How Quick Are You
Equipment: Two tennis balls for each pair of students.
Set Up: Students are put into pairs and find a space where they can work safely.
Playing the game: One students
holds out the tennis ball to the side of the body. The other student
stands five to ten feet away. The student holding the tennis ball
drops it to let the ball bounce. the other player quickly attempts
to catch the ball before it hits the ground a second time. If the
students are successful then they may move back a step.
Equipment: A nerf ball for each student.
Cones to mark off playing area
Set up: Use the cones to mark off an area big enough
for the class to move around safely.
Each student has a ball. Students are put in pairs
or threes if necessary.
Playing the game: On the signal from the teacher,
partners attempt to throw the ball at their partner's feet (FEET ONLY!).
In the meantime, the partner is jumping, dodging, and running to avoid
getting hit, and throwing their ball at their partner.
The Rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
They can not pick up any ball- they must retrieve the
ball that they threw.
Jewels in the Crown
Equipment: Four hoops. The same number of
colored balls as you have students in the class. Any type of ball
can be used.
Set up: Four hoops are set up in the corners of
the activity area. At each hoop there are 3-4 students, and inside
the hoop there is the same number of balls as there is children at the
hoop.
Playing the game: On a signal from the teacher,
all the children begin to travel to other hoops and pick up balls (one
at a time) and place it in their “home” hoop. On a stop signal from
the teacher, all children return to their “home” hoop and a count may be
taken of balls in each hoop. Redistribute the balls and resume play
on a signal from the teacher.
The Rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
Each student only can grab one ball at a time.
Scoring is optional.
Heart Attack
Equipment: 20 cones. 4-6 "soft" balls (Gator
balls, nerf balls, soft tennis balls).
Set up: Use the cones to mark an activity area.
Playing the game: 4-6 children are designated as
being “it” and carry a ball to shoe it. The “its" run and tag the
as many people as possible. When someone is tagged, they are given
as position or action to do.
1st tag = Hold upper portion of left arm with the right
hand (an early warning sign of a heart attack) Players keep running!
2nd tag = Add left hand holding heart (arms are sort
of crossed now)
3rd tag + stop! Hold hands in the same position and call
“I’m having a heart attack.” When this happens, any other moving
(non-it) player can run to the “victim” and administer CPR by doing ten
jumping jacks with the “victim.” The “victim is free to continue
running and help other “victims.”
Rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
Other exercises may be substituted for the jumping jack.
Clean Up Your Own Back Yard/Junkyard
Equipment: 20 cones or markers. As many soft
balls (yarn, foam, paper, sponges) as possible.
Set up: Divide the area in half with cones, lines
or markers. Assign half the students to each side of the markers
and scatter the softballs around the activity area.
Playing the game: On a signal from the teacher,
all the children work as fast as they can to “clean up their own backyard”
by throwing the “trash” onto the other side of the activity area.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
Students can only throw one item at a time.
Students must stop immediately after stop signal.
Different skills may be used to move the items, e, g.
throwing (overhand and underhand), kicking, hiking.
Alien Soccer:
Equipment: 30-40 cones. 10-15 old tennis balls. Each student needs a soccer ball. Markers.
Set up: Scatter the cones throughout the activity area. On 10-15 of the cones, balls are placed on top of the cones. Use the markers to mark the activity area.
Playing the game: On a signal from the teacher,
each child practices dribbling around all the cones, taking care not to
hit any of them. On the sound of “Aliens!” from the teacher, the
students are to stop/ control the ball and make one kick aimed at the nearest
cone with a ball on it (an alien invader). The children run to retrieve
their kicked ball, and quickly reset the tennis balls on the cones, before
resuming their task of dribbling around the cones.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
The children are to dribble under control and not allow
their ball to hit cones during the dribbling.
Animal Tag:
Equipment: Two gator balls. Four hoops. 20 cones.
Set up: Designate four safe zones with the hoops. Assign the gator balls to students who are “it.” Mark off activity area with the cones.
Playing the game: Two players are designated as being “it” and carry gator balls to show it. The “its” run and tag as many players as possible. When someone is tagged they become an animal given to them by the “it” player. Bears do the bear crawl, Kangaroos hop, crabs do the crab walk, birds flap their arms as if flying, etc. The students move like the animal until they reach a safe zone. After they reach the safe. zone they enter back into the game
The rules: Be sure to switch people who are “it.”
When you are “it” you must tag softly.
Watch It:
Equipment: 8 balls (basketballs, playground, and gator)
Set up: Split class up into groups of 10-12 students.
Playing the game: The groups need to get into a circle. The students hold hands and spread out, then they let go of hands. To establish a pattern, the ball is passed underhand to someone across from where you are standing. The ball cannot be passed to a student to the immediate right or left. Keep the same pattern once the game has begun. When a student passes the ball to someone they call out their name. The game is started with one ball, more are added later. The students walk in a circle while passing the ball. The students can stand still or jog also. Every player must touch the ball before it can go back to the person who started. The students are to keep the same established pattern as more balls are added. Up to eight balls can be added before the teacher stops the game.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
If you drop the ball, pick it up and continue.
Be sure to call out partners’ name.
Run Down
Equipment: Any type of ball that can be thrown and caught easily. Make a variety of balls available.
Set up: The students find a partner and choose
a ball they want to use. If the teacher wants to tie the activity
into a unit then choose the ball that correspond to the unit.
Playing the game: The two students are student
(A) and student (B). In the middle of the activity area the students stand
a medium distance from their partner. Student (A) starts with the ball,
and runs toward student (B). Student (A) throws student (B) the ball,
then turns and runs the opposite direction. Student (B) throws the
ball to student (A) who makes an over-the-shoulder catch. Student
(A) then turns and makes a long throw to student (B). Student (B)
now runs toward student (A) and throws the ball to student (A), turns and
runs the opposite direction. Student (A) throws to student (B) who
makes an over-the-shoulder catch. Student (B) now makes a long throw
to Student (A) and they start all over again. The students continue
this pattern until time is up.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
Make sure the students have plenty of space to move without
running into each other.
Parachute Fun
Equipment: Parachute, boom box, C. D. of choice. If class is large you may need two or three parachutes.
Set up: Enough parachutes need to be available so all students are active.
Playing the game: The students come in and grab
the handles on the parachute. When the music begins the group starts
moving in the direction that the teacher chooses. When the music
stops, the students freeze immediately. Some ideas for traveling
in the circle include:
1. Go to the right sliding. Then to the left.
2. Hold the handles with one hand and skip forward or
backward.
3. Run at a slow speed forward or backward.
4. Place balls in the middle and let the students wave
the parachute.
5. The students do a curl movement with their arms.
6. The students start with their knees bent and chute
near the floor. Then the children quickly lift the chute up high.
The chute should fill with air and rise up.
PAC Man/Women
Equipment: The gym and all the lines on the floor. A soft ball. 10 cones.
Set up: Mark off area for activity and area in the middle.
Playing the game: Two, three, or four students are PAC-men/women and carry the balls to show it. On a start signal by the teacher, the class begins to run while PAC-men/women chase. All students must stay on the lines that are on the gym floor. The PAC-men/women tries to touch as many individuals as possible with the ball. When a player gets touched they go to the middle of the gym and into the marked area. For the child to get out of the marked area another player must come to the coned area and touch the child. On a stop signal by the teacher the students freeze. New PAC-man/women is chosen.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
Only one person can come out of the coned area at a time.
You cannot get multiple people out on the same visit. Students must
stay on the lines of the gym floor.
Tremblers
Equipment: One ball per student – the ball needs to bounce. 25 cones.
Set up: Use the cones to mark off activity area. Each student needs to get a ball. Set up more than one activity area. One area could be for the “blood and guts” and the other area for the “peace players”.
Playing the game: On a start signal by the teacher, the students bounce their ball within the boundaries. While bouncing the ball, the children try to get the ball away from the other people in the area. The object is to tap the other players’ ball out of bounds. If the ball is tapped out of the boundaries the owner retrieves the ball and re-enters the activity. Activity is stopped by a signal from the teacher.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
No throwing or rolling the balls.
Be careful of collisions. Make students aware of
safe space and body control.
Empty your basket:
Equipment: 8 baskets/carts that hold balls.
Have at least 8 more balls than you have students in the class. 20
cones.
Set up: Make two activity areas of four carts/baskets
each. The four baskets are set up in a square about 20 feet apart.
Students are divided into teams- four children at each basket/cart.
Six balls are placed in each basket.
Playing the game: On a start signal each team has
to empty their basket/cart of all the balls by placing them into another
teams basket/cart.
The rules: Start and stop on the teachers’ signal.
The students cannot guard the basket, trip, block, or
interfere with another player,
Only one ball can be moved at a time.
Balls must be placed in the baskets/carts not thrown,
tossed, kicked or bounced in.
Scrambled Eggs
Equipment: cones for boundaries
Directions: Designate playing area (use cones to establish boundaries). Have the students spread out in their own personal space within the playing area. Start the activity by calling out one of the following egg commands and the students respond with the appropriate action:
“Scrambled eggs”- the students travel inside the playing
area according to the designated locomotor movement (walk, skip, gallop,
etc.)
“Hard boiled eggs”-students curl up into a ball on the
floor and are completely silent.
“Soft boiled eggs”- Students lie on their stomachs and
slowly move their arms and legs in any direction.
“Fried eggs”- students lie on their backs and put their
arms and legs up in the air and shake them vigorously.
Safety tips: have the students travel at a safe
speed to avoid collisions during scrambled eggs. Make sure students
spread out in their own personal space to perform the hard, soft, and fried
egg actions.
Equipment: cones for the lanes. Exercise signs.
Directions: Set the cones up to divide a slow moving lane from a fast moving lane around the playing area. The middle area is the exercise area. Students are asked what rules their parents must obey while they are driving. The students are instructed to look over their shoulder before changing lanes. The faster lane may be used for running and /or skipping, the slower lane can be used for fast walking, hopping, sliding, jumping, etc.
Students may pull off the highway to the middle exercise area. Signs with exercises are posted. They do the exercises of their choice. You will find that the activity allows students to move at their own pace and remain moving all the time.
Variation: A similar track can be set up for the mountain bikes. The middle area is a pit stop. Again, those students who wanted to travel faster would have an area to do so and vice versa. Also, an emphasis on the rules of the road can be incorporated into the activity.
Hot Potato Tag
Equipment: Objects or balls that the students can
throw and catch. Cones to mark off activity area. CD Player with
music (Rock Jams)
Note: this activity is usually more successful if performed
outside in a big field.
Directions: Have the students pair up and get about
five to eight giant steps apart (depending upon throwing and catching ability
and space available the steps can be increased or decreased) from one another.
When the music starts the students throw and catch the ball they have picked.
When the music stops the person with the ball chases (walks, grapevines,
hops, skips, etc.) after their partner. If they catch their partner
and tag them the two go back to throwing and catching as they did before.
Otherwise, when the music starts again, the two go back to throwing and
catching.
Equipment: Each student needs a ball that bounces.
Directions: Same as Hot potato
tag except the person who ends up with the ball when the music stops dribbles
and chases their partner.
Equipment: Cones to mark off a twenty-five yard area. Bicycles, helmets, and pads. A good-sized black top
Directions: The object of this race is to
see which rider can travel the slowest. The last rider to cross the
finish line wins.
Steering Challenge
Equipment: Cones to mark off area. A good-sized black top. Bicycles, helmets, and pads.
Purpose: To test balance and the ability to control a bicycle.
Directions: Ride between the two parallel lines
six inches apart and flanked with obstacles without touching the lines
or obstacles.
Pedal and Brake
Purpose: To test the rider's correct position, ability to pedal and brake accurately and evenly.
Equipment: cones to mark off area. A good-sized
black top.
Bicycles, helmets, and pads.
Directions: Mount bike and ride at a moderate speed towards a cone at the end of the course. Brake to a smooth stop, without skidding, so that the front tire is within one foot of the cone, but does not touch the cone. Dismount.
Scoring systems can be adopted. Base deductions
on the quality of mounting the bike, position while riding, pedal control
(loses control of pedal), and if the cone is hit or the rider stops more
than one foot away.
Balance Test
Purpose: To test the balance of the rider.
Equipment: Cones to mark off area. A good-sized
black top.
Bicycles, helmets, and pads.
Directions: Ride between the lines, which are three
feet apart, as slowly as possible without touching either line. The
rider must take at least thirty seconds or longer to go from one end to
the other.
Purpose: To test the ability to change balance.
Equipment: Cones to mark off area. A good-sized
black top. Bicycles, helmets, and pads.
Directions: Ride three times around a figure eight,
made from two circles of 10 and 12 feet radius, without touching the lines.
Coasting Race
Equipment: Cones to mark off area. A good-sized black top. Bicycles, helmets, and pads.
Directions: The object is to see who can coast
the longest distance. Each rider pedals as fast as they can for a
distance (15 feet), to a starting point and then they must stop pedaling.
Mark the spot where the rider’s foot touches the ground. The next
rider tries to beat the mark.