Grade level: 2-6
Equipment: cones, scooters, mats
Game Description: Hospital tag is a fun game idea to try out in your PE class (thanks to Jeff Steffan for this game idea).
1. Use the lines on the perimeter for boundary lines.
2. Section off two small areas in two opposite corners of the gym (hospitals).
3. Assign 1 or 2 taggers.
4. Assign 2 ambulance drivers (can use 4 large scooters connected and place and gym mat on top).
5. Start the tag game. If a student gets tagged they become very ill and must lay down on gym floor where they got tagged.
6. The ambulance drivers will pull up next to the ill student and the ill students will get on ambulance (ambulance drivers can have up to 2 students on ambulance.
7. Ambulance drivers will then drive them to the nearest hospital (coned area) and the ill students will need to take their medicine at the hospital to feel better (medicine can be a muscular strength exercise (5 push-ups, 5 sit-ups, etc.)
8. After they take their medicine they are back in the game.
Category: Fun
Walk The Plank
Grade level: 5-8
Equipment: 2 mats, 2 benches, 2 hula hoops, dodgeballs
Game Description: Walk The Plank is best played as a dodgeball game, but it could be a tag game with the right modifications (for those of you who don’t play dodgeball games). This game is a HUGE HIT with students, so have fun! Set-up a dodgeball game with 2 teams, each on their own half of the gym. Except that in the endzones of each team area you will need to set-up a “walk-the-plank” apparatus (use a bench as the plank, and an exercise mat on the floor in front of it as the “water” that the players will jump into off of the bench). You’ll also need to place down a hula hoop at an appropriate distance from the plank/mat apparatus – the hula hoop will be used as the spot for a specific thrower. So set-up all of this stuff the same on both sides/endzones. Use whatever dodgeball rules you normally use (hits below the waist, deadballs on bounce, etc). The difference with this game is that when a player gets hit, he must go to the opposite endzone where the plank apparatus is set-up. The first player will actually go into the hula-hoop and be a thrower. Subsequent players who are hit will go and walk the plank. At the end of the plank walk, they will jump onto the mat (water) but at the same time trying to catch a ball thrown by the player in the hoop. If a successful catch, the THROWER gets to go back to his side and continue playing dodgeball, and the player who caught it is the new thrower. This sequence continues throughout the round as players get hit and go back and forth… OK so this written description doesn’t sound very clear – in fact, it sounds downright confusing, so you really need to watch the video. Enjoy!
Hula Hoop Rescue
Grade level: K-5
Equipment: Cones, Hula hoops
Game Description: This teambuilding relay-type game will really get the players moving and working together. Create teams and have 1 player from each team start behind a cone with a hula hoop, facing his teammates across from him at the opposite cone. On the signal, the players with the hula hoops will run across to their teammates and “save” or “rescue” the first person in line by placing the hula hoop over them. Then the two must travel together back to the original cone. The one who was rescued then becomes the rescuer and continues on to save the next person, etc, etc until all players have been saved and brought to the starting point. But that’s not it – once all the teammates have been rescued, the team must then join hands and race to pass the hula-hoop from person to person by passing their bodies through the hula hoop. Hands may not come apart during the hula-hoop pass. The team to complete both tasks first wins a point or the round. As always, play again and again!
(Thanks to Mike @mdfrailoli for this game idea).
Hide-Out
Grade level: 2-8
Equipment: 4 mats, foam balls, cones
Game Description: Start by creating a “throwing pit” using the middle circle of the gym. Also place down 4 mats, 1 along each side of the gym (like where bases would be placed in baseball except that the mats should be standing upright on their ends). Choose 1 player to be the thrower who must throw from inside the circle/throwing pit – that player starts with all the foam balls. The remaining players will run in the same direction around the mats, trying not to get hit by a ball thrown by the thrower. Whenever a runner is hit, she becomes a thrower in the circle as well. Players must be hit below the waist to count. Players can stop and hide behind a mat for up to 10 seconds, but then must exit and continue running. Play for a certain time limit or until all players have been hit!
(Thanks to Justin Mull)
Warball
Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: 4 hula hoops, 4 cones, 4 tennis balls, foam balls
Game Description: In this game, 4 teams will each receive a corner piece (or quadrant) of the playing area and guard their base (tennis ball on top of a cone, inside a hula hoop) while at the same time trying to knock down the other teams. Using foam balls (dodgeballs) players will do their best job trying to hit the target – not the other players. Another game with lots of action and lots of fun for any physical education class. (Thanks to Mason Bond for the idea)
Save The Statues
Grade level: 3-8
Equipment: Hula hoops, foam balls
Game Description: Save The Statues is a throwing, catching, blocking, and defending game. There are two teams: 1 consists of statues who are ‘stuck’ in hula hoops around the perimeter of the basketball or volleyball court lines, as well as throwers in the center circle. The other team consists of defenders who are trying to prevent the statues from catching balls thrown by the throwers. When a statue catches a ball that was thrown, he is freed and becomes a thrower in the middle. Play until all statues are freed, or for a certain time limit. Try this unique throwing and catching game in your physical education class for a fun and skill-improving activity.
Ice Fishers
Grade level: K-6
Equipment: Hula hoops, pool noodles, lilly pads, paper
Game Description: Ice fishers is essentially a pretend game of ice fishing in the gym (lake). Players bring their pretend fishing rods (pool noodles) to a fishing hole (hula hoop), look for a fish, and bring back a fish if they find one. Lots of fun in this relay-style team game. All you need to do is cut out some fish on poster paper, hide them under lilly pads inside hula hoops, and teams get going. Lots of fun, lots of action, and teachable moments. Add special items or modifications to make it even more fun (like weight of fish, obstacles, etc)!
Pinball
Grade Level: 2-8
Equipment: Foam balls, pins, pinnies
Game Description: In Pinball, there are 4 teams: throwers, rollers, retrievers, and goalies. Each team has it’s own role. Using the basketball court lines, place about 10 plastic pins in a line in the middle. The goalie team surround those pins and will try to protect them from getting knocked over. The throwers and rollers stand on the sidelines of the basketball court with dodgeballs, and continuously throw to try and earn points knocking over pins. The retrievers are along the ends, always getting the loose balls that were thrown, and giving them back to the throwers and rollers. Play for a few minutes each round, or until all the pins are knocked over! Keep track of points, or don’t – your choice! Make sure everyone gets a chance to play all roles. Lots of throwing, blocking, running, rolling, and fun in this physed game.
Longball
Grade Level: 4-8
Equipment: 2 mats, foam soccer balls
Game Description: Longball is another kickball type activity (or baseball activity if you want to use a big oversized plastic bat and a foam ball) that gets more players moving more often. With some important modifications to regular kickball, groups will get more sweaty and active, with lots of laughs and fun. Some strategy is for sure important, but in the end it’s about having a good time as a class or a group. (Thanks to Sabine Crandall for this idea).
In The Jungle
Grade Level: K-2
Equipment: Cones, Beanbags, Hulahoops, Lilly Pads, Scooters, Hockey Sticks (or hurdles)
Game Description: In The Jungle is a stations-based activity where students will have the chance to pretend to be 8 different animals and accomplish different tasks. The gym is to be split in 8 stations and students will spend a couple minutes at each:
Frog: Students hop from lilly-pad to lilly-pad, 2 feet like a frog. Try 1 foot as well.
Bird: Students fly around as birds waving their arms, landing on different trees (hula hoops).
Snake: Students slither on the floor as snakes underneath hurdles.
Caterpillar: Using beanbags under their feet, with hands on the floor, students creep along as caterpillar motions.
Fish: Lying stomach down on the scooters, students will “swim” around as fish.
Cheetah: Students will run around a circle of cones on all fours like speedy cheetahs.
Horse: Jumping over hurdles, and galloping around is what horses do at this station!
Kangaroo: Students use a hula hoop to skip with and hop around as kangaroos.