Category: Small Group

Beat The Card

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Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: Volleyballs, Deck of Cards
Game Description: This is a great volleyball skill-working game to practice PASSING. Students need to be in groups between 3-7 people. They get into a bump circle.
A student from each group will pick up a playing card from the deck in the middle and bring it back to their group. Whatever the card is, they have to beat the card. If its a face card they have to get 11, 12, or 13 passes in a row before ball hits the ground (corresponding with Jack, Queen, King). If they pull a 5 they have to get 5 passes in a row.
If they beat the card, they keep it. If they don’t, the card goes back into the deck. For every card they beat, they get that amount of points. They are competing to see which group can collect the most points. Variations: give them 2-3 opportunities to beat the card depending on the age level. Can also have them do an exercise if they do not beat the card. (Thanks Angelo Gasparro)

Partner Fitness

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Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: None or variety
Game Description: In this fitness activity, players will have fun and get sweaty through a variety of exercises. Players must first choose a partner. 1 partner goes to an exercise to start while the other starts and the end line. On the “go” signal, half the players will be exercising for 45 seconds (or whatever time is chosen) while the other half is running back and forth from end line to end line. After 45 seconds yell “switch” and the partners switch roles. They will then cycle through the same format every 45 seconds until completing all 6 or 8 exercises. Take a break, get a drink of water, and go again!

Frisbee Noodle

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Grade level: 5-8
Equipment: Cones, Noodles (or hula hoops), Frisbees (or footballs)
Game Description: This is a throwing accuracy game to work on frisbee tosses. First, divide the class into groups of three. Each player must stand by one of the cones that should have already been distributed on the ground in a set of 3 (this activity is best played outside for space reasons but can be played inside if needed). The player on the far left of the field will have a disc while the middle player must have ONE noodle. Noodle person must bend their noodle to form a circle/oval/loop. Person on the far right has the job of retrieving the disc and running to the throwing cone.

How it works:
1) The thrower will throw the frisbee in a attempt to get it to travel through the noodle that the player in the middle has made. The Noodle person is allowed one step to their right or left to get the disc to travel through. If the disc travels through, they get 1 point for their team. The retriever will get the disc and run as fast as they can down to the throwing cone. At this point, every player shifts up one cone so that they are now playing a different position. Each teams counts their points out loud so that everyone knows how many point that they have.
2) The first team to get to 10 points wins (This can be changed at the discretion off the teacher).
3) The object is to work on accuracy with the throws to ensure that the disc remains level and flat while being thrown (a prerequisite would be to have worked on back hand throws first).
4) The teacher can incorporate different throws into it in order to increase difficulty with the activity.

(Thanks to Brian Burn)

Rescue

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Grade level: 1-8
Equipment: 4 scooters, 4 mats, 4 ropes
Game Description: Object of this game is to “rescue” teammates off of “Danger Land” and get everyone to “Fun Land”. Explain that Danger Land is a dangerous place to live due to earthquakes, fires, flooding, dinosaurs…; while Fun Land is a safe pleasant place. Each team is allowed one boat (a floor scooter) and one rope. Players are not allowed to touch the water or else they will have to return to Danger Land. It is up to each group to figure out the best way to get their team across the ocean (without touching water). Students are allowed to stop at the island, but will want to continue their journey to Fun land, because there is no food on the island. This is not a race (although you could add that challenge for a little bit of competition) – teams just try to make it! If a group finishes first have them repeat again!
(Thanks to Mark McConnell)

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)!

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)

Yard Ball

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Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: Cones/tees, plastic bats, foam balls, mats/bases
Game Description: This game is a mini-baseball type game that can be played in the gym or outdoors to help develop baseball/softball/fielding/striking skills. Smaller teams are created in a broken-down mini game that resembles actual baseball, but with smaller groups getting more reps and practice/skill development. With a few modifications to the regular game of baseball, this game is an effective lead up or fun small style game to try out to get the heart rates up! (Thanks to Zach Overturf for this idea)

Hula Hoop Rescue

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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).