Game sense is a new approach to teaching children sports that focuses on understanding games tactically and technically rather than just playing. It encourages players to think and talk about all aspects of play to develop a deeper comprehension. Using game sense can motivate and engage students more in learning skills and concepts because they better understand how it applies to the actual game. The document discusses using this method to teach primary school students games in target, striking, net/wall and invasion categories.

2. Game sense refers to a new way of teaching
children sports. The emphasis is on teaching
games for understanding rather than just
doing.

3. Game sense encourages players to think and
talk about both the tactical and technical
aspects of play to allow for a deeper
understanding of the game being played (Light,
2006).

4. By using game sense as a teaching method,
students can be more motivated and
enthusiastic about learning the concepts and
skills of a game for a better understanding and
ultimately be a better participant and player
in the game.

5. In my experience in teaching PE to my primary
aged students, I have found that students
simply want to play the game without fully
understanding the skills and tactics that are
involved in the game. Therefore, they don’t
want to spend time practicing the individual
skills as they don’t understand how they fit
into the game.

6. To combat this I plan to
thoroughly explain how and why
learning individual skills are
useful and how and why they can
be incorporated in the game that
is being learnt and played.

7. Children seem to become bored and
disinterested in doing drills and simply skill
based activities and simply want to get on with
playing the game. Perhaps the students do not
fully understand why they are taking part in a
particular drill or activity and hence will not
be able to transfer the skill back into the game
(Mandigo, Butler & Hopper, 2007). Again
students need to be made thoroughly aware of
why they are learning and practicing the skills
so that they can successfully use the skills in a
game setting.

8. I will be using the game sense approach when
teaching the PDHPE syllabus, in particular
when teaching games from the 4 four game
categories-
•target games
•striking games
•net/wall games
•invasion games

9. Light, R. (2006). Game sense: Innovation
or just good coaching? Journal of Physical
Education New Zealand, 39(1), 8-19,3.
Mandigo, J., Butler, J., & Hopper, T.
(2007). What is Teaching Games for
Understanding? A Canadian
perspective. Physical And Health Education
Journal, 73(2), 14.