B. Active Living / C. Movement Competence · Active Living and Movement: Fit, Safe and Skilful

Send, Receive and Keep It: Passing, Striking and Dribbling

C1 A1.3 A1.6About 40 minutes

Learning goals

I can send and receive objects of different shapes and sizes using different body parts and equipment.
I can strike an object with a hand or a paddle and receive it with control.
I can retain (keep control of) a ball while moving by dribbling with my hand or feet or with a stick.
I can explain which way of sending or retaining works best and why.

Words to know

send
To move an object away from you, like a throw, pass, kick or hit.

receive
To get control of an object coming to you, like a catch or a trap.

retain
To keep control of an object while you move, like dribbling a ball.

strike
To hit an object with a body part or with equipment, like a hand, a paddle or a stick.

dribble
To move with a ball while keeping control of it, by bouncing it with your hand or tapping it with your feet or a stick.

chest pass
A two-handed pass pushed from your chest straight to a partner's hands.

Remember from Grade 2

In Grade 2 you learned the overhand throw, how to catch at high, medium and low levels, and how to kick and trap a ball with your foot.

This year you will add two-handed passes, more striking, especially with equipment like a paddle or a stick, and a brand-new skill: retaining, which means keeping control of a ball while you move.

Sending and receiving with your hands

Chest pass (with a medium-sized ball, like a soccer ball or playground ball):

Hold the ball at your chest, thumbs behind, fingers spread.
Step toward your partner.
Push the ball out by straightening your arms. Finish with thumbs pointing down.

Bounce pass: the same, but push the ball down so it bounces once, about two-thirds of the way to your partner.

Receiving: hands up in a target, fingers spread, then give (pull it in) as you catch.

A chest pass travels straight at chest height. A bounce pass hits the ground about two-thirds of the way to your partner, then bounces up into their hands.

Striking with your hand or equipment

Striking means hitting an object.

Hand: Keep a beach ball up in the air by tapping it with flat hands or fingertips. Bump it up with your forearms.
Paddle: Make a paddle with a paper plate taped to a paint stirrer (or use a real paddle or racquet). Tap a soft ball or beach ball up to yourself, then back and forth with a partner. Keep your wrist firm and watch the ball hit the paddle.
Stick: At the park, pass a ball back and forth with a hockey stick. Push or sweep it along the ground to your partner. Receive it by putting your stick in front of the ball and letting the stick give a little to stop it.

A red playground ball, a soccer ball, a beach ball and an orange cone on the grass of a school field. — A medium ball like a playground ball or soccer ball is good for chest and bounce passes. A light beach ball is great for practising striking with your hands. AI-generated image

Retaining: keep it while you move

Retaining means keeping control of an object while you travel, so nobody can take it and it doesn't roll away.

Hand dribble: Bounce the ball with one hand while you walk or jog. Push with your fingertips (not a slap with a flat palm).
Foot dribble: Tap the ball forward with the inside and outside of your foot, using small taps so it stays close to you.
Stick dribble: Move a ball along the ground with a hockey stick in small taps, keeping it close to the stick.
Carrying: In lacrosse, players carry the ball in the net of their stick while they run, rocking the stick to keep the ball in. This is called cradling.

Hand dribble: 1 push with your fingertips, 2 keep the ball no higher than your waist, 3 keep your eyes up, not on the ball.

Object	Send it	Receive it	Retain it
Playground ball	Chest pass, bounce pass	Hands in a target, give	Hand dribble
Soccer ball	Kick with inside of foot	Trap with sole or inside of foot	Foot dribble with small taps
Beach ball	Tap up with hands, bump with forearms	Catch or keep it going with taps	Keep it in the air with taps while walking
Soft ball and paddle	Strike with the paddle	Let it bounce, then strike back, or catch	Tap it up on the paddle as you walk
Ball and hockey stick	Push or sweep pass	Stick in front, give	Stick dribble with small taps

Objects of different shapes and sizes, sent, received and retained in different ways.

Lacrosse: a First Nations game

Lacrosse was first played by First Nations peoples, including the Haudenosaunee, long before Europeans came to North America. It has deep meaning in their cultures, and many Haudenosaunee people call it the Creator's Game. Today, lacrosse is Canada's national summer sport. Players send, receive and retain the ball using a stick with a net, which takes a lot of skill!

Safety for sending and striking

Use soft balls (foam balls, beach balls, rolled-up socks) indoors.
Keep sticks and paddles low: no big backswings near people.
Make sure your partner is ready ("Ready? Here it comes!").
Keep plenty of space between pairs. Stay away from windows and breakable things.
At the park, play on grass or a flat path away from the street.

Worked example

Let's choose the best pass

Jonah and Ava play keep-away against Jonah's brother. The brother stands between them with his arms up high. Should Jonah use a chest pass or a bounce pass? Why?

Look: The defender has his arms up high.
Think: A chest pass travels at chest height, right where his arms are. It might get blocked.
Choose: A bounce pass goes low, under his arms, then bounces up to Ava.
Do it: Jonah steps, pushes the ball down so it bounces about two-thirds of the way to Ava, and finishes with thumbs down.

A bounce pass, because it goes under the defender's raised arms. Choosing the right send for the situation is smart thinking.

Worked example

Let's fix a dribble

Emma is dribbling a ball as she walks. The ball keeps bouncing up to her chin and rolling away, and she stares at it the whole time. What should she change?

Problem 1: The ball bounces too high. Fix: push gently, keeping it at or below waist height.
Problem 2: It rolls away. Fix: use fingertips to guide it and push it slightly ahead as she walks.
Problem 3: She stares at the ball. Fix: practise looking up so she can see where she's going (peek down only when she needs to).
Practise: Dribble on the spot 20 times, then walk slowly, then jog.

Lower, softer bounces with the fingertips, and eyes up. Start slow and speed up as control gets better.

Just for fun

What did the paddle say to the ball?

"Let's keep in touch!"

Hands-on activity

Skill stations at the park (or in the yard)

You need: a playground or soccer ball, a beach ball or soft ball, a paper-plate paddle (a paper plate taped to a paint stirrer or a ruler, made with a grown-up), and a partner. Optional: a hockey stick.

Chest and bounce pass station: Stand 3 big steps apart. Do 10 chest passes and 10 bounce passes. Count the catches.
Paddle station: Tap the soft ball or beach ball up off your paddle. How many taps in a row before it falls? Try 3 times and write your best.
Dribble station: Dribble with your hand from a tree to a bench and back. Then do it with your feet (small taps). Count how many times you lose control.
Stick station (optional): Pass the ball back and forth with a hockey stick, 10 times each.
Reflect: Which station was easiest? Which do you want to practise more? Set a small goal, like "8 paddle taps in a row".

It is normal to drop the ball a lot at first. Keep trying!

Your turn

What does retain mean in physical activity?

Name two ways to send a playground ball with your hands.

Where should your thumbs point at the end of a chest pass?

When dribbling with your hand, what part of your hand should push the ball?

How do you receive a ball with a hockey stick?

Name a game that First Nations peoples played first and that is Canada's national summer sport.

Do it and check: Dribble a ball with your hand while walking 10 steps.

More practice: warm-up

Is a kick a way to send or receive?

Is a catch a way to send or receive?

Name one piece of equipment you can strike a ball with.

Should you use a soft or a hard ball indoors?

What do you call carrying a ball in a lacrosse stick while running?

More practice: on your own

Why do you use small taps when dribbling with your feet?

Your partner is far away with nobody in between. Which pass is best: chest pass or bounce pass? Why?

Why should you keep your eyes up while dribbling?

Your paddle taps keep flying off to the side. What could help?

Name an object you could keep in the air by striking it with your hands, and say why it is a good choice.

Challenge

Lily hit 4, 7 and 9 paddle taps in a row in her three tries. Her goal is 12. How many more taps does she need beyond her best? What could she practise?

Explain how dribbling with your feet, hands and a stick are alike.

Invent a 2-person game that uses one sending skill, one receiving skill and one retaining skill. Explain the rules.

Check your understanding

Quiz

Which is a way to retain a ball?

At the end of a chest pass, your thumbs point...

A bounce pass is a good choice when...

When you dribble with your hand, you push the ball with your...

Which game was first played by First Nations peoples and is Canada's national summer sport?

Which is striking?

To receive a ball with a hockey stick, you...

For parents and teachers

Big idea: Grade 3 students send and receive objects of different shapes and sizes in different ways, using different body parts and equipment, and retain objects (keep control while moving) by dribbling, carrying and similar skills. Retaining is new this year.

How to help at home:

Make a paper-plate paddle together (a grown-up handles any cutting or taping of sticks).
Visit a park with a ball and take turns at the skill stations.
Count successful passes or taps and help your child set a small goal.
Praise good technique: "Nice fingertips!", "You looked up!"

Common difficulties:

Slapping the ball when dribbling. Practise slow pushes with fingertips while standing still first.
Big kicks when foot dribbling. Say "tiny taps".
Swinging paddles or sticks too high. Keep backswings small for control and safety.

Safety: Use soft balls indoors and keep sticks low. Never play near streets or parked cars.

Indigenous connection: Lacrosse began with First Nations peoples, including the Haudenosaunee, and was named Canada's national summer sport in 1994. It has cultural and spiritual meaning for many Indigenous communities.