Session Design for Attention and Enjoyment
This domain tests whether you can hold attention, keep children active, and build enjoyment so they return.
Core rules
- Expect short attention spans. Plan 5–10 minute activity blocks for ages 6–9 and 10–15 minute blocks for ages 10–12, with transitions under 30 seconds.
- Maximise activity time: small groups, one ball per child where possible, stations rather than long lines.
- Use game-based learning to embed skills in play; children remember what they enjoy and repeat what they remember.
- Support autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Offer choices, pitch tasks at success-plus-one, and build team rituals.
- End on a high note. A cool-down can be a calm game, not a lecture.
Worked example
A 45-minute session for 8-year-olds: 5-minute tag warm-up, 8 minutes of station-based skipping and hopping, 10 minutes of a throwing game with 3 v 3 teams, 7 minutes of a relay, 5 minutes of free choice, and 5 minutes of calm breathing and review. Skills are practised inside games, not in queues.
Traps
Long lines; elimination games that leave the least skilled sitting out; over-lecturing; changing rules mid-game without explanation; and confusing fun with a lack of structure.