Level Up | Playworks

Playworks school children safely playing Evolution recess games

Any Size
Ages 6-10
None
Under 10 minutes

It’s a bird . . . It’s a plane . . . It’s a recess hero!

In Level Up, players unlock superpowers like strength, speed, and even flight. Students “level up” by winning a round of Rock Paper Scissors. They lose a level when they are the less successful player. For the chance to regain their superpowers, players simply play another round of Rock Paper Scissors with one of the other players at their level.

Use Level Up to introduce students to Rock Paper Scissors or remind them how to play. In a debrief, help students notice that winning or losing a round of Rock Paper Scissors was an opportunity to try something new, not the end of the fun.

Development Goal

Practice self-management and relationship skills.

Before You Start

Gather the whole group in an area with clear boundaries.
Explain the superpower levels in our group go in this order: Players start as “Clark Kent”, then gain super strength, then super speed, and finally flight.
Introduce the actions for each level:
- Clark Kent: hold your hands up as eyeglasses; you are a superhero in disguise
- Super strength: flex your biceps and say “oh yeah”
- Super speed: walk with “fire feet” (tiny steps) and move your running arms quickly
- Flight: put a fist up in the air as if you were a superhero taking lifting off
Model moving between levels in the correct order.
Let students know that they go up a level by playing Rock Paper Scissors (also known as Ro Sham Bo or Jun Ken Po). Make sure that everyone knows how to play Rock Paper Scissors.
Remind players that they can only do Rock Paper Scissors with someone who is at the same level of superpower. This encourages players to interact with many different people, not just their friends.

How to Play

Everyone begins as Clark Kent.
Players mix up, pair up and play Rock Paper Scissors.
The person who wins “levels up” to the next superpower. The person who did not win goes down a level.
If the player is already Clark Kent, they remain Clark Kent.
Players pair up again with someone who has the same superpower.
When a player evolves all the way to flight, that player is finished and can fly around the area.
Game ends when all the players are also superheroes or when the time limit is up.

Variations

Allow players who lose Rock Paper Scissors to remain at their current stage of evolution. This makes the game go a little faster.
To keep the game moving, have players continue to play Rock, Paper, Scissors once they reach the flight power.
For younger students, simplify to two or three levels only.
For older students, add more levels for a challenge round. Try adding a forcefield or a power from this year’s blockbuster superhero movie.