Instant Activities

Foot-tag:
This is a wonderful instant activity to get the heart pumping  The idea of this game is to hit
your partners foot as many times as you can with a soft kusch ball.  To get this game started
do the following:  Have the students partner up.  Next, give each student one of the kusch
balls.  Then have the partners spread out throughout the designated play area.  Make sure the
play area is big because this game requires the student to run, jump, sprint and constantly stay
in motion..  When each student and his partner have spread out throughout the play area let
the game start.  Rules: Remember, each student is only to hit his partner’s foot, no one else.
Students may only hit their partners foot, no other part of the body.  Students must stay in the
designated play area.
Equipment: Four cones to designate boundaries.  One soft kusch ball for each student.


Pac Man:
 Remember the video game Pac Man?  Just like the name, it is the same exact game as the old
video game.  Select a couple of students to be Pac man and then have the rest of the students
be ghosts.  Next, have all the ghosts find a place on a line anywhere in the gym.  Once all the
students have found a place on a line tell them to all freeze and sit down.  Make sure that all
students are evenly spread throughout the gym.  Now that all the ghosts are sitting down,
explain to them that they can move all over the gym, but the only way they can do this is by
staying on gym lines.  Not only is this the only way they can move about the gym, but they
cannot jump from line to line.  They need to walk from line to line to another.  The point of the
game for all ghosts is to not get tagged.  It is the job of the Pac man to tag as many ghosts as
he possibly can.  All the rules ghosts must follow apply to the Pac man as well. If a ghost is
tagged by a pac man than he or she needs to go to the given jail area and either do six sit-ups
or six push-ups.  While doing this, the jailed ghost must spell out PAC MAN.  So one push-up
equals p, the second pushup equals a and so on.  After the ghost has spelled out pac man he or
she may re-enter the game.  If done properly, this game can last for hours.  Rules: Students
must stay on a line at all times.  Students cannot jump from one line to another.  Students are
not allowed to run while playing this game.  Pushing is not allowed.  Equipment: A gymnasium
with many activity lines on it and two to three colored jerseys or pennies.

Football tag:
 This game is a cross between freeze tag and football.  Students are picked to be “it” and when
they tag someone, the tagged person is automatically frozen.  In the game there is one football
and the student with the football is responsible to hand it off to someone who is frozen.  The
football acts as the melting ball, when a frozen person is handed the ball he or she is defrosted
and once again free.  The taggers main goal is to freeze everyone, including the person with the
football (melting ball).  If he or she accomplishes this the game is over.  The runners or free
students’ main objective is to stay defrosted and to keep all their classmates defrosted as well.
Rules: Students are not allowed to throw the football (melting ball).  They must hand off the
ball at all times.  Once a student is defrosted they get free backs into the game.  Equipment: A
football and some jerseys.

Spiders and Flies:
          Choose 2 to 4 students to be the spiders.  The spiders will then need to put on pennies
and go to the center of the designated play area.  The rest of the students should spread
throughout the designated play area.  These students are the flies.  Once the teacher gives the
signal to start all the spiders need to try and tag the flies.  When a fly gets touched that fly
becomes a spider and must go out and get on a penny.  They then return and try to get the
remaining flies.  When all the flies are caught the game is over.  Rules: Students are not allowed
to leave designated play area.  Equipment: Need pennies or jerseys for spiders.


Animal Tag:
Make safe zones around the designated play area.  Give balls to the students who are “it” and
have them spread out in the designated play area.  The students who are “it” need to try and
tag all the other students.  Those students need to try and run away from the “it” students.  If
a student is caught they become a animal that was picked by either the students or the
teacher.  The tagged student then needs to reach a safe area moving like the chosen animal.
For example if you were tagged as a Kangaroo you would have to hop to the designated safe
area.  Equipment: Gator balls and cones.

King of the Hill:
This is probably my favorite instant activity.  Designate a play area and have all the students get
in the play area with a soccer ball.  This is a game where it is everyone against everyone.  It’s a
free for all.  When you give the go signal every student should immediately protect his or her
ball and at the same time try and kick other students balls out of the designated play area.  If
your ball is kicked out of the play area you need to do five jumping jacks and then you may
re-enter the game.  Equipment: One soccer ball for each student and cones.


Sharks and Fishes
 Pick a few students to be “it”.  Have these students stay to the side of the designated play
area.  The “it” students are the sharks and need to put on colored pennies.  The other students
are the little fishes and they all need a soccer ball.  Once they have a soccer ball they need to
spread throughout the play area.  When the signal is given, the sharks need to go attack the
fishes.  The only way to attack the fishes is to kick their balls out of the designated play area.
If your ball is kicked out of the designated play area you have to do five push-ups and then you
may return to the game.  Each shark needs to keep track of how many fishes he or she ejects
from the game.  Equipment: One soccer ball per student, colored pennies and cones.

Snake Charmer:
Pick a couple of students to be snakes and have them go stand in the middle of the designated
play area.  The rest of the students are snake charmers and their mission is to catch the
snakes.   Each student should get a jump rope and should swing it on the ground when the
game starts.  The snake charmers want to capture the snakes and in order to do that they must
step on the snakes tails (jump ropes) while they are moving.  If a snake is captured they must
change into a snake and the charmer needs to become a snake.  Rules: Snakes may not swing
the jump rope above their ankles.  Snakes are not allowed to swing the jump rope at any
student!  Equipment:  4 to 5 jump ropes and cones. 

 

Cards:
 Students are put into even numbered groups and must line up facing the designated play area.
Each group is given one card from a deck of cards.  Example- group #1 gets a joker and then
has to go find the three other jokers in the deck.  The teacher should have placed the rest of
the cards throughout the whole designated area after each group had received a card.  Once all
the cards are placed throughout the play area, the teacher should start the game.  After the
teacher gives the go sign each teams first student should go search for another one of his
teams matches.  The student can only pick up one card and if it isn’t a match he or she must
put the card back face down and return to his or her line.  Then the next person in line from his
or her team may go search for another card.  If you do find a card you must bring it back to
your group and the next person in line must go.  Rules: You can only pick up one card at a
time.  You must put all cards that you don’t want face down.  Equipment: One deck of cards
and cones.


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