Fun Lesson Ideas for Kids

[LadyArtisan]

My daughter has a new pony.
Its a Piebald 12 year old mare, quite green, probably driven in its past, safe in traffic, but not 'helpful' in the school.
My girl needs to have FUN in the school.
The first couple of weeks she smiled, then she had a fall and after weeks of trying various things this week she smiled again, when playing a game in the school.
The game was "Let me guess what transition you are going to make each time you move through the centre line" (on a figure of 8).
Of course, I couldnt guess!!
The pony enjoyed the multiple changes, the little girl enjoyed the game.
I need ideas to help me keep the pony motivated, help the little girl forget 'learning to ride' but instead to enjoy 'riding;.
Can you give me your favourite games you played when learning to ride;
guess the transition
guess the change of rein
remember the letters of the school, (All King Edwards......)
obstacle course etc

Ideas and games and help appreciated;

Cheers

[laceyfreckle]

my 8 yr od likes trying to 'draw' letters in the school with her pony (any pace) - especially likes writing the letters of her name - really gets the pony listening to her and her thinking about bend

[essexgirl]

We play traffic lights - red = stop/stand, amber = walk and green = trot/canter. I stand and shout colours and my daughter makes all the transitions. Keeps her happy for a while and does the pony good with all the transitions.

[*-crazy-chaz-*]

there was this game i played when i was having lessons at my old riding school.

>you are trotting around on the track (or if she's in there on her own, she could be going anywhere)
>when you(or the teacher shouts "HALT!" Then she has to stop the horse, get off the wrong side and get back on the right side.

>REPEAT:D

or is she a little too young for that, do you think?

o well, at least you'll know it for when she's older now!:D;)

[LadyArtisan]

These are all great ideas, thanks.
I like the idea of shouting out a word made up from the letters of the school & her having to ride from one letter to another, touching the letters, each time in a different gait. ie CHAP, HEAR, it will get interesting with words that require turns on the forehand or changes of rein, like PEAK, PEAR, PARK, FEAR, MASK etc etc

We are lucky to have a long arena, not quite 60m but I can at least teach her the odd letters & if I add the invisible ones, we can make it even more interesting.

I have to build in transitions, maybe some sort of hangman, where I have to guess the word & if I dont get it, receive a forfeit.

[TheHoglet]

i play a coupple of games with my sister on her pony, i put her on the lunge line and play a money game where she starts of with £100 balancing on the lunge line and when she lets the line drop to the floor she loses £5, it teaches her to steer and concentrate on riding instead of thinking what she's going to have for tea.
to teach kids how to trot theres a Grand old duke of york game which i piked up from my work experiance at the riding school. you sing the ryhme when the pony is in trot and when you sing "he marched them up to the top of the hill and he marched them down again" they have to stand up and down as if they were marching and then when you say "when they were up they were up" they have to stand in the stirrups and "when they were down they were down"-sitting trot, "and when they were only half way up"- jumping position, "they were neither up nor down"- quickly go up then down.

hope you have fun x :D

[Anro]

these sound like really cool ideasim going to try them some day!