Foursquare Categories

  1. Ball Games
  2. Recess Games
  3. Rotational Games

  • Any Size

  • Grades 3-5

  • Bouncy Balls

  • Less Than 10 minutes

The old playground favorite with a TWIST! Challenge your students’ minds by incorporating academic concepts while playing standard foursquare. Simple math problems, sight words, and even science terminology can be the focus as your students bounce the ball around the grid.

Goal

To name an item that belongs to a chosen category before hitting the ball into another player’s square.

Before You Start

  • Explain that this game is similar to Foursquare.
  • Ask players to recall the rules of Foursquare, or review them together.
  • Explain what a category is and give a few examples, such as fruits or animals. Ask players to name items that belong in each category and suggest other categories.

Set Up

  • Set up a Foursquare court (one large square divided evenly into four smaller squares).
  • One player starts in each square and the other players wait in the recycle line for their turn.

How to Play

  • Follow the standard rules of Foursquare, with one additional rule: Players must name an item in the chosen category before hitting the ball out of their square.
  • The server announces a category, such as fruits, to begin the round.
  • The server names an item in that category (e.g., apple) and serves the ball into another player’s square.
  • The receiving player names a different item in the same category (e.g., pear) before hitting the ball into another square.
  • Play continues, with each player naming a new item in the category before hitting the ball.
  • In addition to the regular rules of Foursquare, a player gets Recycled out of the game (goes to the end of the line) if:
    • They name something outside the category.
    • They repeat an item already named.
  • The round ends when a player makes a mistake and leaves the court.  The remaining players advance to fill the gaps. The first player in line steps in as the new server and announces a category for the next round. Categories may be repeated.

Variations

For younger players, you may need to give them a few simple categories to pick from, such as colors, animals or shapes.