G A M E S TO O L K I T

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Peregrine Taylor
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1 GAMES TOOLKIT

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS CLICK TO GO Toolkit Overview Game Plan Volunteers Location Guide Generate Buzz Teams & Groups Games & Activites Hydration & Nutrition Prizes & Awards Timeline Overview Timeline Breakdown Safety First Rotation Schedule

3 GAMES TOOLKIT The Play Like a Girl Games is a classic way to celebrate the end of the Play Like a Girl Club season, the school year or anything at all. Typically, Play Like a Girl Games is an outdoor, community-wide event in which students from Play Like a Girl Clubs rotate through a series of fun games and activity stations. But this event can be hosted by schools, businesses, community groups and families everywhere. All children need access to active play, but that doesn t mean play has to be confined to swings and slides on a playground. Play, by its very nature, is spontaneous it can happen nearly anywhere, with nearly anything and under nearly any circumstances. Your play day can be as simple as a neighborhood kickball tournament, a little league flag football game, a family-style fun run or an old-fashioned school field day with obstacle courses, relay races and hula hoop contests. You choose! That s what makes the day so much fun. Just as play can erupt spontaneously, the Play Like a Girl Games can pop up anywhere in a park, a backyard, a plaza, on a sidewalk. The possibilities are endless. The idea is simply to get girls (and boys) playing outside with other kids, in an environment that flexes their creative muscles and increases their heart rates. The best part? Play Like a Girl Games doesn t have to cost a dime. You can invite girls and moms in your neighborhood to join you and your daughter for a pop-up play day and simply swim laps in your pool or hike the woods in your backyard. Alternatively, you can form a team of neighbors or co-workers and host a grown-up version of the Play Like a Girl Games at a local park or sports field. We have created the following materials to help you as you plan your Play Like a Girl Games. Print the resources you need to plan, promote and host your play day event. Or download the Toolkit with the non-customizable resources you see here.

4 GAME PLAN EVENT LOGISTICS Preparation is key to a fun play day that children and adults of all abilities can enjoy. Great events start weeks in advance with thorough planning and forethought. The Play Like a Girl Games can last from two hours to a whole day and, depending upon your space and staffing, players can participate all at once or in shifts. Here s the basic game plan for a successful game day: TIMELINE Helps you carefully schedule your event preparations LOCATION GUIDE Helps you pick the best location for your Games EVENT PLANNING GUIDE Helps you consider the important elements in staging your play day event GAMES SAFETY Provides ways to keep your play day safe and fun HOST A RAFFLE HOW-TO Helps your fundraising efforts for Play Like a Girl EQUIPMENT DRIVE HOW-TO Helps you as you raise equipment for a Play Like a Girl Club STAFFING & SUPPLIES CHECKLIST Helps assign roles to your play day staff and ensure you have everything you need for a successful event SOCIAL MEDIA Provides graphics you can share on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to advertise your Games SIGNAGE Provides posters, flyers and other materials to spread the word around your school, job or community PLAYLIST Will provide you with music for your play day with positive lyrics and healthy messages from Hip Hop Public Health GAMES Will provide you examples of fun games and activities to set up for your play day DONATION REQUEST LETTER Provides a template to help you ask local businesses and individuals for donations DONATION SUBMISSION FORM Provides the information you will need to send to Play Like a Girl with funds raised at your play day

5 VOLUNTEERS Secure volunteers early. No matter the size of your event, proper planning and the support of a team are essential. Ask for a few key players early in the planning before calendars get too full. Involve as many people as possible. Break down responsibilities into smaller, manageable tasks and see the power of teamwork. For instance, involve people for set up, game monitoring and clean up. Organize, invite and remind volunteers of your game day event with an online tool like SignUp.com and SignUpGenius.com.

6 LOCATION Pick a location that is safe, accessible and spacious. Establish a layout that will accommodate your activity stations. A large field or park is ideal, but you can be creative to make a game day work in smaller spaces as well. We suggest 3-10 activity stations. Take into consideration space, time and the number of participants. The space needed for each activity varies, but ideally most stations should be at least 50 feet x 20 feet. Many activities can be modified for smaller spaces. Use signs, cones or chalk to separate and identify the stations. Keep an indoor rescue plan in your back pocket. Mother Nature may prove fickle, so be sure to plan ahead with ideas for how an indoor space like a gym or cafeteria can be transformed. View a sample field layout for a play day.

7 ACTIVITY 1 ACTIVITY 2 MEDICAL WATER ACTIVITY 3 ACTIVITY 4 WATER REGISTRATION BATHROOMS LUNCH/ SNACKS

8 LOCATION GUIDE DO YOUR KIDS HAVE ANY UPCOMING SCHOOL EVENTS? Hosting a game day at a school is a great way to raise awareness and will ensure lots of little helpers. Ask if you can host your event during a back to school night, a talent show or at a sporting event. DOES YOUR COMMUNITY HAVE ANY UPCOMING EVENTS? Planning a play day that coincides with a community event is a great idea because it ensures a good amount of foot traffic. Consider hosting a play day during a neighborhood block party, a high school football game, community yard sale, 5K run/walk, etc. FIND A LOCATION: WHAT S THE NEXT MAJOR HOLIDAY? The holidays bring people together. Is your community hosting an Easter egg roll, a Fourth of July parade, a haunted house or a tree lighting? Host a themed play day where people can bring their kids. CAN YOU HOST A PLAY DAY AT YOUR OFFICE? Get co-workers involved in giving back to the community. Create an office fitness challenge or host a corporate play day. Ask your human resources manager if the Play Like a Girl Games is feasible at your office.

9 GENERATE BUZZ Build excitement for your event with plenty of announcements and reminders. This will not just boost participation, but help grow the number of volunteers that want to help and the number of kids and their families who want to participate. Having students and volunteers make banners, pennants and decorations will help spread the word and encourage team spirit.

TEAMS AND GROUPS Decide how you will create teams in advance. We suggest you divide participants into teams of about 10-20.

10 TEAMS AND GROUPS Decide how you will create teams in advance. We suggest you divide participants into teams of about Then, group 2-4 equally matched teams together so that you have the same number of groups as you have stations. The groups will rotate around the stations together. Make sure you have enough equipment for the number of participants at each station. If you re hosting your games event at a school with students, consider making each class a team and pairing two class-teams of the same grade together in a group. Another option is to have each teacher divide their class into two equally matched teams and have them rotate among the stations together. Alternatively, you can assign kids to teams and groups based on their age or size or something similar. Each group should have at least one adult supervisor who rotates with it and each station should have one leader who remains stationary.

11 ROTATION SCHEDULE Each group should start at an assigned station and then rotate until they have completed them all. The time needed for each station will depend on the size of your teams and the games and activities you choose. Expect to dedicate minutes to each station. Come up with a rotation order and a system for queuing each rotation in advance. Rotation time should be based on the activity that is expected to take the longest. You can design the activities to all roughly fit in the same time period, but groups can also repeat a station activity or have a few minutes of free play while they wait to rotate. Remember to allot time for activity explanations and to rotate between stations. Each station should have a station leader that remains stationary and leads the activity for each group as they come through. Be sure the station leaders are keeping track of time so the activities wrap up before it s time to rotate. Make announcements or ring a bell when it is time to rotate, or leave it up to the station leaders to check their watches and keep groups rotating on a pre-set schedule. Make sure the station leaders know where to send each group when it is time to rotate.

GAMES AND ACTIVITIES Choose high-energy, inclusive activities that emphasize a variety of skills (e.g. speed, strategy or teamwork) to play to various participants strengths.

12 GAMES AND ACTIVITIES Choose high-energy, inclusive activities that emphasize a variety of skills (e.g. speed, strategy or teamwork) to play to various participants strengths. Be sure to provide a variety of difficulty levels in your games and activities. Planning all activities at a high challenge level may be great for the super athletic in the group but extremely frustrating for others, especially small children. Conversely, older participants will lose interest without enough challenge. We ve included a list of 100 Games and activities to get you and your friends ready to play win, lose or draw.

13 HYDRATION AND NUTRITION Have plenty of water on hand and include a plan for snacks and/or lunch if the event will last more than a few hours. We suggest 24 oz (3 cups) of water for each participant if water fountains aren t available. Set up a water table for thirsty participants. Buy gallon jugs of water and small cups. If the event will last more than 3 hours, consider providing a snack such as fruit, granola bars or packets of pretzels. To keep track of who has received the snack, give batches to the group leaders to distribute, or give them out to participants using tickets. Bring garbage bags for paper cups and snack wrappers if necessary.

14 PRIZES AND AWARDS Decide how to measure the competition. Some game day events are all about the competition factor with participants eagerly awaiting their winning ribbons. However, depending on the age and type of group, rewards for participation, good attitude and sportsmanship can result in an even better celebration.

15 TIMELINE OVERVIEW SEVERAL MONTHS ONE MONTH 2-3 WEEKS MORNING DURING AFTER PLAN THE GAME SPREAD THE WORD RECRUIT YOUR TEAM WARM UP GAME TIME COOL DOWN

16 PLAN THE GAME SET THE DATE. Get your game day on the school, job, family and community calendar as early as possible and reserve a backup date in case of rain. ASSESS OUTDOOR SPACES. Will you use the recess area at your kids school playground or the sports field at the local park? Will you host your event in your own backyard? Or can you use the streets in your neighborhood? Where are hoses and easy access to water spigots? Is there shade or will you need to order large tents for rest areas? Are any areas unsafe or under construction? SEVERAL MONTHS BEFORE THE GAMES: CHOOSE PLAY DAY GAMES, ACTIVITIES AND PRIZES. Invite event guests to bring their own sporting gear and equipment to help source what you need for games. If you re a school teacher or administrator, think about using readily available props and equipment from the physical education department and inexpensive or donated materials. Order awards and prizes: ribbons, buttons, stickers, etc. Yes, ask local businesses to make a donation. CREATE A TEAM FUNDRAISING WEBPAGE. Consider customizing a website for your event so that everyone can easily access the details.

17 SPREAD THE WORD ADVERTISE. Talk up your play day with teachers at your kids school, families in your neighborhood, co-workers at work, anyone and everyone. ONE MONTH BEFORE THE GAMES: BUILD A TEAM. Create a play day volunteer signup sheet (or create a list on SignUp.com) and invite helpers to pitch in. Free and easy online signups and automated reminders ensure you get the support you need to successfully peoplepower your event. PLAN THE GAMES. Map out (and then walk out) where each game and play day activity will take place providing enough space for the game itself and for those waiting for their turn to participate. Order shade tents, if needed.

18 RECRUIT YOUR TEAM GET THE KIDS INVOLVED. Share your game day theme with your kids and their friends, and have them brainstorm easy costumes or T-shirt designs and simple spirit cheers. GET THE ADULTS INVOLVED. Alert parents, co-workers, teachers and other adults to help their kids prepare for your event. Address things like what to wear, putting on sunscreen (and packing extra) and packing appropriate snacks. 2-3 WEEKS BEFORE THE GAMES: FINALIZE PLANS. Send last-minute requests to volunteers. SUPPLY. Complete shopping.

19 WARM UP SET UP. Arrive early to set up activity stations and signage (with the help of volunteers). REVIEW WITH YOUR VOLUNTEERS. Greet and assign volunteers to their stations. Review rules and timelines for your event and the activities involved. MORNING OF THE GAMES: GREET THE PLAYERS. Greet teams at the appropriate time and invite a cheer from each team and have them share their theme. This could result in prizes! SET BOUNDARIES. Share the day s game plan and safety guidelines. Let the Games begin!

20 GAME TIME STAY ORGANIZED. Keep track of time with alarms set on your smartphone and move teams through their stations at appropriate times. Ask that activity station volunteers also set alarms on their phones to help keep teams on time. KEEP THE STAMINA UP. Ask a spirited volunteer to share periodic news and updates over a public address system or megaphone so everyone can hear and cheer. STAY HYDRATED. Refill water stations and snack stations to keep them fully stocked. DURING THE GAMES: STAY SAFE. Monitor participants for sun and heat safety, calling for extra breaks if needed. CAPTURE THE MOMENTS. Assign a volunteer to take photos and video to share (following any pertinent guidelines). RAISE MONEY. Host a raffle or a sports gear and equipment drive to raise money or supplies for Play Like a Girl. ENJOY YOURSELF. Have fun and celebrate the joyful chaos the kids will be having fun, no matter what!

21 COOL DOWN SUBMIT FUNDS RAISED. Login to your Play Like a Girl Games fundraising account to donate your proceeds online or mail a check to: Play Like a Girl, 4117 Hillsboro Pike, Suite , Nashville, TN SHARE YOUR STORY. photos and personal stories to games@iplaylikeagirl.org. CLEAN UP. With the help of volunteers, put the outdoor areas back to their original condition (or better) and restore all props and equipment to their proper places. AFTER THE GAMES: DON T FORGET ABOUT YOUR VOLUNTEERS. Thank all volunteers and supporters for their time and hard work. THINK ABOUT YOUR NEXT EVENT. Take notes on what worked well and what you want to modify or change for next year. FOLLOW UP WITH EVERYONE WHO HELPED. Share photos and videos with the planning team, donors and volunteers.

22 SAFETY FIRST Keep safety details in mind when planning your game day so everyone has a fun day with no surprises! SUN SUPERVISION: Plan rest activities in shaded areas throughout the day and have high SPF sunblock on hand for kids who may need it (rules or restrictions permitting). HYDRATION: Set up specific water stations and times where players can get a drink or popsicle and a break enjoying fun individual activities such as blowing bubbles, hula-hooping, corn tossing or chalk drawing. SNACKS: Plan for filling snacks that won t leave players crashing after games apples, bananas, orange slices, low-calorie granola bars, lettuce wraps, trail mix. FIRST AID: Be prepared with a fully stocked first-aid kit and a nurse on hand for emergencies.

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