Klutz Free Games This is a series of games that are great for kids of all ages and abilities. Therefore, when you want to find some games that are appropriate for the junior high games try Klutz Free Games. Openers Liar Lines Materials: Paper and Pencil This is a good game to open. Each person in the groups write answers to four questions. Two of the answers are to be true and one is to be a lie. Each person reads their answers to the group and the others guess which one is a lie. After all have guessed, the person tells which answer is a lie. Steal the Bacon The caller calls out a number. If he calls, out #3 then both #3 players come and try to get the bacon and take it back to their side without being tagged. So if team "A" #3 grabs the "bacon" and gets back to his/her spot before getting tagged by Team "B" #3 then team A gets TWO points. If Team B #3 tags him/her then Team B gets ONE point. Sometimes a player will run up fast and grab it, and sometimes both players will walk around it waiting for the other person to grab it. If someone fakes grabbing and touches it, then they CAN be tagged and lose a point. In addition, the caller can call out more than one number at a time (Even all the umbers) this is good if one set of numbers is taking to long. The caller continues calling out numbers until a team reaches the agreed amount and that team wins. Capture the Flag Materials: Two scarves Team 1 had the front yard and Team 2 had the back yard, or a field was split between the two teams. The teams were given a time, like 5 minutes, to hide their flag in their part of the yard. When the flag was hidden, you call out that you were finished. Then you simply try to get the other teams flag. If you are caught and tagged by the opponent on their territory, you had to go to jail and could only be freed by a teammate who grabs you when your opponent is not looking. The first team to capture the flag wins. In most versions, you had to both get the flag, and bring it back to your side. Incredible Shrinking Island Materials: Masking tape, chalk, or gym lines. This game operates on the same premise as Cooperative Musical Chairs. Outline a large square on the floor with either masking tape or chalk. This area is the safe island and the area surrounding the square is the ocean. When the music begins children "swim" around the island. The stopping of the music indicates that sharks are coming and that all players must retreat to the safety of the island. With each round, the lines are altered making the island smaller and smaller. Players must work together to make sure everyone has a safe place to get away from the sharks and fit on the �island�. Chairs also serve well as boundaries for the island if there is space for the people to get into the area. Sardines This indoor/outdoor game is Hide and Seek in reverse. �It� gets a twenty second head start to hide, then everyone goes to look for �It.� When a player finds �It,� he tries to join �It� in the hiding spot without being seen by the others. As more and more players find �It,� they pack into the hiding spot �like sardines�! The last one to find �It� becomes �It� for the next round. Active Games Kick the Can Materials: Three cans and a piece of chalk for the center. Draw a circle and stack three cans in the center. Everyone stands on the circle. �It� chooses a kicker, who starts the game by kicking the cans. Everyone runs to hide while �It� stacks the cans back in the center. Then �It� looks for players, saying the name and place (�I see Katie behind the fence�). Katie is now in jail (inside the circle) unless she can get back to the circle before �It� does. Other players can free those in jail by kicking the cans before �It� can get back to the circle. Then �It� must stack up the cans and begin the search again. The game ends when �It� finds all the players and puts them in jail. Trash Collection Day Materials: hula-hoop and beanbags Put a hula-hoop in each corner of your play area. Have equal numbers of beanbags in each hula-hoop. Divide the kids into teams. Each team stands by 'their' hula-hoop. This is their yard! Instruct them to begin to throw their trash in the other members� yard. Each group has to empty their hula- hoop by carrying the beanbags; one per trip to another team's yard (hula- hoop). The beanbags have to be put into the other team's yard. Tossing is acceptable if the beanbag lands in the hoop, if not they have to retrieve it from the fallen area and put it in the hula-hoop. Make sure team members watch where they are going, to avoid accidents running into the other team. Count the number of beanbags in each hoop at the end of the game. The team with the fewest beanbags (the least garbage) wins. This is a great game to do during Earth Day. After the game discuss with the students the importance of how the earth looks after everyone has picked up their trash. This game reinforces teaching direction and cooperation with other team members Cranes and Crows to play this game, set up boundaries wide enough for a rectangle to accommodate all players with a middle line (it can be invisible between two markers). Divide the group into two lines, with the players in each line standing side by side and facing each other over the middle line, two arms� width apart. Each group of players has a safety line about 20 feet behind it, parallel to the middle line. One line of players is the �cranes� and the other is the �crows.� The games leader or instructor stands at one end of the lines and shouts the names of the lines, �crows,� �cranes,� or any word beginning with a �c,� or �cr,� such as �chrome,� �cranium,� �cone,� �cat,� etc. The reason for using other words that sound like but are not �crows� or �cranes� is to teach the players to listen carefully. Only when a team�s name is called does it chase the other line and to tag them before they run back to reach their safety line, which is located about 30 feet behind them, depending on the age and ability level of the group. Any one who is caught joins the other team, changing from a crane to a crow or vice versa. The teams then reform their lines in the middle and repeat the process. It is important to make sure the players are aware of others that are around them so they do not bump into each other. Blob This game derives its name from the science-fiction movie called �The Blob,� in which a massive alien organism attempts to take over the earth by devouring and absorbing everything in its path, thus allowing it to grow as it advances. This game also teaches us that monsters are not always scary and we may have more �animal� in us than we think. Directions: It is best to play this game in a large area with boundaries. One student will start out as �The Blob,� and when he or she tags someone, that person joins hands with him or her and they try to catch others together. When there are at least four, they can split into two blobs. This repeats until everyone is caught. Freeze Tag �It� chases players within a certain area. Tagged players are �frozen� but can be unfrozen if tagged by a free player. The game ends when all players are frozen. The last one frozen becomes �It� for the next round. Elephant Stampede Materials: Pool noodle (18 inches long) or paper towel roll Start with one person being �It.� The person who is �It� holds one piece of the noodle/roll and chases people within the boundaries. He will then hit people below the knees. The person who is hit must lock arms with the tagger. The two of the �taggers� must chase other people hitting them below the knees and locking arms with them. The game ends when all the players have joined a team. Be sure to remind players to lightly tap their opponents. For a large group you may have more than more one �tagger.� Sliders Materials: Two shoe boxes for each team to put their feet into Provide each team with two shoeboxes. At the start of the race, the first member of each team puts one foot into each shoebox, slides his or her way to a cone that is set up at a destination point, and then slides back to the team. When that student returns to the team, he or she jumps out of the shoeboxes and the second student "puts them on.� The relay continues until the last member returns to his or her team. The first team to finish is the winner. If you do this relay outside, have extra boxes available since they break and wear easily on asphalt. Direction and speed are emphasized in this relay. Tail Tales or T.T. Materials: Bright scarf Players form one long line or train by holding onto the waist of the child in front of them. The child in the front becomes the head of the group. The child in the rear is the tail, and a colorful scarf is attached into his back or side pocket. A belt loop in the back of the child may also be used to hold the scarf. The "head� or first person in the group is to try to catch the scarf flapping behind the "tail.� The front person may use their hands to catch the scarf. All players must learn to work together to catch the tail without losing any of the players by running too fast or allowing players to accidentally break from the group. Rattlers Materials: blindfold and two rattles Everyone forms a circle around two players. They are both blindfolded and given a rattle. One is going to tag the other. The ratters enter the snake pit, and the game begins. Each person tries to find the other by listening to the shake of his or her rattle. The first person to tag their opponent wins. The rattlers cannot go outside of the circle. Go-Tag Everyone squats in a line, alternate players facing opposite directions. The person at then end of the line will be the first runner. He may run around the track in either direction. The person at the other end will be the first chaser. He or she may start running either clockwise or counter- clockwise, but she or he may not switch directions once she starts. The object of the game is or the chase to tag the runner. Rotation Baseball Four players take on four roles, catcher, batter, pitcher, and fielder. Batter hits pitched ball, and goes back and forth between two bases counting each time they touch a base as a run. Whoever gets the ball must throw it to the other fielder, who throws it to the catchers. The catcher tags home place and the batter is out. After that, everyone rotates positions and do the same again. Everyone gets to play all positions. Shootout Materials: Four dodge balls Cross-over Dodge ball Materials: 3-5 dodge balls Two players art in the center of playing area standing back to back. On the signal go they take five quick steps forward past a designated line. At this time, a player may turn and shoot to hit the other player below the shoulders or he or she may hold the ball in anticipation of the opponent missing. Players may go anywhere in the playing area and do not have to throw at any certain time, after they throw their ball, they may receive a second ball from their backup person. Play continues until one player is eliminated. The winner stays to challenge the next player in line. Three wins in a row and the player must retire as champion and go tot the end of the line. Asteroids Materials: Dodge balls Distribute one ball to each player, but extra balls may be scattered on the floor. The game is started with all players tossing their ball into the air on a signal. Each player then retrieves a ball other than his own and begins to throw to other players. Each player gets three lives. On the first hit, the player goes down to one kneed where he or she is hit and can play from that position. On the second hit, the player sits cross-legged on the floor. The third time the player is hit, he, or she sits against the sidewall and players from the position. Players may not travel while kneeling or sitting. Pin Bombardment Materials: Six bowling pins and dodge balls Divide the class into two teams. Players are out if they are hit by an air ball, or a ball they threw is caught in the air by an opposing player. A ball touching the floor or wall is safe to pick up. Players must stay on their side of the centerline. Anyone stepping over the centerline is also out. Try having the first person eliminated for this reason becomes the line judge, watching for the other violators of this rule. Pins may be guarded but not touched. If accidentally knocked down the pin stays down. If a person guarding eh pin is hit, he or she is still eliminated. Eliminated players go to the side and wait until five people are out. When there are, five people out them may go back into the game. To start the game, balls are placed on the centerline, with players touching the wall behind them. Alternately, each team could be given an equal number of balls to start. Pins are placed several yards from the wall of the gym. The game ends when players are tired of the game. Closers Copy Cat Players sit in a circle. The leader starts by making a funny or unusual face and �passes� the goofy face to a person next to them who must copy the funny face. The second person makes a new silly face to pass to a third person, next to them. Everyone gets a turn making and passing the funny face. OOH-AHH Start with everyone standing in a circle holding hands. Now one of the people starts by saying ooh and then another ads ahh but send it in the opposite direction. Mummified Madness Materials: toilet paper Wrap a person with toilet paper. One person on the team may wrap the lucky participant, or the whole team can join in for the effort. (For a variation, make a snowman using winter clothing and electric tape for eyes and mouth. Add a carrot in the mouth for a nose!) This relay teaches cooperation and problem solving with other team members. The team that fully covers the mummy first with toilet paper wins! Thread the Needle Materials: Hoop In this contest, the members of each team join hands in a circle with a hula- hoop hanging from one person's arm. When play begins, the person with the hoop must step through it and pass it to a neighboring player without letting go of her teammate�s hands. The next player does the same thing. The team that gets the hoop back to the starting player first wins. This game is great because a wide variety of ages can play. The game is more challenging when students of various heights have to work together to move the hoop from one person to another. So get off the couch and try some games such as Klutz Free Games where no one feels foolish or left out!Back to Top
Spring Spectacular This is a series of games that I have used with elementary and junior high students to celebrate spring and Easter. They can be played inside or outside with large or limited space. So get ready to enjoy the warmer weather, inside or out, with Spring Spectacular games! Egg Toss Materials: Plastic eggs Students are lined up opposite one another in teams of two partners each. The partners stand about 5-10 feet apart depending on tossing skills. One plastic egg is provided per team. Students toss the egg back and forth, trying not to drop it. After each successful catch, the students take one step back, creating a greater challenge. Each time the egg drops, they move one step closer. The team that successfully throws the egg the farthest wins. For an outdoor variation, try using water balloons instead of plastic eggs. Egg Run Materials: Plastic eggs, small strips of paper, bucket Before the game, write the names of various exercises, such as jumping jacks, push-ups, and sit-ups, on the strips of paper and place them inside the plastic eggs. Students line up in single file. A bucket filled with the plastic eggs is placed at the opposite end of the play area, such as a field or gymnasium. Each student takes a turn running across the play area to the bucket. The student grabs one egg and runs back to the line. The student opens the egg and reads out loud the exercise written on the paper inside. The whole group must then do the exercise. The team that finishes first wins. Egg Balance Materials: Spoon and plastic egg for each team Students are lined up in single file. The first student is given a plastic egg which he or she will balance on a spoon. A cone is placed approximately10 feet away from the front of the line. The student places the egg on the spoon and tries to balance it while running to the cone and back. When the student returns to the line, he/she gives the spoon and egg to the next person in line and returns to the end of the line. The team that finishes first wins. Peter Cottontail Tag Materials: Spring-colored paper streamers One student is chosen as the �tagger.� All the other students are given one streamer each. The students try to avoid the tagger as he or she attempts to grab as many streamers as possible. Children may keep running after their tail has been taken. The child who keeps his or her tail the longest becomes the tagger for the next game. Chicken Frog Relay Materials: Ball and box Students are divided into teams and form lines at one end of the gym or field. The box is placed on the other side of the play area. The student at the front of the line carries a ball between his or her knees and walks like a chicken over to the box. The student must then return to the line while hopping like a frog. The team that finishes first wins! Over, Under, Over, Under Materials: Easter-colored beanbag Provide the first student on each team with a beanbag. When the relay starts, the first student in line passes the beanbag over his or her head to the second student. Then that student passes the beanbag under (between) his or her legs to the third student. Students alternate between passing the beanbag overhead or under their legs, with the third student passing it overhead, the fourth student passing it under the legs, and so on. When the beanbag reaches the last student in line, that student runs to the front of the line and starts the over-under-over-under process again. The game is over when the student who started the relay returns to the head of the line. The first team to finish wins. . Egg Toss Materials: Plastic eggs and buckets Set up five buckets two feet apart. Depending on class size, students may form teams or compete against each other individually. Each student takes turns attempting to throw the eggs into all the buckets while standing at the starting line several feet away. The thrower or team that gets the most eggs in the buckets wins! Bunny Throw Materials: Stuffed bunny How far can students throw a bunny? Give each student a toss or two and record the farthest distances thrown by the students. Stealing Eggs Materials: Plastic eggs and hula hoops Divide the students into two teams and have them stand at opposite ends of the gym or field. Set up a hoop for each team on either side of the play area and place an equal number of eggs inside the hoops. Students attempt to go to the other teams� hoop, steal an egg, and place it in their own hoop. Students may only steal one egg at a time, and they can�t guard their own team�s hoop from having eggs stolen. The team who has the most eggs in their hoop at the end of the game wins. For a variation of this game, have more than two teams and see who has the most eggs at the end of the round. Scrambled Eggs Materials: Two Easter egg puzzles Students form two teams, then take turns putting a puzzle together by running to the puzzle and putting in one piece. After a student places a piece in the puzzle, he or she taps the next person on their team, who must then put the next piece in the puzzle. The team that finishes their puzzle first wins! Carrot Sticks Materials: Plastic carrots or Lummi Sticks and basket Students use an underhand throw to toss the carrots or Lummi Sticks into the basket. The student or team that gets the most stick/carrots in the basket wins! 15 Relays for Field Days http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp315-02.shtml Minor Games Resource Page http://www.geocities.com/EnchantedForest/Glade/6694/relays.html PE Central www.pecentral.org Wink, Barbara Celebration Games Physical Activities for Every Month, Champaign, IL Human Kinetics, 2006 Wnek, Barbara Holiday Games, and Activities, Champaign, IL Human Kinetics, 1992Back to Top
After my husband and I moved into our first house we decided to get a furry pet for our anniversary. We already had an adopted frog from my classroom, and we were thinking of adding to our animal family. As we were debating about cats and dogs, we saw some cute furry bunnies. After spending an unplanned hour of holding these little treasures, we were hooked. This workout is dedicated to the special furry creatures which bless me every day with their love and playfulness. This workout is a great way to celebrate warmer weather and outside fun. Warm up It is essential for all children to have a warm up. Some ideas for a bunny warm up include: � Bunny Bounce Children stand with feet together, knees slightly bent and they place their hands like bunny ears up near their own ears. Have them hop first on the right foot, then switch and hop on the left foot. Children should jump with both feet apart, and then continue hopping first on the right foot and then the left. The �Bunny Hop� song is great to play during this warm-up. � Bunny Hokey-Pokey This game is played the same as the hokey pokey except you make it the hare hokey pokey. You put your bunny ears in, you put your bunny ears out , you put your bunny ears in, and you shake them all about. You do the bunny-pokey, and you hop and turn around. That is what it is all about! (Continue with bunny nose, bunny paws, and bunny tail) � Bunny Says This game is played similar to Simon Says. The leader is the �Bunny". The head bunny will say, " Bunny says hop on one foot". The children will hop on one foot. Player will say "Stop". The children are to keep hopping on one foot until player says " Bunny says stop". Repeat for additional activities such as take one baby bunny step forward, hop backwards, turn around and look at your tail. Sometimes Bunny will say " Bunny says" and sometimes he won't. The player that does not do what the Bunny says is out. The winner is the last bunny standing as the head bunny calls the directions out. Games for the bunny workout should vary from moderate to active activities. Bunnies vary their speed from time to time, and so do children. Here is a sample of great activities for group instructors to use. Moderate or Anytime Activities Include � The Last Bunny A head rabbit is chosen by counting out or drawing straws. All other players sit in a circle. The head rabbit walks around the circle and taps one player on the back saying," Have you seen my bunny helper ?" "What does he look like?" asks the head player, and the person sitting down describes the bunny helper. The head bunny may say," She is wearing a watch and blue shoes." The player on the floor tries to guess who the bunny helper is. When he names the right person, the head rabbit says, "That's my helper!" and the described person chases the head bunny outside and around the circle. If the chaser/bunny helper can�t catch the head bunny before he can return to his place, the chaser/ bunny helper becomes the head rabbit. Pin the Tail on the Bunny You will need a picture of a bunny. Each player gets a bunny tail with their name on it. Cotton balls work well for this purpose of placing the tail on the bunny. One at a time, blindfold the players, spin them 3 times, and have them try to pin or tape their tail to the bunny .The player whose tail is closest to the bunny�s real tail wins. Fast Activities � Bunny Race The teacher draws two lines on the playground- a starting line and a goal line. Children line up behind the starting line. Then they start they hold hands to the side of the head like rabbit ears. When the teacher say "Go", children jump in short hops on both feet to the other goal line and back. The first team that finishes the course is declared the winner. � Bunny Tag Same as tag, but players hop instead of run. When a player is tagged they become the new �It�. Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to give my special children a workout of their own. Before you know it, you will be hopping with joy as well. References Used Animal Workouts: Fit 4 Fun Kid�s Training http://worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/hf0.stm Bethany Robertshttp://www.bethanyroberts.com/fun.htm Black Dog Holiday http://www.blackdog.net/holiday// He is not here! He is Risen! http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Troy/9087//songs.html Kid�s Domain http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday// Kinderthemes http://www.kinderthemes.com/April.html To see my rabbits on-line please check out Bugs and Sebastain�s Own Site!!! http://cchapan.tripod.com/sebastainandbugschapansite/ Songs I got a chocolate rabbit For an treat, A great big chocolate rabbit, Good enough to eat. So I ate his ears on Sunday, his nose I finished Monday, Tuesday I nibbled on his feet. I ate his tail on Wednesday, Thursday I kept on, By Friday he was going, Saturday he was gone. Oh, I loved that chocolate rabbit, From the moment that he came, And if I get another one, I'll love him just the same. Did You Ever See a Bunny? (Tune:Did You Ever See a Lassie?) Did you ever see a bunny, a bunny, a bunny? Did you ever see a bunny, a bunny on morn? He hops around so quietly And hides all the eggs. Did you ever see a bunny on morn? ________________________________________ Bunny (Tune:Ten Little Indians) Where, oh, where is the Bunny? Where, oh, where is the Bunny? Where, oh, where is the Bunny? Early morning? The Bunny Pokey to the tune of "The Hokey Pokey" ________________________________________ You put your right paws [right hand and foot] in, you take your right paws out. You put your right paws in, and you shake them all about. You do the Bunny Pokey, and you hop all around. That's what it's all about! You put your left paws in.... Your put your pink nose in... You put your floppy ears in... You put your cotton tail in... You put the whole bunny in... ________________________________________ Did You Ever See a Bunny? to the tune of "Did you Ever See a Lassie?" ________________________________________ Did you ever see a bunny, A bunny, a bunny, Did you ever see a bunny, Hop this way and that? Hop this way and that way? Hop this way and that way? Did you ever see a bunny, Hop this way and that? Did you ever see a bunny, A bunny, a bunny, Did you ever see a bunny, That hopped quite this slow? Hop this way and that way? Hop this way and that way? Did you ever see a bunny, That hopped quite this slow? Did you ever see a bunny, A bunny, a bunny, Did you ever see a bunny, That hopped quite this fast? Hop this way and that way? Hop this way and that way? Did you ever see a bunny, That hopped quite this fast? ________________________________________ Bunny, Bunny fingerplay ________________________________________ Bunny, Bunny, Put hands on top of head like rabbit ears. Small and white, Hold hands close together to show something tiny. Come and fill my baskey Pretend to fill basket. Overnight. Pretend to sleep. ________________________________________ Jokes Q. Why was the Bunny so upset? A. He was having a bad hare day! Q. How does the bunny keep his fur neat? A. With a hare-brush! Q. What kind of books do rabbits like? A. Ones with hoppy endings! Q. What do you call a dumb bunny? A. A hare-brain! Q. Why does the bunny have a shiny nose? A. Because the powder puff is on the other end! Q. How did the soggy Bunny dry himself? A. With a hare dryer! Q. How does a rabbit keep his fur looking good? A. With hare spray! Q. What did the rabbits do after their wedding? A. They went on a bunnymoon! Q. Why was the Bunny so upset? A. He was having a bad hare day! Q. How does the bunny keep his fur neat? A. With a hare-brush! Q. What kind of books do rabbits like? A. Ones with hoppy endings! Q. What do you call a dumb bunny? A. A hare-brain! Q. Why shouldn't you tell an egg a good joke? A. It might crack up! Q. Why does the bunny have a shiny nose? A. Because the powder puff is on the other end! Q. How did the soggy Bunny dry himself? A. With a hare dryer! Q. How does a rabbit keep his fur looking good? A. With hare spray! Q. What did the rabbits do after their wedding? A. They went on a bunnymoon! Q. What did one colored egg say to the other? A. "Heard any good yolks lately?" Q. What's yellow, has long ears, and grows on trees? A. The Bunana! Q. How do you catch the Bunny? A. Hide in the bushes and make a noise like a carrot! Q. How do you make a rabbit stew? A. Make it wait for 3 hours! Q. How many chocolate bunnies can you put into an empty basket? A. Only one- after that, it's not empty! Q. A man wanted an pet for his daughter. He looked at a baby chick and a baby duck. They were both very cute, but he decided to buy the baby chick. Do you know why? A. The baby chick was a little cheeper! (cheaper) Q. Why did the egg hide? A. He was a little chicken! Q. What's a rabbit's favorite dance? A. The bunny hop! Q. What do you call a rabbit that tells good jokes? A. A funny bunny! Poems I'm sure a Bunny must remember Everything he's told Because his ears are oh so large! Just think how much they hold! I saw a little bunny going hop, hop, hop. I said, "Please, Mr. Bunny, won't you stop, stop, stop." He flapped his big, long ears and had no word to say, And before I could get near him he had hop, hop, hopped away! Fingerplays Five Baby Bunnies Five baby bunnies hopping out to play, Hopping in the forest on Day. (Fingers hopping) The first baby bunny carried his new cane, He twirled it as he came hopping down the lane. (Twirl cane in the air) The second baby bunny came to the river's brink, Tasted the cool water and took a long, long drink. (Stoop down, take drink) The third baby bunny tied her bonnet so new, Under her chin, a bow of pink, white, and blue. (Tie bow under chin) The fourth baby bunny skipped down the shady lane, He opened his umbrella just in case of rain (Open umbrella) The fifth baby bunny said, "Look what I see!" Lots and lots of colored eggs hiding near the tree!" Trivia Most children (74%) eat the ears of their chocolate bunny first. 13% eat the feet first, and 10% eat the tails first. 60 million chocolate bunnies are sold each . bunny- The rabbit, or hare, was a symbol of abundant new life in ancient times, and reminds us of spring and new life. Bunny- The bunny fills baskets for children with candy. This custom began in Germany and then came to America. The story was that if children were good, the rabbit would lay colored eggs in a nest. Children would use caps and bonnets for "nests." Tongue Twisters Busy bunnies bring blue baskets. 2. Each , Eddie eats eighty eggs. 3. Six peeping chicks cheeping cheerily. 4. Jogging jellybeans joke and giggle, jogging jellybeans jump and jiggle. 5. Run, Red Rabbit, run!Back to Top
Fiesta de Fitness I originally wrote this routine for some games I had when I had a fiesta at my house. They are for any age level or ability level. Just say Ole and you are ready to begin! Chocolonga (cho-co-LONG-a) Materials: blindfold A circle is marked on the blackboard or on a piece of paper is attached to the wall. One player is selected to be it and stands at arms length in front of the circle. He or she is blindfolded and told to touch as near as possible the center of the circle. Before it tries to touch the circle, he or she is turned around three times.. "Chocolonga" is cuban for "to put into." Carpenters, Coal Miners , and Cardinals One player is chosen as leader. The other players form two parallel lines about 3 feet apart and facing each other. One team is the carpenters; the other is the coal miners. Play begins as the leader gives the calls. If he or she calls "Carpenters!" that team turns and runs to alien about 30 feet away. The coal miners try to tag them before they cross the line. The players who retagged are out of the game. If coal miners are called, they run to a line on their side, trying to reach it before the carpenters tag them. If cardinals are called, neither team should move. If a player should move even a foot, he or she is eliminated from the game. The leader may add excitement to the game by pausing on the first syllable CAR so that the players do not know what to expect. The team with the most players at the end of playing time wins. La Caching (La Ca-CHAN-gad) Materials: Shoe The term la caching is Spanish for a sandal made of cotton. The sole of the shoe is flat and the shoes held on by a strap. The players are in a close circle, kneeling on one knee, the other is at right angles. A shoe is passed quickly under the knee of each player. One player on the outside of the circle moves around the group in the direction in which the shoe is sent and tries to locate the shoe. The circle players say together repeatedly, Queue corral la cachanga, the sandal that runs. .If the outside player locates the shoe, he or she taps the shoulder of the player holding it and then exchanges places with that player. Rayuela How to Play Rayuela There can be any number of players and a stone is the only object you need to play it. If you are the first player, you draw a figure on the floor with a piece of chalk. Then you throw the stone inside square one. After that, you have to hop into each square, starting with square 1 and ending in square eight. If there are two squares together, you jump landing with one foot in each square; but if there is only one square, you must hop on one foot. When you reach squares 7 and 8, you have to turn back jumping again until square 1. Then you continue playing the next level. This time you begin by throwing the stone into square number 2. In the next level, you throw it into square number 3. You continue until level 8. The first player who does all the levels is the winner. The most important thing is that the player has to skip the square where the stone is. Hit the Coin Materials: Stick coin or bottle cap ( Chair) Place a 12- to 18-inch bamboo stick (or use a dowel) into the ground (you could make a stand or use a Christmas tree stand indoors). Draw a circle about five inches in diameter around the pole. Place a coin or bottle cap on top of the stick. The players stand about four feet away from the stick and try to knock the object off the stick by throwing a coin at it. The object is to knock the coin off the stick to the outside of the 5 inch circle. Peteca Materials: Shuttlecock, net, and basket Peteca is best described as badminton without the racquets. The players use their hands to hit the special shuttlecock over a net. Your game could use a traditional Peteca, but the player tries to land it in a target, such as a basket. Uno, does, tres Materials: beanbags and string Stretch a string between two objects and mark a line a yard away. Children stand behind the line and take turns throwing bean bags at the string. Any child who hits hit it scores a point. Socorro! A chaser runs after the children and tries to catch them. When a child is in danger of being caught, she shouts, �Socorro!� If a player comes and hold her hand, they are both safe from being caught. Once the danger is past, they continue to run individually. Luta de Galo Materials: handkerchiefs Players pair up, tuck handkerchiefs in their belts, place their right arm across their chest, and hop around on their right foot. The free left arm is used to reach for the opponent's handkerchief. A player whose left foot touches the ground or whose right arm unbends is disqualified. The player who succeeds in getting the opponent's handkerchief is the winner. Luta de Galo means a "fight of roosters." A.K.A. Alto Ahi! Materials: Ball Initially, one player takes the ball. In that moment, the rest begin running away from the one who has the ball. When the one who has the ball says, "Stop there, John" (naming one of the participants), the one named must look for the ball. Once he has the ball, he says "Stop there," and everyone must stop. The one who has the ball can give three steps to get nearer to his closest partner and throws him or her ball. Cascudinho (Little Bee) Materials: Ball This uses only one goal (with or without a goalkeeper) and both teams compete for goals. The goalkeeper does not belong to any team; his role is keeping the goal. When one team attacks, the other one plays defensively, trying to stop the ball from reaching the goal. When the other team succeeds in stealing the ball, it tries to kick it into the goal and the other team plays defensively in turn. References: Carnival Games from Around the World http://www.schoolcarnivals.com/Games/By_Theme/themecultural.htm Fit 4 Fun International Games http://www.worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/hf1.stm Games from Around the World http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/4h/4h05500.pdf Rayuela http://www.topics-mag.com/edition11/games-section. htmBack to Top
EARTH DAY: EVERY DAY Earth Day occurred just last week. and here are some games to celebrate this fun holiday. These related games can be played inside or outside and require a minimal amount of space. Instead of harping on the values of recycling for Earth Day, teach children those values through interesting games. WARM-UP ACTIVITIES Hug a Tree In a forested area, pairs take turns being blindfolded. Have one person in the pair lead the other to a tree (for touch and feel) and then them lead away. After removing the blindfold, the tree hugger tries to locate his/her tree. Wind Storm Materials: parachutes and newspaper sheets Stand around the chute. Start to wave it like a slow wind. Put several newspaper sheets under the chute. Say the sounds of the wind and lift the chute over their heads and wave it fast. As they are lifting the chute, name a few children. They should run underneath the chute, pick up the newspaper sheets, and run though the wind storm. Encourage all the other children to make the wind sound as they wave the chute and make the wind stronger. When the children come out of the windstorm, calm down and lower the chute. Rest and ask what it would be like to be in a wind storm. Talk about the importance of putting the trash in the trashcan after play. RECYCLE RELAYS Trash Can Relay Materials: trashcans Set up five classroom trash cans in an obstacle course. The first student on the team runs the course, weaving in and out around the cans. When the student reaches the last can, he or she turns around and weaves back to the team. The runner taps the next team member in line, who takes his/her turn running the course. Newspaper Relay Materials: Newspapers Provide a stack of newspapers for each team and have team members divide the stack evenly among them. Set up a paper bag or recycle bin (or whatever container your community uses for recycling newspaper) at a finish line. At a signal, the first member of the team carries his or her stack of newspaper to the finish line, deposits it in the container, runs back to the team, and taps the next person in line. Recycle Relay Materials: cones/markers, large beach ball, recyclable goods, recycle bin/box, trash cans/bins/box. Two teams are line up at the start line. One player from each team races to recyclable goods. After getting a object from the can, the student must go to the large ball and run five times around it. He should deposit the item in the recycling bin located by the earth ball. The player must run back and ask the next person to go. The team that finishes first wins. Landfill Loser Divide the class into three groups of nearly equal size. Have one group of players occupy a space between the other two groups. These players are known as the "landfill losers." Discuss how landfills take up valuable space and sometimes create groundwater pollution. The object of this game is to keep "recycling" the balls by passing them back and forth to each other without letting the landfill losers grab them and put them in the ground. The two groups on either side of the landfill losers will try to pass balls back and forth to each other without allowing the losers to get them. Balls may be thrown or bounced to each other, but no ball may go above the heads of the losers. Balls that go above the heads of the losers become their property. Play for a certain time limit, and count the number of balls at the end to see which team has more. Switch jobs and try again. SAVE THE EARTH SPORTS! Bottle Bowling Materials: medium-sized plastic bottles, ball Set up bowling pins made from 2-liter pop bottles, small bleach bottles, or tall dishwashing detergent bottles. Putt for Points Materials: Coffee cans or buckets, golf clubs, balls Give each student a golf ball and the club and see how many strokes that it takes for the team member to get the balls in the three cans. The student with the smallest amount of strokes wins. Toilet Paper Football Materials: Toilet Paper Rolls Players run in pairs, connected by toilet paper. Every player must hold onto the end of a length of toilet paper. The team in possession of the rolls kicks it downfield and the other team runs to retrieve it and carry it across the opponent�s end zone. The connecting toilet paper cannot touch the ground. Players are tackled if their length of the toilet paper is torn. If tackled, players may not run, but they can kick the ball whenever possible. Any players who runs by himself not connected to another player by a toilet paper strip or who touches another player, trades places with the referee. Players score six points by completing a pass into the end zone (touchdown). The teams that scores more points at then end of the 20 minutes wins. If there is no score, the team closer to the opponent�s end zone wins. Towel Volley Materials: old towel As in volleyball, the goal is to cause the other team to miss a legal serve. Pairs must keep their hands on their towel at all times. The ball may be tossed around players on the same team up to three times before it must be lofted over the net. The ball should be returned more or less immediately after being caught. The players can�t touch the ball with their hands. The team with more points at the end of twenty minutes wins. COOL DOWN ACTIVITIES Springtime Flowers Materials: parachutes Have the children face in the same direction and squat around the parachute. Grab the edge of the chute with one hand. Stand walking in a circle while singing Springtime Flower. One the last line, they all pop up, jump, and wave the chute high. Play again using various flowers such as roses and petunias. Springtime Flowers (Tune: Ring around the Rosie) By: Jane Flynn Ring of Springtime Flowers Made from April Showers, Tulips, buttercups, They all pop up If you are looking for opportunities to pop up and teach saving the earth, try these new games. You never know what spring will bring! References DeKoven, Bernie. Junkyard Sports. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2005. Education World http://www.education-world.com/a_lesson/03/lp308-02.shtml Hug a Tree http://www.wilderdom.com/games/descriptions/HugATree.html Landfill Losers http://members.tripod.com/~MrGsPEpage/landfill.htm Lesson Planz Page http://eduref.org/Virtual/Lessons/Physical_Education/Motor_Skills/ MMS0003.htm l Recycle Relay http://members.tripod.com/~MrGsPEpage/science3.htm Wilmes, Liz and Dick. Parachute Play. Elgin, Illinois: Building Blocks, 2000.Back to Top
Fall Fun Fest! Popcorn Relay Race Materials: Popcorn or small balls Measuring Cups Bowls or containers Set out bowls full of popcorn at one end of the room and empty bowls at another. Teams must transport the popcorn from full bowl to empty bowl using a measuring cup. Pin the Tail Feathers on the Turkey Materials: Picture of Turkey Feathers or Tail feather Tape Blindfold Draw a turkey and have the blindfolded children take turns trying to attach the feathers. The player that puts the feathers closest to the turkey wins! Turkey Hunt! Materials: Twelve Turkey Pictures On a dozen or so index cards, draw or paste a picture of a turkey. To play, everyone leaves the room except the leader. The leader hides the cards around the room. Hunters return and begin the hunt. As each turkey is found, it is brought back to the leader who corrals them in a separate pile for each hunter. When all the turkeys have been found, the hunter with the most turkeys is the winner and becomes the leader for the next round. Where is Mr. Turkey? Materials: Small turkey or brown ball to represent turkey One player is the hunter and the others are helpers. The hunter leaves the room. The helpers hide a small toy turkey. The hunter returns with a mission to find the turkey. Helpers give clues by "gobbling" like turkeys. If the hunter is not close, the helpers gobble very quietly. As the hunter gets closer, the helpers gobble more and more loudly until the hunter finds Mr. Turkey. Cranberry Relay: Materials: Cranberries or small red balls Large plastic spoons Have players form two lines. Each player takes turns carrying a spoonful of cranberries from the front of the line to a determined point and then back to hand the spoon to the next player in line. If any of the cranberries drop off, the player must stop and replace them before continuing. The first team to finish wins. ( Maybe Not) Turkey Trot Materials: Stuffed turkey or picture of turkey for each team Players pair up with their elbows linked and each team receives a turkey mascot. On cue, the pairs try to make their way to the finish line at the far end of the playing field. The first team to get there without dropping their bird or unlinking their arms, wins. Run Fast Little Turkey Materials: Parachutes Paper Feathers Take a chute and throw the turkey feathers in the air. Assign a color to each child and have them pick up that color of feathers. The child who picks up his/her color first, wins. Pumpkin Race Materials: Pumpkins or similar odd shaped balls Pool Noodles The racers line up on the starting line with the pumpkins turned on their sides. On the signal, the racers use the noodle to roll the pumpkins to the finish line. If you want to play this as teams, make it a relay race. Toss and Count Give each player a beanbag. On the teacher�s signal have the children toss and catch their own beanbags to their partner. After thirty seconds stop the game and count the number of times you tossed and catch the beanbags. Players can also play the game themselves counting the number of beanbag tosses and catches they have successfully completed. The player or team that throws the most times without it falling to the ground wins. Toss and Walk Relay Use tape to mark a start line, mark a goal line about 10 feet away. Group students into equal teams and have them form relay lines behind the starting line. Give a beanbag which represents Bob or Larry to the first child on each team. At your signal, the first child on each team walks to the goal line, then turns around and walks back to the start, tossing and catching her beanbag as she walks. When she reaches her team, she hands the beanbag to the next team player then sits down at the end of the line. The first team that finishes first wins! Over and Under Relay Group students into equal teams and have them form relay lines. Give a beanbag to the first child on each team. At the teacher�s signal, the first child on each team passes the beanbag between her legs to the second child. The second child passes the beanbag between her legs to the third child. Continue playing until the beanbag reaches the last person on the team. Reverse directions for the next round. You can vary the movements with left side, right side, one handed, two handed over and under etc. You can also choose other players from the Veggie Tales to toss over, under, right and left side as well.Back to Top
Pumpkin Power! Fall is a great time to enjoy cooler weather and get into fun and fitness. Use this series of games in your next fall or seasonal party. The Great Pumpkin Equipment: Cone markers and one flag or scarf per person Make a large square with thirty-foot sides. Choose one player to stand in the square�s middle and be the Great Pumpkin. Divide the group into four teams (i.e. Bats, Spiders, Pumpkins, and Candy Corn). Have each group stand in a line formation on one of the sides. Ask everyone to have a flag tucked into the back waistband of their pants, with at least two- thirds of the flag visible. Remind players to move into open spaces to avoid collisions. When you call out a group�s name, that group runs around the square and the Great Pumpkin tries to grab their flags. If a flag is captured, that person joins the square. Continue calling out the names of the groups until you�ve called them all. Once all groups have been called, select a new Great Pumpkin and play again. Jack-O-Lantern Roll Equipment: Parachute, 4-5large sponge balls with different jack-o- lantern faces Put the jack-o-lantern sponge balls in a basket. Have the children stand and hold the chute. Lay on jack-o-lantern ball on the chute. Encourage the children to work together and slowly roll the ball on the edge of the chute. Then tell the children to stop. The child nearest the jack-o- lantern grabs it and holds it up so everyone can see the face. Everyone calls out how jack feels. Have the child roll that jack-o- lantern under the chute. Put another jack on the chute and play again. To extend the activity, make a large puzzle from a picture of a pumpkin and scatter the pieces as you throw them up in the parachute. See which kids can find the most matched pieces for the puzzle the fastest. Pumpkin Bowling Equipment: Plastic pumpkin, real pumpkin, and slide Place a real pumpkin in position at the top of a small slide and a plastic pumpkin about five feet from the bottom of the slide. The child climbs the ladder, pushes the pumpkin down the slide, and tries to knock over the plastic pumpkin at the bottom. Pumpkin Gutter Ball Equipment: Various sizes of balls and slides Roll various sizes of orange balls from the slide. Predict which ones will go down the slide the fastest. Pumpkin Parachute Put various sizes of balls on a chute. Predict which ones will slide off the parachute first. Move and Seek Equipment: Pumpkins, cones or small boxes Divide children into teams. Hide miniature pumpkins under a few cones or small boxes arranged at the far end of the activity. Have children run, hop, jump, or walk backward to the cones and lift each cone trying to discover which cones have pumpkins concealed beneath. Once they have discovered a pumpkin, have them children carry it back to the starting point, then go back to search for more pumpkins. The team that finds the most pumpkins wins! Pumpkin Throw Equipment: Beanbags Balls Large pumpkin sheet Cut a sheet of plywood or laminated poster board to create the outline of a huge, three-foot-by-three-foot pumpkin. Cut a large mouth, a nose and two eyes out of the cardboard pumpkin and paint it orange. Determine point values for the eyes, nose, and mouth in the pumpkin. Take a lightweight ball or beanbag and encourage the children to throw it in the pumpkin�s face for points. The student earning the most points wins. Pumpkin Patch Equipment: Orange beanbags Have students stand five to seven feet from a partner and toss a beanbag using a correct underhand throw. Students try to accurately throw a beanbag with correct underhand style five out of seven times. Give these games a try if you are looking for a way to bring Halloween into your fitness games! References: Burk, Maggie C. Station Games. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2002. Landry, Joanne M. and Landry, Maxwell J. Ready-to-Use P.E. Activities for Grades1-2. n.l.: Parker Publishing, 1992. McCall, Renee M. and Craft, Diane H. Purposeful Play. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2004. Wilmes, Liz and Dick. Parachute Play. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks, 2000.Back to Top
Turkey Time Thanksgiving is a time to share a special holiday with family and friends. In the following article, I give some ideas for taking the focus off the food and turning it toward forming friendships, family bonds, and fun! Turkey Tag In this game, three students play the hunters and the rest are wild turkeys. The game continues until all the turkeys are caught. Take a Nature Walk Go outside! Take a nature walk and see if you can find: a red, orange, or brown leaf; a pine cone; an acorn; a dried weed or pod; a seed; a piece of bark; a sweet gum ball, or dried berries. For a variation, have the group brainstorm and see what items that they can find first. The first group to find everything on the list wins! Popcorn Relay Race Materials: Popcorn or small balls Measuring Cups Bowls or containers Set out bowls full of popcorn at one end of the room and empty bowls at another. Teams must transport the popcorn from full bowl to empty bowl using a measuring cup. Pin the Tail Feathers on the Turkey Materials: Picture of Turkey Feathers or Tail feather Tape Blindfold Draw a turkey and have the blindfolded children take turns trying to attach the feathers. The player that puts the feathers closest to the turkey wins! Thankerchief Materials: Handkerchief Arrange the children in a circle. Pass a "thankerchief" (handkerchief) around as they recite this poem: Thankerchief, thankerchief, around you go -- Where you'll stop, nobody knows. But when you do, someone must say, What they are thankful for this day. The player holding the thankerchief when the poem ends, must tell one thing for which they are thankful. The game continues until everyone has had a turn. Turkey Hunt! Materials: Twelve Turkey Pictures On a dozen or so index cards, draw or paste a picture of a turkey. To play, everyone leaves the room except the leader. The leader hides the cards around the room. Hunters return and begin the hunt. As each turkey is found, it is brought back to the leader who corrals them in a separate pile for each hunter. When all the turkeys have been found, the hunter with the most turkeys is the winner and becomes the leader for the next round. Where is Mr. Turkey? Materials: Small turkey or brown ball to represent turkey One player is the hunter and the others are helpers. The hunter leaves the room. The helpers hide a small toy turkey. The hunter returns with a mission to find the turkey. Helpers give clues by "gobbling" like turkeys. If the hunter is not close, the helpers gobble very quietly. As the hunter gets closer, the helpers gobble more and more loudly until the hunter finds Mr. Turkey. Cranberry Relay: Materials: Cranberries or small red balls Large plastic spoons Have players form two lines. Each player takes turns carrying a spoonful of cranberries from the front of the line to a determined point and then back to hand the spoon to the next player in line. If any of the cranberries drop off, the player must stop and replace them before continuing. The first team to finish wins. Turkey Trot Materials: Stuffed turkey or picture of turkey for each team Players pair up with their elbows linked and each team receives a turkey mascot. On cue, the pairs try to make their way to the finish line at the far end of the playing field. The first team to get there without dropping their bird or unlinking their arms, wins. Turkey Exercises Materials: Turkey picture for each group Turkey feathers with exercises on them Make feathers out of laminated red, brown, yellow, and green construction paper and on the back of each, write an exercise. Divide the students into small groups of three and assign each group a turkey placed at the opposite end of the gym. Give students the exercise feathers in a pail or bag. The first student in the group will pick a feather, read the exercise, and the group will perform the exercise. That first student will then run to the turkey with that feather, place it on the turkey, and run back. Then the next student in the group selects a feather, reads the exercise, and the group performs the exercise. That student runs to the turkey, places the feather on the turkey and runs back. Continue until all the feathers are placed on the turkey. The teacher can tell the students how many feathers they need to have on the turkey, depending on the time available. Students can also be told they need to select at least one feather of each color, to include variety of exercises. Run Fast Little Turkey Materials: Parachutes Paper Feathers Take a chute and throw the turkey feathers in the air. Assign a color to each child and have them pick up that color of feathers. The child who picks up his/her color first, wins. Cornucopia Pilgrims Materials: Chairs for all students except one Players sit on chairs forming a circle. There should be one more player than there are chairs. The player without a chair is the leader. The leader points to each of the other players to give them a name, such as "Cranberry, Corn, Apple, Turkey," anything related to Thanksgiving. After names are chosen, the leader calls out two names, "Turkey and potato," for example. Those two players must quickly switch places. The leader keeps calling at a quick pace, until suddenly she says, "The cornucopia has tipped over!" Everyone, including the leader, then scrambles for a new place. The player with out a seat is the new leader. Pumpkin Race Materials: Pumpkins or similar odd shaped balls Pool Noodles The racers line up on the starting line with the pumpkins turned on their sides. On the signal, the racers use the noodle to roll the pumpkins to the finish line. If you want to play this as teams, make it a relay race. If you are looking for an alternative to the traditional dash for the leftovers, try these exciting games. Your focus will be on fun instead of on a full and bloated belly. Thanksgiving References (Included in this section are books that are great to read in between the games when children are tired.) Amazing Moms Thanksgiving Games http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/thanksgiving_games.htm Annie�s Thanksgiving Games http://www.annieshomepage.com/thanksgivinggames.html Anderson, Laurie Halse. Thank you Sarah: the Woman who Saved Thanksgiving. New York: Scholastic, 2002. Black dog�s Thanksgiving http://www.blackdog.net/holiday/thanks/ DePaola, Tommie. My First Thanksgiving. New York: Scholastic, n.d. Family Fun Turkey Trot http://familyfun.go.com/parties/holiday/game/famf_game_turkeytrot/ Let�s Talk Turkey http://www.umkc.edu/imc/turkeys.htm Pilkey, Dav. T�was the Night Before Thanksgiving. New York: Scholastic News, 1990. Ross, Katherine. The Story of the Pilgrims. New York: Random House, 1995. Teaching With a Heart Thanksgiving, Geocities Turkey Time http://www.geocities.com/teachingwithheart/turkeysing.html Tryon, Leslie. Albert�s Thanksgiving. New York: Scholastic, 1994. Web Teach Thanksgiving Links http://webtech.kennesaw.edu/jcheek3/thanksgiving.htm Wilmes, Liz, and Dick. Parachute Play. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks, 2000.Back to Top
Winter Wonderland Holidays are a time for busyness and it is easy to forget about physical fitness. In the following article, I would like to highlight some creative ideas for getting kids active during this insane holiday season. I would like to separate these with three sections. First I will highlight low activity games, then medium activity games and last of all high activity games. This month I will discuss low energy games. Pass the Snowball (Low Energy) Materials: White ball Christmas or winter music This game is like hot potato. Take an ornament and pass it around a circle of children. The game continues until the music stops. That child with the ornament in his/her hand is out. Do not allow children to be out more than one turn. Allow them back into the game. Pin the Nose on Rudolph (Low Energy Activity) Supplies: Reindeer picture Blindfold Red noses This is a take on 'pin the tail on the donkey'. Put a picture of a nose- less Rudolf on the wall, blindfold the students, spin them around, and see if they can pin a red nose in the right place. Snowman Says (Low Energy Activity) Same as 'Simon Says': The student up is the Snowman . Snowman says, "Snowman says hop.� All students hop. Snowman says, "Stop.� Students should continue hopping on until "Snowman" says, "Snowman says stop.� Repeat for other actions such as jump, run, turn around, sit down, stand up, hands up/down, star jump, etc.). Las Posada Limbo (Low Energy Activity) Supplies: Pool Noodle with garland Based on the classic beach game of "limbo.� The student that can go the lowest wins! Blanket Blizzard (Low Energy Activity) Supplies Chute Plastic Peanuts Have the children stand and hold the parachute. Add a few pieces of Styrofoam peanuts and shake them in the air so they seem like snow floating from the sky and onto the parachute. Continue to add peanuts and make a blizzard of snow as you continue to fill the parachute. Jingle Jam (Low Energy Activity) Supplies: Chute Jingle Bells Give each child several bells. Toss them unto the chute and sing, �Jingle Bells as they jerk and chute in rhythm to the song. Sing again and wave the chute in shallow ripples. How do the bells sound? Da Wrapper (Low Energy Activity) Supplies: Chute Various small toys Sit around the chute. Give each child a small toy. Have each child hold it up and tell what it is. Everyone cover his or her eyes. Tap a child who has a gift on the head. That child should wrap his toy under the parachute. Everyone uncover their eyes and see if they can remember what gift just was wrapped up. Let the child unwrap his toy so everyone can see it. Solving the Sleigh Mystery (Low Energy Activity) Supplies: Snowman sleigh Have children sit in a large circle and blindfold one child. Another child will be given the sleigh and must say: Snowman, Snowman, where is your sleigh someone is come and taken it away Guess who Guess who? The student who finds it first gets to be it for the next round. Mitten Mates (Low Energy Activity Game) Supplies: Chute Pairs of mittens Have the children sit around the chute. Give each child a mitten from one of the pairs and put it on the parachute. Have them spread the mittens around the chute. Lower the chute. Have the children count to three and then throw the parachute up into a mushroom shape. Raise the chute. . Lower the chute. Play repeatedly until everyone has found his mitten mates. So instead of helping yourself to the second serving get active and get into fitness with your kids. Holiday Wonderland Part 2 Last month I discussed some ideas for getting kids active and interested in fitness. Here are some more ideas for getting kids busy and occupied during the holiday season. Cabin Fever Core Circuit ( Medium Energy Activity) Materials: Christmas or winter music Sometimes it is great to divide kids into various stations and have them exercise working on various fitness components for 20-90 seconds depending on the interest and ability levels of each group. Examples: Cardiovascular Endurance: Jump rope Muscular Strength (upper body): Push-ups Muscular Strength (abdominal): Partial curl ups Flexibility: Sit to Reach Your Toes Muscular Endurance: Rope Climbing in the air Shoppers Nightmare (Medium Energy Activity) Supplies: Parachute Various soft toys Bags Place toys on the chute. Wave it in the air and students go get the toys once they have been lifted off the chute. The child who collects the most toys in a bag or specific area wins! Jingle Jump (Medium Energy Activity) Materials: Jump ropes Twist Ties or string Jingle bells Students jump with the jingle bells tied with twist ties or string to the jump ropes. Sing a winter song such as �Jingle Bells� as the students jump with the rope. Trim the Tree (Medium Energy Activity) Materials: Ringer (Optional ) Picture of tree on ringer Clear tape Rings Take a ringer and place a picture of a tree on the front of it. Set the ringer in the station area. Place a tapeline on the floor about five to seven feet away form the cone. Students stand on the tapeline and toss three rings onto the cone five out of seven times. Three-Legged Stocking Race (Medium Energy Game) Supplies: Oversized stocking that will fit two feet Tape to mark finish line Pair up kids and have each pair put a leg in the oversized stocking and tie at top so that it will not fall off. Make sure you have plenty of space. Put all the pairs at one end and mark a finish line at the other. On your mark, the kids race to be the first pair over the line. Frosty Snowball Toss (Medium Energy Game) Supplies: Large cardboard with Frosty drawn on one side. Whiffle Balls Paper box lid to hold snowballs Tape to mark distance line How to Play: Place cardboard Frosty a little distance from a wall with a paper box lid on floor to catch snowballs. Mark your distance line according to age and skill of children. Line children up behind the line and place a bucket of whiffle balls beside them. Give each child three tries to get their whiffle snowball through the hole. Get all three whiffle snowballs in and earn a snowball reward. Rush Relay Races (Medium Energy Activities) Equipment: (1 per group) scooter, Jump rope, Hula-hoops Several beanbags Tossing items Bowls or buckets Two rackets/group Small playground ball Students are grouped into four- five groups of four. The relays include: Snowfall Race Have two students in each group pair up. One student lies on their chest on the scooter and holds on to the sides of the scooter for security. The other student grabs their feet and pushes them down around their specified cone and back. Then the next set of two goes. Silly Sled Race Students again pair up within their group. This time, one of the students sits on the scooter and the other stands up facing them. The partner on the scooter grabs both ends of the jump rope, while the other one holds the middle. The students must "drive" down around the cone and back. Repeat twice. Frustration Freeze Race Every student in each group is given a beanbag. Across the gym, there is a set of dome dishes (bowls) for each group that they must place the beanbags into. The students keep running up and placing the beanbags into the bowls until the signal is given. The only catch, however, is that students are not allowed to use their hands. It is interesting to see the different ways they come up with. Wild Winter Run Race Each group is given two rackets and a playground ball. The first and second person in each line has a racket. The first person must balance the playground ball down around their cone and back, and then pass the ball on to the second person in line holding a racket. The first person then passes their racket on to the third and goes to the end of the line, etc. If any student in the group drops the ball, they must return to the beginning of the line immediately, and start again. So get off the couch and into fitness by getting in to Medium energy games. Winter Wonderland Part Three This is the third part of a series on games to play during this winter season with children. As you play these high energy games with children please remember to make sure that you have plenty of space inside or outside and that children fully understand the rules of the games. Christmas Signals ( High Energy) With a partner do the following actions. Reindeer Gallop around the area holding hands. Snowman Lie facedown. Roll back and forth on your tummy shouting HO, HO, and HO. Christmas tree Stand tall, hands outstretches overhead. Christmas Ball Roll up in a little ball on the floor and roll sideways Candy Cane Form the shape of a candy cane on the floor Toy Soldier Make like a toy soldier marching in a row Choo Choo Train Act like a train and chug loudly. Spinning Top Act like a spinning top and spin, spin, spin Angel Flap your wings and run around like an angel Wiseman Search for the Christ child as you skip from place to place. Snowball Bowling (Medium Activity) Materials: Beanbags Bowling Pins or Plastic bottles Set the bowling pins in a triangle formation. Placed a tape mark on the floor five to seven feet away and lay the beanbags on the tape mark. Student should try to knock at least four bowling pins three out of five times. Cheap Skate (High Energy Activity) Take two shoeboxes or quart milk cartons and create a smooth skating atmosphere for your child Allow your child to skate using the boxes or cartons. You can also make it into a relay/race by having two students race against each other from a designated starting and finishing line. Candy Cane Hockey ( High Energy Activity) Supplies: Pool Noodle wrapped to look like a candy cane Small light balls Put a hockey or makeshift goal next to a wall. Place a tapeline about ten feet from the goal. Students will try to put the puck into the hockey goal by moving the small balls three to five times. Reindeer Run (High Energy Activities) Students jog around the gym wearing reindeer antlered or making the antlers with their hands. The first student that makes a lap wins! Christmas stocking Relay (High Energy) Supplies: One stocking for each team One spoon for each team One bowl for each team Plastic egg Divide into teams. Have each team line up at one end of the room. At the other end, hang a Christmas stocking for each team. Place a bowl of pretend candy (plastic eggs) and a spoon in front of each team. Each team member takes a turn carrying an egg from the bowl with the spoon across the room to the stocking. They drop the egg in the stocking and race back to the next person in line and give them the spoon. First team to fill the stocking wins Frosty Freeze (High Energy) Supplies: Christmas music Begin playing music and have everyone move and dance until the music stops then they must "freeze" in whatever position they happen to be in. Get into the groove this new year and get into fitness! Christmas References A Kid�s Heart http://akidsheart.com/holidays/christms/chgames.htm Beenleigs State School http://www.beenleigss.qld.edu.au/Christmas/christmas.html Burk, Maggie C. Station Games. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2002 Child fun Christmas http://www.childfun.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220 Kid�s Domain http://www.childfun.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=220 Landry, Joanne M. and Landry, Maxwell J. Ready-to-Use P.E. Activities for Grades1-2. n.l.: Parker Publishing, 1992. Landry, Joanne M. and Landry, Maxwell J. Ready-to-Use P.E. Activities for Grades1 3-4. n.l.: Parker Publishing, 1992. McCall, Renee M. and Craft, Diane H. Purposeful Play. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 2004. PE Links4 You http://www.pelinks4u.org/archives/120103.htm Physical Education Lessons Page http://members.tripod.com/~pazz/lesson.html Pitts School http://www.pittschools.org/aes/PE-LP59.HTM Wilmes, Liz, and Dick. Parachute Play. Elgin, IL: Building Blocks, 2000.Back to Top
December Delights December is an incredible busy time of year. But more often than not there is not much time for family bonding. This is a series of games that emphasize families getting physical activity and focusing on fitness fun! Materials: Snowflake Pictures Inflatable dice with Christmas on it Hula hoops Christmas puzzle Large cut out of a Christmas tree Green and brown beanbags Number cards Buckets Christmas bucket Laminated gift boxes Plastic tablecloth Timer Scarves Christmas Tree Dice Calisthenics Throw a dice. Have the children act out the number that appears with some kind of activity: four jumping jacks, five sit-ups, etc. Christmas Tree Puzzles Take a hula hoop and put a simple 3-4 piece puzzle of a Christmas Tree inside of it. Time each student and see how long it takes them to put the puzzle together. See which Christmas Tree puzzle is easiest for the group to put together. Christmas Tree Toss Take an green bean bags and scatter hoops on the floor. See if your students can throw an green bean bag Christmas Tree into the hoop. The group that accurately throws the most Christmas Tree bean bag wins. Present Pursuit See how many Presents disks (colorful beanbags) can be thrown into the Present bucket. The student who throws the most balls into the bucket wins. Snowflakes Relay Make a row of buckets and place a Snowflakes ( white bean bags) beside each bucket. Time each student and see how long it takes to put the Snowflakes into each bucket. When they have put the Snowflakes in the bucket, they are to turn around the last bucket and run back to the start. The goal is for the groups to race to complete the relay in the shortest amount of time. Snowman says Instead of Simon Says, have students follow the leader (Snowman) and perform locomotor movements or identify various body parts that the caller calls outs. No one is out, even if the Snowman does not say.Back to Top
Thanksgiving Fun! Thanksgiving is a great time to reacquaint people with one another in school and social situations with light and fun competitive games. These games can be played in outdoor and indoor environments and are lots of fun. Warm-ups and Cool Down Roll and Say Hello! Materials: Ball Children take turns greeting each other by rolling a ball. One child takes the ball and says Hello (child�s name) says something that they like about Thanksgiving and then roll the ball to another child in the circle. The catcher then says good morning to someone else and rolls the ball to him. Make sure that everyone has had a turn. Ask which children have not had a turn by putting their thumb up. The game is completed when everyone has had a turn. Squanto Limbo Materials: Stick such a pool noodle Have the teacher hold the stick at a comfortable height about waist high. Ask children to line up one side and find a way to under the stick without bumping it. Each time through, lower the stick a bit. Children will have a find a way to get low and go under. Hunt the Turkey Materials: turkey The players form a circle on the floor and one person is chosen to be �IT.� �IT� is in the middle of the circle and closes his eyes until the game begins. The other players pass a turkey or another small brown object ( such as a bean bag) back and forth in the circle behind their backs. The object of the game is to have �IT� find out who has the turkey. If the guess is right, the person with the turkey becomes �IT.� This game teaches children to be quick, agile, and aware of their surroundings. Anytime Games Turkey Relief Materials: paper or fabric turkey or such as a newspaper Have partners place a piece of crumbled up newspaper or turkey on the floor. Ask the partners to pick up the paper using the body parts called out the teacher such as elbow-to-elbow, foot-to-foot, knee-to- knee, forearm to elbow, foot and elbow, knee and elbow, forehead and back of hand, toe, and finger. Imaginary Shoes Have kids act out what they would do if they were in particular fall/winter shoes. Some shoes ideas can be ice skates, snowshoes, skis, shoes, and boots such as a cowboy, astronaut, and child in the snow. Twelve Days of Fitness Students will act out the following fitness song. On the first day of fitness, my teacher gave to me. 12 Jumping Jacks 11 Raise the roofs 10 Knee Lifts 9 Side Stretches 8 Jogs in Place 7 Jabs and Punches 6 Kicks to the front 5 Hula Hoops 4 Jump ropes 3 Muscle Poses 2 Scissors 1 Stork Stand Red Feather , Green Feather , Brown Feather , Yellow Feather Two lines are established at opposite ends of the playing area. One line is the goal line; the other is the starting line. One player is "�IT�" and stands on the goal line and closes his eyes. When he calls �green feather ,� players move toward him. When he calls "red feather ," he opens his eyes and all of the players must stop moving. Yellow feather means walk slow and brown means sprint. Any player who is caught in motion must return to the starting line. Players can continue moving if any color other than "red feather " is called. The suspense of the game occurs as the players wonder what color will be called and if they are free to move. The first player to reach the goal wins. The last one to reach the goal is �IT� for the next game. Pilgrim, May I? This is similar to Mother May I? There is a goal line and a starting line, and the player who is "Pilgrim" stands at the goal line. The "Pilgrim" addresses one player at a time to "Take one giant step" or "Take 5 baby steps" or "Skip three steps,� etc. That player must remember to say, "Pilgrim, May I?" and wait for permission before he can advance. If the player forgets to ask permission first, he must return to the starting line. The Pilgrim then addresses another player on the line and continues until one player finally reaches the goal line. That player then becomes the "Pilgrim.� Listening and following directions is important in this game. Drop the Turkey Materials: Turkey picture or autumn colored handkerchief One player is designated �IT� and gets the handkerchief or turkey picture. The other players form a circle by holding hands. �IT� walks slowly around the outside of the circle and puts the turkey or handkerchief behind one person. The person must chase �IT� and try to tag him before �IT� runs around the circle once and gets back to the person�s place. Alertness and using direction are great skills taught in this game. Active Games Leaf Collection Day Materials: hula-hoop and leaves or newspapers Put a hula-hoop in each corner of your play area. Have equal numbers of Leaves and newspapers in each hula-hoop. Divide the kids into teams. Each team stands by 'their' hula-hoop. This is their yard! Instruct them to begin to throw their trash in the other members� yard. Each group has to empty their hula-hoop by carrying the leaves or newspapers; one per trip to another team's yard (hula-hoop). The leaves and newspapers have to be put into the other team's yard. Tossing is acceptable if the beanbag lands in the hoop, if not they have to retrieve it from the Thanksgiving area and put it in the hula-hoop. Make sure team members watch where they are going, to avoid accidents running into the other team. Count the number of leaves and newspapers in each hoop at the end of the game. The team with the fewest leaves and newspapers (the least garbage) wins. Indian Tag �Indian� chases players within a certain area. Tagged players are �frozen� but can be unfrozen if tagged by a free player. The game ends when all players are frozen. The last one frozen becomes �Indian� for the next round. Pumpkin Balance Materials: Spoon and plastic pumpkins for each team Students are lined up in single file. The first student is given a plastic pumpkin which he or she will balance on a spoon. A cone is placed approximately10 feet away from the front of the line. The student places the pumpkin on the spoon and tries to balance it while running to the cone and back. When the student returns to the line, he/she gives the spoon and pumpkin to the next person in line and returns to the end of the line. The team that finishes first wins. Puritian or Stranger in the Middle A student is chosen to play the Puritian or Stranger. He sits on a stool. The other players move around the Puritian or Stranger and tell him he cannot catch them. The Puritian or Stranger tries to catch them without leaving his stool. The first one tagged is the next Puritian or Stranger. This game also teaches alertness, agility, and self-control. Masasoit Says One player is the leader and orders the other players to make motions such as "Masasoit says, thumbs up" or "Masasoit says, hands on your head.� The leader also makes all of these motions. If he omits "Masasoit says," however, and just orders "Thumbs up," the players must not make the motion. Anyone who does so is out of the game. The winner is the player who remains in the game the longest. This game shows the importance of following and listening to specific directions. Food Tag This game is for five or more players and should is played outside or in an open area. To play, pick four objects to be bases and give each base a name: "Don't like it," "Love it," it's OK," "Never tried it.� You can make signs for each base if you like. Pick someone to be it. He stands in the middle and players stand on any base they want. It calls out the name of a food and players then have to run to the base that describes how they feel about that food. It tries to tag a player before he or she reaches the base. The player tagged then becomes it. References: Fit 4 Fun Fitness http://worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/index.htmlBack to Top
Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving!!!
Thank Goodness for Thanksgiving! There is so much to be thankful for during this time of year but unfortunately the focus on this holiday is often lost with the over consumption of high calorie food. This routine helps burn some of those calories and emphasizes new family fun! Materials: Inflatable dice with Turkey on it Hula hoops Turkey puzzle Large cut out of a Turkey Brown beanbags Number cards Buckets Carnocopia bucket Matching fabric or laminated leaves Plastic tablecloth Turkey Dice Calisthenics Throw a dice. Have the children act out the number that appears with some kind of activity: four jumping jacks, five sit-ups, etc. Turkey Puzzles Take a hula hoop and put a simple 3-4 piece puzzle of a Turkey inside of it. Time each student and see how long it takes them to put the puzzle together. See which Turkey puzzle is easiest for the group to put together. . Thanksgiving Gourds Relay Make a row of buckets and place a brown Thanksgiving gourds beside each bucket. Time each student and see how long it takes to put the thanksgiving Gourds into each bucket. When they have put the thanksgiving gourds in the bucket, they are to turn around the last bucket and run back to the start. The goal is for the groups to race to complete the relay in the shortest amount of time. Leaf Relief Practice colors and shapes by having students go to the hula hoops and find the matching leaves. The goal of the game is for the group to match the most leaves in the shortest amount of time. Other shapes such as apples cutouts or scarecrows can also be substituted. Indian says Instead of Simon Says, have students follow the leader (Indian) and perform locomotor movements or identify various body parts that the caller calls outs. No one is out, even if the Indian does not say.Back to Top
Winter Winners! Winter is a great time to think about getting or staying in shape. This is a series of games that can be played in a gym and the focus is on Christmas and Winter fun! So instead of grabbing for the fruitcake try some fitness fun! Warm-ups and Cool Down Roll and Say Hello! Materials: Ball Children take turns greeting each other by rolling a ball. One child takes the ball and says Hello (child�s name) says something that they like about winter/ Christmas and then roll the ball to another child in the circle. The catcher then says good morning to someone else and rolls the ball to him. Make sure that everyone has had a turn. Ask which children have not had a turn by putting their thumb up. The game is completed when everyone has had a turn. Winter Cross Country Limbo Materials: Stick such a pool noodle Have the teacher hold the stick at a comfortable height about waist high. Ask children to line up one side and find a way to under the stick without bumping it. Each time through, lower the stick a bit. Children will have a find a way to get low and go under. Hunt the Snowflake Materials: snowflake The players form a circle on the floor and one person is chosen to be �IT.� �IT� is in the middle of the circle and closes his eyes until the game begins. The other players pass a snowflake or another small object back and forth in the circle behind their backs. The object of the game is to have �IT� find out who has the snowflake. If the guess is right, the person with the snowflake becomes �IT.� This game teaches children to be quick, agile, and aware of their surroundings. Anytime Games Snowflake Relief Materials: paper or fabric snowflake or such as a newspaper Have partners place a piece of crumbled up newspaper or snowflake on the floor. Ask the partners to pick up the paper using the body parts called out the teacher such as elbow-to-elbow, foot-to-foot, knee-to- knee, forearm to elbow, foot and elbow, knee and elbow, forehead and back of hand, toe, and finger. Imaginary Shoes Have kids act out what they would do if they were in particular fall shoes. Some shoes ideas can be ice skates, snowshoes, skis, shoes, and boots such as a cowboy, astronaut, and child in the snow. Twelve Days of Fitness Students will act out the following fitness song. On the first day of fitness, my teacher gave to me. 12 Jumping Jacks 11 Raise the roofs 10 Knee Lifts 9 Side Stretches 8 Jogs in Place 7 Jabs and Punches 6 Kicks to the front 5 Hula Hoops 4 Jump ropes 3 Muscle Poses 2 Scissors 1 Stork Stand Red Snowflake, Green Snowflake, Brown Snowflake, Yellow Snowflake Two lines are established at opposite ends of the playing area. One line is the goal line; the other is the starting line. One player is "�IT�" and stands on the goal line and closes his eyes. When he calls �green snowflake,� players move toward him. When he calls "red snowflake," he opens his eyes and all of the players must stop moving. Yellow snowflake means walk slow and brown means sprint. Any player who is caught in motion must return to the starting line. Players can continue moving if any color other than "red snowflake" is called. The suspense of the game occurs as the players wonder what color will be called and if they are free to move. The first player to reach the goal wins. The last one to reach the goal is �IT� for the next game. Snowman, May I? This is similar to Mother May I? There is a goal line and a starting line, and the player who is "Snowman" stands at the goal line. The "Snowman" addresses one player at a time to "Take one giant step" or "Take 5 baby steps" or "Skip three steps,� etc. That player must remember to say, "Snowman, May I?" and wait for permission before he can advance. If the player forgets to ask permission first, he must return to the starting line. The Snowman then addresses another player on the line and continues until one player finally reaches the goal line. That player then becomes the "Snowman.� Listening and following directions is important in this game. Drop the Snowflake Materials: Snowflake One player is designated �IT� and gets the handkerchief. The other players form a circle by holding hands. �IT� walks slowly around the outside of the circle and puts the snowflake behind one person. The person must chase �IT� and try to tag him before �IT� runs around the circle once and gets back to the person�s place. Alertness and using direction are great skills taught in this game. Active Games Snowflake Collection Day Materials: hula-hoop and snowflakes beanbags Put a hula-hoop in each corner of your play area. Have equal numbers of Snowflakes in each hula-hoop. Divide the kids into teams. Each team stands by 'their' hula-hoop. This is their yard! Instruct them to begin to throw their snowflakes in the other members� yard. Each group has to empty their hula-hoop by carrying the snowflakes; one per trip to another team's yard (hula-hoop). The snowflakes have to be put into the other team's yard. Tossing is acceptable if the beanbag lands in the hoop, if not they have to retrieve it from the fallen area and put it in the hula-hoop. Make sure team members watch where they are going, to avoid accidents running into the other team. Count the number of snowflakes in each hoop at the end of the game. The team with the fewest snowflakes wins. Snowman Tag �Snowman� chases players within a certain area. Tagged players are �frozen� but can be unfrozen if tagged by a free player. The game ends when all players are frozen. The last one frozen becomes �Snowman� for the next round. Snowflake Toss Materials: White Softballs or Snowflake colored beanbags Students are lined up opposite one another in teams of two partners each. The partners stand about 5-10 feet apart depending on tossing skills. One snowflake beanbag or white ball is provided per team. Students toss the snowflake back and forth, trying not to drop it. After each successful catch, the students take one step back, creating a greater challenge. Each time the snowflakes drops, they move one step closer. The team that successfully throws the snowflake the farthest wins. Green tree Balance Materials: Spoon and plastic green tree for each team Students are lined up in single file. The first student is given a plastic green tree which he or she will balance on a spoon. A cone is placed approximately10 feet away from the front of the line. The student places the green tree on the spoon and tries to balance it while running to the cone and back. When the student returns to the line, he/she gives the spoon and green tree to the next person in line and returns to the end of the line. The team that finishes first wins. Snowman in the Middle A student is chosen to play the Snowman. He sits on a stool. The other players move around the Snowman and tell him he cannot catch them. The Snowman tries to catch them without leaving his stool. The first one tagged is the next Snowman. This game also teaches alertness, agility, and self- control. Snowman Says One player is the leader and orders the other players to make motions such as "Snowman says, thumbs up" or "Snowman says, hands on your head.� The leader also makes all of these motions. If he omits "Snowman says," however, and just orders "Thumbs up," the players must not make the motion. Anyone who does so is out of the game. The winner is the player who remains in the game the longest. This game shows the importance of following and listening to specific directions. References: Fit 4 Fun Fitness http://worknotes.com/IL/Chicago/Fit4FunKidsFitness/index.htmlBack to Top
New Year�s Bash New Year�s is the first of the new year. It is celebrated with parties, food fun and celebration. Some people start their festivities early by remembering the old year and making promises for the new. The month of January was named after this god. Janus had two faces. One looked ahead to see what the new year will bring and the other looked backward to see what happened during the past year. Not all countries or cultures celebrate New Year on January 1st. Other countries all have different start dates. Chinese New Year starts on a different day each year. Thousands of years ago, the Egyptians celebrated their New Year about the middle of June. That was the time when the Nile River usually overflowed. January 1 is became recognized as New Year's Day in the 1500's when the Gregorian Calendar was introduced. The Julian Calendar places the New Year on January 14. The Jewish New Year, a feast day, is celebrated in late September. In ancient Rome, the first day of the New Year honored Janus - the god of gates and doors and beginnings and endings. English people first celebrated their New Years Day on March 1st and then after the Gregorian Calendar was introduced followed the custom of cleaning their chimneys on New Year's Day. The English believed this brought good luck to the household for the coming year. The expression "cleaning the slate" came from this custom. It means making resolutions to correct faults and bad habits. People resolve to make themselves better in the New Year. It is still custom today to make a list of resolutions. The New Year is a great times to make promises to start a healthy lifestyle. Here are a collection of games that you can play to encourage fitness with your child. So time to quit eating the cake and cookies of the holidays and turn to fitness. Stack the cups Materials: Set of 10 cups and tops and ball Ask a local restaurant to give you a set of ten cups and tops. Practice adding the tops and stacking them in a row of four then three, two and then one to make a cup sculpture. Relays can be composed of teams each adding a cup to the pyramid and the team that finishes first wins the game. Then the cups are ready for a ball knock down and the first team that successfully knocks down the complete set of cups is the winner. New Year Shuttle Run Materials: Two Erasers for each team Mark two parallel lines 30 feet apart and place two blocks of wood or similar object behind one of the lines. Students start behind opposite line. On the signal "Ready? Go!" the student runs to the blocks, picks one up, runs back to the starting line, places block behind the line, runs back and picks up the second block and runs back across starting line. Practice the length of steps with running baby steps during the shuttle run. For variety have each team member take a turn running large such as how New Year marches quickly on. Time Tag Choose one person to be the baby and have them be it. The rest of the players are Father Time or the previous year. As the Baby of the New Year tags the people they become part of the New Year and can tag others to add to the New Year. When everyone is the New Year the game is over. New Year�s Seats Game When all the players are seated in chairs in a circle, It (who has no chair) stands in the center and repeats, "Change seats!" as many times as she likes. The players, however, remain seated until she adds the phrase "The New Year's come." At these words, the seated players must change seats but not with a neighbor to their immediate right or left--while It tries to grab a seat for herself. The odd player out is the new It.2. A tricky It will vary the speed of her speech and sometimes say, "The New Year's not come," in an attempt to lure the inattentive and overeager player from his or her seat. Old Man Year Shuffle Materials: Beanbag 1. Have the children stand side by side with their beanbags on top of their feet. Players try to shuffle across the room without dropping their "eggs." The first one to succeed wins. Old Year, New Year Delight Materials : Two balls Two teams stand alternately in a single circle formation. Each team has a ball. One Team is the Old Year and the other is the New Year. At the signal the balls are thrown in the same direction from person to person belonging to the same team. The balls start moving from opposing players standing opposite each other in the circle. The purpose is to see if one team can move its ball from player to player at such a speed that it overtakes the ball from the opposing team. If this happens one point is scored and the game begins again. The first team to score three points wins. Shoe Hustle Materials: Pair of Shoes from each person Everyone should sit in a circle on the floor. Remove both shoes, then remove the shoestrings and place them in the toes of the shoes. The shoes then go into the center of the circle and have someone mix up the pile or rotate the circle of kids. At a signal, everyone races for the pile, finds his shoes, laces them up, and puts them on. The first child finished and standing is the winner! Fun Attic www.funattic.com/ President�s Challenge http://www.presidentschallenge.org/educators/program_details/physi cal_fitness /events_shuttlerun.aspx Jump Bunch http://www.jumpbunch.com/kidsfitnessgames.htmlBack to Top
Fall into Fall Fall is a time for beginnings, and these games are great at Halloween or Thanksgiving. They also make fun games in an elementary or special education classroom or at a children’s party. They’ll ensure the children in your life have a great time! Materials: Beanbags, plastic pumpkins, turkeys, or orange/brown balls, rings, newspaper, picture of a pumpkin, hockey sticks, two spoons, hula hoops Ring The Pumpkin and the Turkey Line up three large pumpkins or turkeys to form a ring toss. Make hoops with the rope and duct tape. Mark a throwing line on the floor, and take turns trying to ring a pumpkin or a turkey with the lasso. Or you can have children try to ring an entire large pumpkin or turkey with a hula hoop. Pumpkin Rolling Contest Divide the children into two teams and mark a starting line and a turnaround line. Have the first child in each line roll a pumpkin with a hockey stick from the start line to the turnaround line and back to the next person on their team. The first team to finish the relay wins. Musical Bales Play musical chairs with bales of straw instead of chairs. Fall Dance Get the children to pair up into dancing partners. Place the newspaper on the floor and have each child dance on either side of it. When the music stops, the pair needs to step on the newspaper. No part of their feet (or any body part) is allowed to be outside the paper. Any pair who has any body part outside the paper is out. Fold the newspaper in half after each round. As the newspaper gets smaller and smaller, they will have less space to step on. They can either carry each other or step on each other’s feet to fit into the increasingly smaller squares. Get creative. The pair that successfully stays within the boundaries wins. Pass the Turkey Beanbag How Give each team a brown beanbag, which the first child should tuck under his chin. This should be passed to the next child in line. When the brown beanbag gets to the last person, that child comes to the front of the line and starts again. The wining team is the first one that gets their starting person to the front again. Scarecrow Statues How to When the music stops, the players must stay as still as scarecrow statues. Anyone who moves, quivers, or shakes is out. The winner is the last one still playing. Listen and Move How Place paper leaves on the floor in a circle. Children walk around the circle while listening to music. If the music is loud and fast, the children move fast. If the music is quiet and the tempo is slow, the children have to move slow. When the music stops, the children stop on the closest leaf. To make it more challenging for older children, have one less leaf than the number of children. Continue to remove shapes as the children are out. Pass the Pumpkins and Gourds This musical chairs type of game involves passing small pumpkins and gourds. When the music stops, the person without a pumpkin is out. Play until there is a winner. Kids sit in a circle and you hand out one less pumpkin than there are children in the group. Then, instruct the children to start passing the pumpkins or guards around when the music begins to play and to continue passing until the music stops. Once the music stops, the child without a pumpkin is out of the game. Now remove a pumpkin or gourd from the group and restart the music. This pattern continues until you have one pumpkin or gourd and just one winner. The Great Popcorn Challenge Imagine you have two bowlfuls of popcorn but use beanbags instead. Put them in one hoop and the players are to take one beanbag on a spoon and transport it to the other hoop at the opposite end of the room. The team that gets the most beanbags in their hoop wins. Amazing Mom Halloween Games http://www.amazingmoms.com/htm/halloween_party.htm Fall Fitness http://boards.thenest.com/boards/ShowPost.aspx?PostID=34523122 Fall Games Activities http://www.stonybrookmedicalcenter.org/heartlinks/documents/GameId eas.pdf Halloween Party Games http://familyfitness.about.com/u/ua/seasonalsportsandfun/ua_hallow eenpartygames.htm Halloween Party Games http://www.partygameideas.com/halloween-games/index-children- games_3.phpBack to Top
Groovy Sixties Relay Games My husband turned forty this year, and he is the classic flower child. Here are some games the children played at his birthday party. Materials: Beanbags, cones, and fun music of the sixties. Flower Child Over and Under Relay Have an equal set of teams and have each child form a line. They will take a beanbag and pass it over their head to the next child, who will put it between their legs to be passed to the next child backwards. Chanting “over and under” may help younger children remember what to do. When all of the people have finished, they sit down. The first team done wins. More fun can be added to the game by adding going to the left and right sides of the children passing the beanbag. Groovy Eggs Form children into teams. The children will stand a few feet apart and take turns throwing their beanbag to their partner. After each successful throw, the team will step one step back. The team that gets the farthest away, while still being able to catch the beanbag, wins. For a variation of the game, if the beanbag is thrown to the ground, the team has to start close to each other again. Funky Toss and Walk Make a starting and ending line with chalk, a line, or cones. Teams will have an equal number of children and will walk from the starting line to the ending line, tossing and walking as they go. When they get to the ending line, they can run back. The team that finishes first and sits down wins! Hot Mama and Papa Start the music and have the children form a circle. Pass the beanbag as the music plays. When it stops, students stand in the middle for one turn. The goal of this game is not to win but to just have fun! To add more fun to the game, add another beanbag and have them go in the opposite direction. Love, Peace, Not War Toss and Count Put children equal distances from each other. Have them toss and count the number of times they can catch their beanbags in a minute. The person or group of people that catch the most times wins. Woodstock Hippie Balancing Act Pick one person and have them be the hippie. The others are to copy the hippie’s motion with the beanbag on their shoulder, head, knee, elbow, ankle, or another body part. Play until interest is lost and let another person be the hippie.Back to Top