Teaching Cricket in Primary Schools

Breaking Boundaries: Teaching Cricket in Primary Schools

As summer fast approaches (hopefully bringing the sunny weather with it), so do the ‘summer sports’ in PE. Traditionally, these are activities such as athletics, tennis, rounders and cricket. Each of these activities comes with different challenges when teaching in primary schools. However, primary school teachers often see cricket as the most daunting of all these summer sports.

Cricket is often seen as a very technical, elitist, and complex sport, requiring a high level of teacher expertise to deliver. It is also viewed as needing an extensive amount of kit and a large amount of space to play. These factors mean many schools avoid putting cricket on their curriculum in favour of other activities.

I will use my experience of teaching primary school PE and coaching cricket for over ten years to try and dispel some of the myths by giving you 5 tips for teaching cricket in primary PE lessons.

1) Lots of the ‘right’ type of equipment

One of the common misconceptions about cricket is the need for expensive and specialised equipment. Whilst this may be the case in the club game, it is not in primary schools. All you need to deliver cricket in your school are some ‘Kwik cricket’ sets. These sets of plastic bats, balls, and wickets are lightweight, safe, easy to use and designed specifically for primary-aged children.

If possible, try to have a range of different-sized bats available for children to choose from. Tennis rackets and paddle bats are also great to use as they have a larger surface areas to strike with, leading to more success when hitting. You can also use tennis balls, as they are a good mix of soft and bouncy, perfect for kwik cricket!

2) Space

Another challenge teachers face when teaching cricket is the lack of space. Although this issue can apply to many different activities, cricket is commonly seen as being played on a field over a large area.

However, cricket can be played in various settings, from playgrounds to gyms or even smaller indoor areas. Thinking carefully about the focus for the activity and adapting it to fit in a smaller space makes it achievable in a primary school setting. For example, if working on batting or bowling, organising the batter or bowler within a circle and sending the ball outwards means more children can practise a skill safely at the same time.

3) Objective focus

Cricket is often seen as a complicated game involving many specialised skills. Deciding what to teach can be very difficult, as the skills often seem interlinked, making it hard to know where to start.

To help overcome this, it is essential to be very clear about which skill the lesson’s focus is and ensure that the children have plenty of opportunities to practice and improve that skill. For example, if the focus of a session is batting, then how the ball is fed to a batter does not matter. It can be overarm, underarm or off a cone or tee. The main priority is that the batter has plenty of opportunities to hit the ball, as that is the focus.

4) Technique vs success

Cricket can be an incredibly technical game, which is a major contributor to why many teachers do not want to teach it. However, this does not have to be the case. Teaching cricket in primary schools starts with talking about the fundamental skills. These are throwing, catching and striking.

Securing these three skills will allow the children to experiment with different shots, bowling styles, and fielding techniques without fear of failure. When introducing a new skill, limit the number of teaching points needed to complete the skill to 3 or 4. Ultimately, it is about striking the right balance between teaching technique and fostering enjoyment for the game.

5) Small-sided cricket games

A typical view of teaching cricket in primary schools is that there is a lot of standing around, waiting for something to happen! This isn’t the case and shouldn’t be so in your PE lessons. The best way to engage pupils and keep them active during cricket lessons is to have a small group size in any activity or game.

Having smaller numbers makes rotating between different roles quicker and easier, meaning children aren’t waiting for ages to have a go at bowling or batting. They will also be more likely to field a ball as there are fewer fielders. Playing small games not only makes cricket more accessible but also promotes inclusivity and active participation among children.

In conclusion, teaching cricket in primary schools doesn’t have to be intimidating. Nobody expects the children to be test-match players by the end of the unit. Primary cricket is about learning the basics of bowling, batting, and fielding. Using the tips in this blog, you can inspire a new generation of cricket enthusiasts and break down the barriers that may have once stood in the way.  For more information on how to adapt and differentiate your PE lessons, check out our blog on the STEP principle in PE.

This is the first in a series of blog posts I will share about teaching primary PE lessons with practical hints and tips for all teachers.

All the best,

Jack