Equipment needed: One medium size ball. A soft dodgeball is perfect.
Use the cones to create boundaries for a field with two end zones.
Divide the players into two even teams.
Explain the rules and have players explain them back to you.
Have one player from each team do Ro Sham Bo (also called Rock Paper Scissors) to determine who will have possession first.
Line both teams up on each baseline of the field.
Set Up:
Mark off a large open playing field in the shape of a rectangle with cones.
How To Play:
On the leader’s signal, the team starting on defense throws the ball to the offensive team.
One player from the offense either catches the ball or picks it up where it lands, and tries to pass it to one of his/her teammates.
When anyone on either team has the ball, s/he can only use one foot to move, pivoting around the other foot which must be planted on the ground. They cannot take steps or run with the ball.
The offense tries to advance the ball down the field with passes, and scores a point if one of the team members catches the ball in the end zone.
The defense tries to block or knock down the ball to gain possession. If a ball is knocked down or intercepted, play of the game is switched and the defense now becomes the offense, heading toward their end zone.
Players may not touch each other, even while playing defense and must keep a safe distance from the player with the ball.
Variations:
Use different colored jerseys if necessary to clarify the teams, as directions change often in this game and players may get confused.
For those just learning the game, allow one or two steps when they are throwing the ball.
Change the ball to a football, making it a lead-up game to Football.
Change the ball to a frisbee for more skilled players. This game is called Ultimate Frisbee.
Pick an object such as a bean bag or a small stone that will be thrown on the squares.
Number the squares one through ten (or until there is no more.)
Explain the rules of play. Have the players explain the rules back to you.
Set Up:
Use the lines on a playground or use chalk to create a hopscotch as shown in the picture.
How To Play:
Hopscotch can be played with one or more people.
Players take turns, standing in a line at the start/finish line.
Each player will go through the following steps:
Toss a stone in square one. Hop over the stone on the way out and pick it up on the way back.
If the player misses the toss, pass the stone to the next player in line and return to the back of the line.
Hop in the first empty hopscotch square. Balance on one foot in single squares and both feet in side-by-side squares.
If the player, loosing his/her balance or steps on a line, s/he returns to the line.
On the way back to the start/finish line, pause at the square before the stone. Bend over and pick up the stone without moving feet.
Once the player's turn is complete, s/he passes the stone to the next player in line and goes to the end of the line.
After each player successfully completes a turn with the stone in square one, their next turn s/he tosses the stone in square two and so on until the player has completed all ten squares.
Variations:
Simplify the game by having players hop through the hopscotch without a stone to pick up.
When using chalk to create the hopscotch, you can change the shape, size, and/or length.
Set a time limit, making the game Speed Hopscotch.
Ask for two volunteers. Assign both of them to be 'it'. They become 'The Blob' and must link elbows.
Demonstrate safe tagging:
Light touch, like a butterfly wings, on the back or shoulders.
Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall.
Demonstrate with volunteers how to move with a partner--working together, moving safely--how to link when you are tagged--at the elbows--and how to separate when there are four people in 'The Blob'--splitting into two separate groups of two by the two players in the middle releasing elbows.
Make sure the students understand the rules, boundaries and the importance of safety.
Spread students out within playing area.
Set Up:
Designate a playing area large enough run in.
How To Play:
When play begins, 'The Blob' moves together--keeping elbows linked--and trys to tag the rest of the players.
When someone is tagged, s/he links elbows with the tagger, becoming part of 'The Blob.'
When a fourth player is tagged, 'The Blob' then separates into two separate Blobs.
Every time a Blob becomes four players it splits; two players detach creating two separate Blobs.
Play continues until all of the players become part of Blobs.
If a player runs out of bounds while trying to avoid 'The Blob', s/he must then connect with the nearest Blob and continue to play.
The last two players can then become the first Blob for the next game.
Variations:
If everyone is playing safely, the 'The Blob' can stay connected and continue to grow bigger and bigger until all the players are tagged. Challenge the class to stay together when they move.
If linking elbows is too challenging, consider linking hands. (Note: some students may perfer the term 'linking hands' to 'holding hands'.)
To develop non-verbal communication, social comfort and teamwork.
Equipment:
None
Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Body awareness and pantomiming.
Divide the group evenly into two or more teams.
Have the group spread out so that they cannot overhear the surrounding teams.
Review the basics of charades.
One person will act out a word or phrase without speaking while the team is trying to guess the word.
Show an example.
How To Play:
Start a charades race and name the categories such as fast food, electrical appliances and cartoon heroes.
Teams compete against each other trying to be the first to guess all of the items on the list.
To start ask one member from each team to come to you. Whisper the first word into their ear and return them to their group to be acted out.
Once a member of the group guesses the word correctly, someone new runs to the instructor for the next word. No one can come up twice until everyone has acted out an item from the list.
The new member must tell the instructor the word they just guessed to receive the next word from the list.
The game is over once a team completes the entire list.
To develop hand-eye coordination & spatial awareness.
Equipment:
Footballs
Equipment:
Hula Hoops
Equipment:
Jerseys
Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Running, agility, and spatial awareness.
Divide students into pairs.
Make sure the hula hoops have enough space between each other.
Remind kids to keep their head and eyes up to prevent running into another person
Set Up:
Designate a large play area with clear boundaries that has enough room for students to run.
How To Play:
Hula hoops are scattered about the play area with one football in each hula hoop and partners should be seated by their hula hoop.
On your signal to begin, all players move around the play area, grabbing footballs (one at a time) from other hula hoops (not their own) and return it to their own hoop.
Players are not allowed to “guard” the football(s) in their hoop.
The first team to get four footballs in their own hula hoop should yell “Bingo” and a new round will begin.
To develop cooperation and decision making skills.
Equipment:
Chalk
Equipment:
Cones
Equipment:
Dodgeballs
Equipment:
Tennis Balls
Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Fine motor skills and strength perception.
Equipment Needed: Golf Balls/ Tennis Balls, Hockey Sticks, Chalk and Cones.
Demonstrate safety with hockey sticks and golf balls.
Review the course and point out which obstacles to look out for.
Group students into teams of two or three, each team should determine an order that allows them all to take turns.
Players should be able to tell you how to play, taking turns and maintaining safety.
Set Up:
Look around your yard and create a mini golf layout. Find hills, divots, ramps, stairs, planter boxes, tables etc. to utilize as obstacles. To create a course, mark each hole with a number, 1-18. A standard golf course has 18 holes so adapt to what your space permits. Each hole should have a tee box, a place to start, and a cup/cone where each hole ends.
How To Play:
Each team will receive one ball and one hockey stick.
You may use Rock Paper Scissors to determine which team will tee off first.
The object of the game is to hit your ball into the cup in the fewest amount of tries.
Once all teams have teed off, the team furthest from the hole should be hitting.
If the ball advances past another team, the team who is now furthest from the hole gets a turn.
If the ball fails to advance past another team, that team hits again until they are no longer the team furthest from the hole.
Players should be taking turns hitting the ball for their team.
Each team needs to count how many hits it takes to get the ball from the tee into the hole.
Variations:
Use a Frisbee instead of a golf ball.
Play a Scramble: All players get to hit every time it is the team’s turn. Once all have hit the ball the team decides which ball it will use to take their next hit. All other players pick up their balls. Everyone gets to hit again from that spot when it is their team’s turn. The team must use each person’s hit at least once.
To practice working together as a team while playing both offense and defense.
Equipment:
Cones
Equipment:
Dodgeballs
Equipment:
Hula Hoops
Equipment:
Jerseys
Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Running, accuracy, hand eye coordination and spatial awareness.
Split the group into two teams.
Identify the play area (large enough for players to run) so that everyone understands the boundaries.
Tell players that Castle Ball is like building a “house of cards” out of four to six hula hoops or cones. The structure will stand on its own but will fall when a ball strikes any part of it.
Begin by showing the players how to build a castle. Teams can place one hula hoop on the floor and use four hula hoops to form the sides, adding another one on the top.
Allow players to practice building castles until they can do it themselves.
Demonstrate safe throws--low to the ground so that it can hit the castle and avoids other players' faces.
Set Up:
Use cones to mark clear boundaries for play--a large rectangle that is split in the middle, such as a basketball court.
How To Play:
Play begins with both teams have built one (or more depending on number of players and hula hoops) castles on their side of the play area.
Soft foam dodgeballs--approximately one ball per five players or as available--are used to attempt to knock down the other team's castle while protecting your own.
One point is awarded each time a castle is knocked down, even if a player bumps into his/her own castle.
Castles that are knocked down should be set up as quickly as possible so players can continue playing. The other team may not throw at a castle while it is being built.
The game is separated by a center line, which players cannot cross to retrieve a ball.
Players should be encouraged to pass the ball to teammates to surprise the defenders or to make sure everyone gets to throw the ball.
In defending the castle, players should be alert, on the balls of their feet, and cooperate with their teammates to form strategies that will best defend their “castles”.
Once all castles are knocked down a new round is started.
Variations:
If many hula hoops are available and teams are large, have each team maintain 2-3 castles.
If a lot of space is available, you can have multiple games going on at the same time, with teams of three-on-three or four-on-four.
To develop teamwork, listening skills, cooperation and strategic thinking skills.
Before You Start:
Skills Practiced: Spatial awareness, running, agility and evasion.
Equipment Needed: A quarter or any small object that will fit inside a fist.
Divide the students into two teams.
Demonstrate safe tagging:
- Light touch, like butterfly wings on the shoulder.
- Unsafe tags: hard contact that might cause the person being tagged to fall.
Set Up:
A football field or a rectangle-shaped area with two end zones.
How To Play:
Each team gets four tries/downs to move the quarter from one end zone to the other.
The offensive team huddles up and chooses one student to hold the quarter.
Both teams line up facing each other, standing shoulder to shoulder behind their respective end zones.
The Coach or any offensive player says “hike” or “go”, and the offensive team tries to get into the end zone, while the defense tries to safely tag all the offensive players.
Once tagged, offensive players must freeze where they are. When everyone on the offensive team has been tagged or has made it to the end zone, the player with the quarter raises their hand.
If the player with the quarter makes it to the end zone without being tagged, their team has scored one point and must turnover possession to the other team.
If the player with the quarter is tagged another round/down is played. The offensive team lines up for their next try at the yard line where the player with the quarter was tagged.
The offensive team can huddle and secretly change who is carrying the quarter each round/down.
The defensive team lines up behind their end zone for every round/down.
If a touchdown is not scored within four downs, it is an automatic turnover and the other team gets four tries from the where the last team ended.
If a touchdown is scored, the defensive team gets to start with the quarter from the end zone.
Variations:
Allow the offense only three tries for a shorter field.
