Crazy games that get kids moving

1. Crazy games that get kids moving 2010 ArkAHPERD Annual Convention BY: NATHAN MITCHELL BERNICE YOUNG ELEMENTARY SCHOOL SPRINGDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT NMITCHELL@SDALE.ORG

2. Fun tag games 1)CHICKENNOODLE SOUP & CHEETO TAG Chick Noodle soup tag is a simple freeze tag game where student s who are it have a tagging device (a rubber chicken or noodle) to tag other students and make them freeze. Another fun variation is Cheeto tag (using orange noodles representing cheetos to tag with. Here are different fun ways to make students freeze. 1)straddle-student tagged freezes standing with legs apart. Other students must crawl under and through to free student. 2)bridge-student tagged forms a bridge on the ground on hands and feet with seat in air. Other students must crawl under to free frozen student. 3)armadillo-student tagged must lay on back like a dead armadillo with hands and feet in air. Other students slap both feet to free frozen student. 4)Toilet bowl-student tagged sits criss-cross apple sauce with legs forming a hole like a toilet bowl. Student sticks arm out like a handle and other students run by and push down on arm to flush and free frozen student. 5)10 and again-tagged student freezes standing with both hands out for a double high five. Other student s double high five, both students do a 360 and double high five again to free. 2)BLOB TAG Blob tag starts with 2 or 3 groups of 2 or 3 students volunteering to be mini blobs. Each little blob attempts to go around the gym tagging individuals . When they tag someone, that tagged person must join the blog. The blob will get bigger and bigger. Blobs must stay together by holding hands. They are not allowed to let go in order to tag other students. Game ends when everyone is tagged and part of a blob. If a blob gets bigger than 8, you can split them, or have fun with a huge blob. 3)BALL TAG Ball tag involves soft dodge balls. Pick about 4 or 5 students (per class of 25) to be it and give them a soft dodgeball. Those students must throw the ball and hit someone in the air (it can’t bounce first) to tag them. If hit, use different ways to make them freeze and be freed. The 4 or 5 that are it , are it the entire 2 minute round, unless someone catches their ball in the air. Then they get to keep it and be it. If the person who is it, throws and misses, no one else can pick their ball up. Rotate who is it every 2 minutes .

3. PORCUPINE TAG Every student puts 5 clothespins on their back. Have students partner up to help put the clothespins on. When game starts, students run around and try to steal clothespins (procupines) off other students backs. You can only take 1 at a time, and then place it on your front. Those are safe. If all your porcupines get stolen, don’t worry, keep trying to steal others and continue placing them on your front. Goal is to get the most porcupines. When the game is over, students can also count porcupines that are still on their back. POPCORN TAG Everybody starts by laying down on the ground by themselves in their own space. Select certain students to stand up and partner them . I usually start with 6 students standing and partner them (so starting with 3 partnerships). Pick one student to be it and the other is being chased. Each pair does not worry about the other people that are chasing and being chased. They are only worried about their partner that they start with. The goal is for the partner being chased to not get tagged. One way they do this is by laying down next to someone on the floor. When they do this, the person on the floor pops up and now they are being chased. If you get tagged, you must try to tag them back. Again, you are not worried about the other kids chasing each other . As the game go continues and it is apparent the students understand the game fine, I pick more students to stand and partner up and chase each other. COPS N ROBBERS I pick 1 student to start as the cop in the middle of the gym and everyone else to be robbers and they line up at one end of the gym. I usually make the girls robbers and the boys bandits. I will yell out either robbers or bandits and that group has to run across the gym and make it safely to the other side without being tagged by the cop. If tagged by the cop, they too become a cop. Goal is to be the last robber or bandit left. With younger kids I call it zoo keepers and name the girls an animal and the boys an animal and then call out animals to go across trying not to be tagged by the zoo keeper.

4. CAPTURE THE CHICKEN This is a great game with 1 class of 25. Split them into 2 teams. Each team starts on their side of the gym with the centerline being the divider. The goal of this game is to sneak over into the other teams territory and steal their chickens without being tagged and bringing them back to your territory and placing it in your hulahoop. . Each team starts with 10 chickens against their back wall. You can only steal 1 chicken at a time. If tagged you must go to their jail and can only be freed if a teammate comes over and tags you to free you. If there are more than 1 person in jail, you can form a chain and if one person in the chain gets tagged everyone in the chain can go free. You go back to your side after being freed, but don’t get tagged on your way or you must go back to jail. Jail can be marked by lines on the floor or pollyspots. So in this game you can have attackers trying to steal chickens, defenders guarding your own chickens , and even 1 jail guard. Use a line on the floor or polly spots to create a safety zone by the chickens that guards cannot enter. Attackers can get into the safety zone and pick up a chicken, but then have to try and get out and back to their side with the chicken without being tagged. If tagged, student goes to jail and chicken goes back. If you don’t have chickens, use beanbags, flags, yarn balls, anything creative. I Play this version indoors, but you could play it outdoors and use cones and polly spots to mark areas and lines (especially if you have 2 classes SAFETY ZONE SAFETY ZONE JAIL JAIL HULA HOOP HULA HOOP CHICKENS CHICKENS OR OTHER OBJECTS

5. CAPTURE THE FOOTBALL I play this version outdoors and it works great with 2 classes. Again, divide into 2 teams and use small cones to create a center line that separates sides. Students are safe on their own side . Object is to go into the other teams area and get into their safety circle that holds the football , steal it and get it back across the center line into your territory without being tagged. I use polly spots to mark a circle. The bigger you make the circle, the easier it is for students to get in. Students are safe in the circle while the football stays in the circle. If someone runs with the football or throws it to a teammate outside of the circle, the circle is no longer safe. If tagged, you must go to jail. If you had the ball, it goes back to the circle. If you steal the ball and throw it, it must be caught by a teammate. If it is dropped, the football goes back to the circle. You don’t have to go to jail if you drop the ball, or make a bad throw that hits the ground, but the ball does go back and the other team is still going to try to tag you. Jail is marked by a cone in the other corner of the field. Students in jail can make a chain ,and can be freed by a teammate tagging the chain of students. Students who are freed can immediately go after the football again or can try to get back to their side for safety. Each team starts with guards and attackers. I usually limit the football guards that are immediately around the football circle to 5. The guards cannot go in the circle , but stand outside trying to prevent the teams attackers from getting in. If the football leaves the circle they are allowed to enter the circle then and tag any stragglers. I also limit jail guards to 2. A team can have more mid range guards but only 5 right around the circle. I have played this game with colored football flags and instead of tagging attackers invading your territory, you pull a flag. If belt has more than 1 flag, only 1 has to be pulled to send them to jail. You don’t have to use a football either, (Younger kids I sometimes use a chicken) but it is fun being able to throw it to teammates to win. I also sometimes add a hula hoop in the middle of each teams side as an extra safety spot for attackers. TEAM 2 TEAM 1 SAFETY CIRCLE WITH FOOTBALL IN IT JAIL Hula hoop for extra safety SAFETY CIRCLE WITH FOOTBALL IN IT JAIL

6. BOWLING MANIA Object of the game is to roll balls (like bowling) and try to knock down the other teams pins. First team to knock down all of the other teams pins wins the round. Reset pins and play again. Rules are as follows. Class will be divided into 2 teams. Works great with 2 classes, just play class vs. class. Each class must stay on their side of the gym with the center line being the dividing line. You must roll the balls on the ground. If anyone throws one in the air, they get to visit timeout, and I really stress this. The pins are set up in a line just in front of the back wall and are evenly spaced across the gym. Another line about 10 feet in front of the pins designates the gutter. If you do not have a line roughly 10 feet out, just use polly spots. Nobody is allowed in the gutter. Defenders can stand at the line, but cant go in the gutter by the pins. If a ball hits a pin and stays back in the gutter, I as the teacher gently roll it back into the playing field. You can allow students to step in the gutter to get stuck balls, but they need to get back out right away and not stay in their and block other balls. Students must stay on their feet and are not allowed to lay down by the gutter line to block balls. I do allow students to dive to block balls but they need to get back up right away. Strategies include faking one way and rolling a different way, curving the ball, and bouncing the ball of the side walls. I use a variety ball sizes, but make sure they are reasonably soft. I mainly use volleyballs, but I even use a few exercise balls, and larger kickballs. I do let students block with their feet, but absolutely no kicking. Again, If I see it, they visit timeout, and nobody wants to sit during a fun game. DIAGRAM 10 pins Team 1 Team 2 Gutter area Gutter area