100 + Fun Ideas. Playground Games. Brighten Up Outdoor Playground Games. Christine Green

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "100 + Fun Ideas. Playground Games. Brighten Up Outdoor Playground Games. Christine Green"

Owen Rice
5 years ago
Views:

1 100 + Fun Ideas Brighten Up Outdoor Christine Green

2 Contents Introduction...5 Ball games...p Dodge ball Team dodge ball Dodge ball in threes Zig-zag ball Numbers Score in one! Target ball Time ball Bridge ball Catch a theme River ball Counting down Danish rounders Circle it once Number hockey Protect the President Spud Kick it once Aim and shoot Hit or miss Stop! Head catch Caught ball Around the World Word ball Ball rhymes Corners Hit the bat Rounders Bad egg...36 Rope games... P Basic skipping fun Blue bells, cockle shells I had a little sports car Name a Country Jack be nimble Red hot Spelling jumps Two little sparrows Everyone in Alphabet skipping French skipping (1) French skipping (2) Back-to-back skipping Postman, Postman Your Royalty Tug of War Banana split Bring them in Catch me Figure ropes Walk tall Walk the rope Down by the river Find the knot Getting under Ropes in the waistband Teddy Bear Changing places...59 Running games...p Hop, skip and jump race Windows and doors Human chain Scream Relays Running over hurdles Ice-cream shop Handless ball race Where's my shoe? Hens and chicks Where's the sock? Chicken, Chicken Freeze Nudge, nudge

73. What number are you?... 73 74. Take it steady!...74 75. Anti-litter... 75 76. Speed running...76 77. How many sides?...77 78. Find the sweet...77 Group games... P78 105 79. Red letter...79 80.

3 73. What number are you? Take it steady! Anti-litter Speed running How many sides? Find the sweet...77 Group games... P Red letter Bring back the gloves Under the arches Pilchards Who's the Donkey? Fishes in the Sea One legged race Hula-hoop contest Four squared Orange Squat race Pretzel relay In and out (1) Hop it! Traffic Warden Hoop the balloon Stepping stones Forwards, backwards Ducks that fly Snake awake Stringing along Doctor, Doctor Murder mystery Morgan the monster Sleeping lions Scavenger hunt The farmer's in his den Find the Joker Higher or lower? In and out (2) Catch the snake

4 Introduction Play is possibly one of the first active things children learn in life and so it comes as no surprise to appreciate how fundamentally important such activity is to a child s development. However, when they begin school, play takes on a totally different role, more of a social event as opposed to quality time spent with Mum and/or Dad. It is a time when they begin to integrate with their peers, develop skills and moreover is seen to be an integral part of their overall physical and emotional development. But it isn t only indoor play that children enjoy and from which they can derive enormous benefits, experts agree that outdoor play is just as important. Play teaches children how to manage some of the risks associated with physical activity. Unstructured physical play is the perfect outlet for helping to reduce stress in a child s life and encourages them to work out any emotional aspects related to everyday experiences. As adults tend not to interfere when children are playing, this in turn enables them to learn how to relax and have fun. Co-operation, helping, sharing and problem solving are all things children learn through play and are skills which they carry with them throughout life. It is very often the case that much of a child s learning is achieved through the media, computers and books etc which, at times, can slightly impede their perceptual abilities. But one shouldn t overlook the other senses, ie touch, taste, smell and the sense of motion via space as being equally crucial to their learning, and this is something which play can provide. 5

5 Research has proven that physical activity not only improves a child s attentiveness and helps to reduce restlessness, but also plays a role in uniting the spirit and body as one. And finally, it has been noted that children who are less restricted in their access to the outdoors gain a greater understanding of safety in their immediate surroundings. Having dealt with explaining why outdoor play is so important to children the next part is providing some games for them to play. Many of the following games involve the participation of the whole class, others involve only a handful of children and there are several ideas for children to play by themselves. However, one thing they all share in common is to demonstrate to children a healthy fun way of keeping fit and for the teacher the ideal answer for their pupils to use up any surplus energy. But remember: The pupils' safety is important at all times and therefore it is essential that children playing outdoors are always supervised by a responsible adult. Accidents can, and all too frequently do occur, even nasty cuts and grazes can result from an over enthusiastic playful push; so if some games become a little too rowdy perhaps this is an indication that a game may not be suitable for them to play and so choose an alternative. In order to maintain children s interest and their involvement try to keep the games flowing freely. 6

6 Ball games A ball, whatever its size is primarily one of the most invaluable toys you can provide any child to help them practise rolling, bouncing, dribbling, aiming, throwing, catching, kicking, blocking, and balancing. Throwing helps children learn about accuracy and distance as well as having a lot of fun. All the ball game activities that are focussed on in this section should be played either on the playing field or on the playground area. Some activities involve the use of extra equipment, ie a skipping rope, stopwatch or whistle, etc., where required, this equipment is listed under the heading for each activity. For safety purposes, it is always advisable to use a soft ball. For younger children, a larger soft ball may be more appropriate because the ball moves more slowly when thrown, giving the younger child more chance of success. 7

Ball games 1. Dodge ball A favourite ball game for all ages, in particular the older ones. The concept of the game is for one person to be selected as the tagger.

7 Ball games 1. Dodge ball A favourite ball game for all ages, in particular the older ones. The concept of the game is for one person to be selected as the tagger. His/her job it is to hit as many people as he/she can with the ball so that they are immediately eliminated from the game. The winner is the last remaining person who takes on the role of tagger and another game can begin. In order to keep everyone involved those who have been tagged can join in and help catch the others. Remember: Always use a soft ball. Make it clear that the head and face area must not be aimed at or hit, and that the ball should never be thrown with such force that someone will be hurt. 8

8 2. Team dodge ball Ball games This variation of Dodge Ball involves the entire class divided into two teams. One team (A) makes a large circle, the other team (B) stand inside. Whilst team B are running around within the circle, team A have to try and hit one of them with the ball. But a few rules apply: Members of team B must not catch the ball otherwise they are out of the game. Should anyone get hit on the head this does not count and who ever threw the ball is eliminated. Players who get hit then join the opposing team members. The winner is the last pupil remaining in the circle. NOTE When playing this game with young children have an adult in the outer circle. Remember: Always use a soft ball. Make it clear that the head and face area must not be aimed at or hit, and that the ball should never be thrown with such force that someone will be hurt. 9

Speed. Awareness. Year 1. Catch. Throwing & Catching. Jump. Throw. Balance

Speed. Awareness. Year 1. Catch. Throwing & Catching. Jump. Throw. Balance Speed Awareness Year 1 Catch Throwing & Catching Jump Throw Balance Throwing & Catching Objectives Catch from a variety of heights and distances. Recognise space during games. Show awareness of other children