January 31, 2012- Cleanup Your Backyard

Cleanup your backyard is a very simple throwing game.  You can play this game while teaching a throwing unit.  Students are divided into two teams.  The half court line of the basketball court separates the two teams.  The students may not cross the half court line.  The object of the game is to throw all of the equipment to the other side, and have no equipment left on your side.  When one team's side is clear of all equipment they have won the game.  (This game typically does not have a winner). 

AGES: Kindergarten and up

MODIFICATIONS: only throw left hand, kick the equipment, throw only underhand, throw only overhand, etc.  You can also put mats in the middle of the gym to create a "fence" for students to throw the ball over.

EQUIPMENT: dodgeballs, foam frisbees, foam balls of any kind, any PE equipment that can be kicked or thrown and will not hurt the students.

January 30, 2012- Bowling Pin Knockdown

Bowling Pin Knockdown is a simple throwing/rolling game.  The students are divided into two even teams. The teams must go to their side of the gym.  They cannot cross the half court line of the basketball court.  The object is to roll or throw dodgeballs and knock over the other team's bowling pins.  Each team receives 10 bowling pins that they can set wherever they want (on their side of the gym).  You may have 1 guard per bowling pin, but not any more.  If a bowling pin gets knocked down, either by a ball, or by a student accidently knocking it over, it must stay over until the end of the game.  After one team knocks over all 10 pins on the other side the game is over. 

AGES: Kindergarten and up

MODIFICATIONS: Use different types of equipment- soft frisbees, bean bags (must be slid on the ground), etc.  Play boys vs. girls.  Allow students to only kick the balls instead of throwing or rolling.

EQUIPMENT: 20 bowling pins (or an even number of bowling pins), dodgeballs, foam frisbees, bean bags, any equipment that can be thrown or rolled or kicked and will not hurt anyone.

January 27, 2012- Line Tag

Line tag is a tagging game that requires all kids to stay on the lines of the basketball court, volleyball court, or whatever lines are made on the floor with tape.  Start with 2 or 3 students as the taggers.  Taggers must also stay on the lines.  When a student gets tagged, they must crouch on all fours on the line.  The only way to get unfrozen from the line is if another students leapfrogs over the crouching student.  Taggers may not leapfrog anybody.  Play for 1-2 minutes then switch taggers.

EQUIPMENT: tagging noddles (pool noodles), tape to make lines (if necessary)

AGES: Kindergarten and up

January 26, 2012- Speedball

Speedball is a game that combines the sports of football, basketball and soccer.  The objective of the game is to score more points than the other team.  Students are split into two teams.  Each team is given a different colored jersey to distinguish between the two teams.  Students play on a regulation basketball court, trying to either shoot a basketball 3 pointer (using the basketball court lines) kicking the ball into a mat (or goal set up) or throwing a touchdown to a teammate (across the basketball endline).  Students may move the ball one of two ways.  They may either pass it to a teammate, or air dribble.  An air dribble is when a student throws the ball up in the air and moves to catch it again.  Students get 3 air dribbles each time they touch the ball.  If the ball falls to the ground, then students must kick the ball.  They may kick the ball back up to their hands, or to a teammates hands, but if a ball touches the ground, students may not pick it up directly.  Picking it up directly results in a turnover.  Each teams gets one goalie.  The goalie is the only player that may pick the ball up directly from the ground.  After all scores the ball starts in the hands of the other team's goalie.  Goalies are not limited to any area.  They may go anywhere in the gym, but will have to risk leaving their goal open for a long soccer kick.  The teacher is in charge of keeping score on a scoreboard.

EQUIPMENT: 1 nerf soccer ball, a basketball court, a soccer goal (or mats, or even tape on the wall), 2 different colored jerseys, scoreboard.

SCORING: basketball 3 pointer= 3 points, kicking a soccer goal= 2 points, throwing a touchdown= 1 point.

AGES: Middle School and up

MODIFICATIONS: if it's a co-ed class and girls aren't getting the ball very much, make any score a girl scores worth double the points.  Score does not have to be kept.

Januray 25, 2012- Slime Ball

The objective of Slime Ball is to get 30 students "out".  Students should be split into two teams.  The half court line on a basketball court will divide the teams.  Students will not be able to cross the line at any point during the game.  Each students is given a hockey stick.  *see safety*  The students will hit tennis balls (about 20) on the ground across the line at the other team.  Students can run, jump, dodge, and hit the balls away from their feet.  If someone gets hit on the foot, they go out to the side, put their hockey stick down, and do 20 jumping jacks.  After they have completed their jumping jacks, they may pick up their hockey stick and return to the game.  It is up to the teacher to keep track of how many students go out for each team.  When the game is over, just start another one. 


SAFETY: Go over the proper way to hold a hockey stick.  Make sure students keep the hockey stick below their waist AT ALL TIMES.  No slap shots.  Watch where you are stepping because there will be tennis balls all over the ground.  The tennis balls should not go off the ground.  PERSONAL SPACE WHEN HITTING A TENNIS BALL.

MODIFICATIONS: Jumping jacks can be replaced by anything- pushups, situps, crunches, mountain climbers, etc.  You can also use any kind of soft ball that rolls pretty well. 

GRADE LEVEL: Grade 3 and up.  Some 1st and 2nd graders are able to play this game, but they don't have a great sense of personal space, so using hockey sticks can sometimes be a challenge.

Game of the Day

This will be a blog that is a resource for all Physical Education teachers.  I believe that students should be introduced to many new and exciting activities during their time in Physical Education.  I will post a new game for every day of the week.  Feel free to use these games in your classrooms, and share them with your colleagues.  If you play these games and discover any modifications that need to be made, then please comment (good or bad) on my games.  I will not try to take these games as my own.  I simply want to share my experiences with other teachers, and hopefully benefit from others.