIVITY IDEA
Use the Paralympic Movement presentation (below), best of the London 2012 Paralympic Games film and the BPA website to explore and discuss the inspirational story of the Paralympic Movement.
- Cut out the dates from the Paralympic Timeline activity sheet and events and ask the children to order them into a timeline, showing significant events in the development of the Paralympic Movement.
- Encourage children to use the timeline facts and their own research to make a short presentation, work of art or write a story – about the amazing journey that has been made since the pioneering days of Ludwig Guttmann and his work at Stoke Mandeville to open up new opportunities for aspiring athletes and disabled people. Some students may also find the Paralympic Inspiration presentation useful, providing key quotes and symbols surrounding the Movement.
Differentiation
- Older/more able children can carry out further research, in addition to using the timeline sheet, and add three other important dates or events of their own.
- For additional challenge, encourage students to explore the UNs contributions to the journey of the Paralympic Movement, for example with the Convention on the Rights of the Disabled Person.
Make it active
- Make a living timeline of sports. Working in small groups ask students to select a Paralympic sport and find out when it was added to the Paralympic programme. The groups should then develop a short mime of their chosen sport, then order themselves into an active timeline – take a walk through time!