Category: Gr 3

Bump Tag

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Grade level: 2-7
Equipment: None
Game Description: Bump Tag is a simple, yet incredibly fun, tag game or start-up/warm-up activity. Start with all players sitting in pairs somewhere in the playing area or gym floor. Have one pair split up into a chaser and a flee’er. The chaser will try to tag the flee’er. Whenever a flee’er is tagged by the chaser, they switch roles. The flee’er is always trying to run towards any pair who are sitting on the floor and sit beside them. Once sitting, the opposite (far player in the pair) gets “bumped” and must stand up to become the new flee’er who will try to run from the chaser. This “bumping” of players happens over and over again every time the flee’er sits beside any pair. Eventually implement 2 chasers and 2 fleers, or 3 of each to increase the challenge and activity level. This is just another game that’s proven to get students running and having a great time!
(Thanks to Tim Herr for this game idea)

Mat Football

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Grade level: 2-6
Equipment: Exercise mats, footballs (suitable for indoors)
Game Description: Mat Football is a very simple and fun idea to work on throwing the football: teams will try to throw as many footballs as they can into the opponents target area (exercise mats set up on their ends). Split the gym into two halves, one team on each half. Set-up the mat target areas. Throw in a bunch of footballs. Make a throwing line where players can’t cross. Play 4 quarters (each 2-3 mins). Count footballs in each mat area after every quarter to add points. Move throwing line after each quarter to increase or decrease difficulty. Play with or without blocking. Have fun and practice skills as usual! Could be played with foam balls or indoor frisbees for a different challenge.
(Thanks to Dan Kirsch for this game idea)

Steal The Ball

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Grade level: 2-8
Equipment: Type of Ball (Soccer, volleyball, basketball, etc. The more the better), hula-hoops
Game Description: Start by placing a whole bunch of balls in the center area, equally spaced between anywhere from 4-8 teams. At each team area, place a hula hoop for the balls to be placed after they are taken from the middle area. On the go signal, players from each team go one at a time to the middle, dribble the ball back to their hoop and tags the next person to go. The object is to take as many balls until all are gone from the middle. When all the balls are gone from the middle, then take one ball from any of the other teams. After a designated time limit count to see which team has the most!
For soccer, the balls are to be dribbled along the ground.
For volleyball, the balls are to be “set” or “volleyed” to self all the way back to the hoop.
For basketball, dribbling.
For football/baseball, the balls can be thrown from the middle back to partner at hoop.
AS ALWAYS, HAVE FUN (WHILE PRACTICING SKILLS)!

Sinkerball

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Grade level: 2-6
Equipment: Scooters, pins, skipping ropes, cones
Game Description: Sinkerball is a PHYSEDGAMES original game that combines teamwork with throwing, rolling, kicking, goaltending/blocking, balance, speed, and finesse. 2 teams face-off against each other in either a “who-can-last-the-longest” set of rounds, or point-scoring game. 1 team starts along an end of the gym as the “tugboats” pulling their cargo (a plastic pin balanced on a scooter, pulled by a skipping rope). Each player on that team has their own cargo to pull. The other team is along the sides in a designated throwing area (use cones) – they each have a foam ball or 2 to start with. On the “GO” signal, the tugboats try to travel back and forth from wall to wall as many times as possible, keeping their pin alive (ie, not fallen over, either by self mistake by pulling too fast, or from a ball hitting it down). The throwers will of course try to knock off the pins from the scooters! When a player’s pin is knocked over, that player isn’t out – he or she can then go and block/guard one of their teammate’s pins as they continue travelling along. Eventually, the whole team surrounds their last member’s pin/cargo trying to keep it up until it finally falls and then the 2 groups switch roles for the next round. Points can be earned every time a player makes it safely to an end. Or see which team lasts the longest before all pins are down. Have fun as usual!

Container Ball

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Grade level: 3-6
Equipment: Folding mats, foam balls
Game Description: Container Ball incorporates many skills – running, fleeing, dodging, throwing, catching, teamwork strategies, and shooting – all in one fun massive 2-team game! The object is to get more balls into your container than the opposing team, and to empty the opposing teams’ container. The gym is divided by the center line (also needed are the end basketball hoop on each side). “Containers” for the opposite teams are built on each side using tumbling mats placed on their ends to form a rectangle (can use some sort of clamp to hold together if needed). ‘Jails’ are placed down on each side as well by laying a mat flat down on the floor.
Gameplay description:
– Players are safe when they’re on their own side.
– Players who cross over to the other team’s side can get tagged by an opponent who is holding a ball. If tagged, the player goes to the jail on that side. Opponents cannot touch or block an opponent if they are not holding a ball. A player in jail may only possess a ball that he/she has caught in the air.
– There are 2 ways to get out of jail (these are escapes, not a free pass back to their own side): 1) Catching a ball in the air while on the mat (the ball must be thrown by a teammate from their team’s side of the gym), or 2) The teacher calling out “Jailbreak”.
– A player has 3 options after getting out of jail and stepping off the mat: 1) Try to make it back to your side without getting tagged 2) Try to throw the ball into the container and then try to make it back to your side, or 3) Try to make a basket.
– You may not throw or shoot from your jail mat.
– If a player makes a basket then his/her team gets to empty and take possession of all balls in their opponent’s container, and the player who made the basket gets a free pass back to their side.
– Players may puppy guard the containers, but not the jails. Use cones or lines to mark a “no enter zone” that the defense can’t enter into.
(Thanks to Russ Alvarez and Bruce Bowman)

Rollerball

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Grade level: 1-6
Equipment: 1 or 2 playground balls
Game Description: Rollerball is best played on a basketball court. Divide students into two teams (perhaps use a basketball court for this game). Each team spreads out on their half the basketball court. Players from opposing teams cannot cross the center line. The object of the game is to roll the ball across the opposite end line. If the ball crosses the opposite end line a point is awarded to the team who rolled the ball.
If the ball goes out of bounds, the closest player from the team whose side is closest to the ball will raise their hand before chasing the ball. Once retrieved, that player rolls it in to a teammate so the game can continue. Whenever a player has the ball, they have 10 seconds to do something with it (either roll it or pass it to a teammate). They are allowed to move around with the ball and get close to the half court line before rolling the ball. Emphasize that they can’t cross the half court line when they roll the ball. If they step across the half court line when the roll it, no point is awarded.
– Encourage lots of passing to other teammates.
– Emphasize to the students that the ball must be rolled and not thrown.
– Start off with one ball in the game and after about 15 minutes of play, add the second ball.
– You can also set up cones outside the end lines. If a cone is hit by a ball, an extra point is awarded.
(Thanks to Doug Gorham for this game idea!)

Rock Paper Scissors War

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Grade level: 2-6
Equipment: Cones
Game Description: Rock Paper Scissors War gets you moving (and playing some R.P.S. in some fun competition). In this game, players in teams of 4 or 5 face each other at opposite ends of a gym or playing area (ex. blue vs yellow). In front of each teams’ line about a metre out is a cone to mark where a point is scored. On the “GO” signal or whistle, the first person in each line will run towards each other until they meet – they play R.P.S. (HINT: if they play with their sides turned towards their teammates, then they’ll be able to see and react more quickly). The loser of R.P.S. (ex. yellow) returns to the back of their line, while the winner (blue) continues running towards the opposition (yellow) cone. By now the next person in the yellow team should be running towards the blue player advancing towards their cone. Wherever they meet they play R.P.S… the winner continues, the loser goes to the back of their line and hopefully the next in line has reacted and is running out to meet the advancing player, etc, etc, continue, continue. Try it out and have some fun! Play for certain time, or up to a certain amount of points. (Thanks to Pete Anderson)

Fresher

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Grade level: 3-8
Equipment: Cones
Game Description: Fresher is a tag game in which players have to be “fresher” then other players to tag them. The longer a player is in the playing area, the less fresh he becomes and the more likely he can get tagged. There are 2 teams playing against each other, trying to tag the opponents. When in their own teams safe area (the endzone on their side) they are completely fresh, but as soon as a player enters the middle zone (playing area) he starts becoming less and less fresh, so if a player from the other team enters that area AFTER, that player is fresher and can tag him. Once tagged, a player needs to go into the corner prison on the opposing teams side (marked by cones) and hope for someone on his team to come over and rescue him. Once rescued, both players get a free walk back to their team. The round is over if all players from one team are tagged and in prison. The key in this game is team strategy and swiftness. If players from opposing teams encounter each other and don’t know who is “fresher” they can do rock, paper, scissors, and loser goes into the jail.