Balloon Olympics. Brought to you by...

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Doreen Curtis
5 years ago
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The activities are safe, creative and fun, and at the same time build hand-eye coordination and balance skills.

1 Brought to you by... The are events that were developed to provide children (and adults) with an opportunity to get some great exercise without realizing it! The activities are safe, creative and fun, and at the same time build hand-eye coordination and balance skills. The unpredictable nature of balloons makes these events that much more enjoyable. The are perfect for family reunions, school events, Church activities, birthday, slumber and other parties, and more. They are easier to do indoors or wherever there is no wind, but several of the events can be adapted for outdoors. 1 / 10

2 Many of the events were created by children that participated in our KidTLC program. LET THE GAMES BEGIN! EVENTS (to download a printable version in pdf format, click HERE ) Balloon Fizzle Materials: Balloons Description: Participants blow up a balloon as big as they desire, and, without tying it off, hold the open end on the forehead, with the belly of the balloon pointing up and forward. The person stands on a specific spot, and then releases the balloon, allowing the air to escape and the balloon to fly away. The balloon that lands the furthest away, deflated, wins. Balloon in the Spoon (submitted by Mercedes M.) Materials: Two or more large spoons, balloons, and another object 2 / 10

3 Description: Participants start at a starting line, each placing a balloon in a spoon. At the signal, holding the spoon and balloon in front of them, they quickly walk down and around a fixed object like a chair without dropping the balloon. The balloon cannot touch any part of their body--just the spoon. The person who returns first to the starting line, or with the fastest time, wins. BalloonMinton Materials: Badminton or other racquets, balloons, and another object Description: Participants start at a starting line, holding a racquet in one hand and a balloon in the other. At the signal, they toss the balloon in the air and "bat" it with the racquet, walking down and around a fixed object like a chair. The balloon can only touch the racquet or the ground - not any part of the body. The person who returns first to the starting line, or with the fastest time, wins. Balloon Scramble Materials: Balloons Description: Participants blow up a balloon (the larger the better), and, without tying it off, hold it above their head, with the arm outstretched (Statue of Liberty style). The balloon is released, and the person then tries to catch the balloon before it hits the ground. Each person that catches the balloon gets a point. You may wish to give each person two or three tries. 3 / 10

4 Balloon Slide (submitted Natalia G.) Materials: Sturdy disposable plates, balloons and cones Description: One cone is placed a certain distance from the starting line (e.g., feet) for each participant. Each person stands on plates (one on each foot), holding a balloon. At the signal, participants swat their balloons forward, while sliding on the plates, and try to make their way down and around their cone, and back to the starting (finish) line. The first person to cross the finish line wins. If the balloon touches the floor, it just needs to be picked up and swatted again. It can never be carried. If a person steps off of one or both plates, they must stop and secure their foot on the plate(s) before continuing. Balloon Tennis (submitted by Scott C.) Materials: Badminton racquets, balloons, and materials for make-shift net of tennis height (e.g., long fold-up table(s) placed on side or string tied between poles or trees) Description: Participants may play as teams (two on each side), or one-on-one with the winner of each short game playing the next person in line. After out-of-bounds lines are determined, the balloon is served, and then swatted back and forth across the net. Three hits are allowed per side before the balloon must cross the net. An "out" occurs when the balloon either hits the floor, goes out of bounds, or touches any part of a player's body. "Spikes" are allowed, but the balloon can never be contacted while on the opposite side of the net. The first person or team to incur three outs loses. A wonderful, even more active option is to play "CutThroat," in which three players compete. To start, Player 1 (the server) stands on one side, Player 2 on the other, and Player 3 stands behind Player 1. After Player 1 serves the balloon to Player 2, he runs to the other side while Player 2 hits it to Player 3, and then Player 1 is ready to receive Player 3's hit. Each player runs to the other side after hitting it, circling the net in a counter-clockwise fashion. Whenever a player is out, the next person in line (if there is one) takes his or her place. 4 / 10

5 BaseBalloon Materials: Play/plastic bat (or stick) and balloons Description: From a starting spot, participants toss a balloon up with one hand, and hit the balloon using the bat. The balloon that lands the further distance away wins. Clean Your Room (submitted by Christina M.) Materials: Balloons, timer, and a rope or other item to divide a room into two Description: The rope is used to divide the room into two. Equal numbers of balloons are placed on each side of the rope, and two teams are formed and placed on either side of the rope. The timer is set at 1, 2 or 3 minutes, and at the signal, each team tries to throw or hit the balloons to the other side. When the timer goes off, everyone must drop any balloon they are holding. The team with the least amount of balloons on its side wins. Items such as socks, stuffed animals, and soft balls can be used as a variation. FootBalloon 5 / 10

6 Materials: Balloons Description: Participants place the balloon on the ground at a specific point, and, with a running start, kick the balloon as far as they can. The balloon can only be contacted once. The balloon that lands the further distance away wins. Hackey Balloon (submitted by Emily O.) Materials: Balloons, bodies Description: Balloons are blown up (medium size), and each participant (alone or in a group, which is more challenging and enjoyable) throws one up in the air. Each participant tries to keep the balloon in the air by bouncing it off any part of his or her body below the waist (however, the chest and abdomen may be used to keep the balloon in play). The person who bounces it the most times wins. A variation can be used in which the person must stay within a defined space (perhaps marked with cones), or he or she is out. Head Bop (submitted by Lauren P.) Materials: Balloons, heads Description: Balloons are blown up (medium size), and each participant (alone or in a group, 6 / 10

7 which is more challenging and enjoyable) throws one up in the air. Each participant tries to keep the balloon in the air by bouncing it on his or her head. The person who bounces it the most times, or who avoids dropping it for the longest time, wins. No other part of the body may touch the balloon. A variation can be used in which the person must stay within a defined space (perhaps marked with cones), or he or she is out. Patty Balloon (submitted by Ardelle C.) Materials: Badminton or other racquets, balloons, cones, whistle and stop watch Description: Cones are placed to mark a starting line and another line a selected distance (e.g., feet) away. Participants pair up to make teams of two, which take turns competing. The first two participants face each other with the racquet in their dominant hand, and at the whistle they try to swat or "patty" the balloon to each other as they try to make their way to the other line. When the balloon crosses the other line, participants quickly switch places, at the same time switching their racquets to the non-dominant hand. They then make their way back to the starting line. The timer stops only when the balloon crosses the original starting line. During this event, the team is penalized one second for each time the balloon touches any part of the participants' bodies, and two seconds for each time it touches the floor. The team that gets the fastest time wins (after adding on penalties). ShotBalloon Materials: Hula hoop (or other materials to make a large ring) and balloons Description: Place the hula hoop on the ground, and have the participant stand in the ring 7 / 10

8 and place a balloon in the palm of one hand. The person then makes a complete 360-degree revolution and "shotputs" the balloon forward. The balloon that goes the furthest wins. The balloon must maintain contact with the hand at all times until thrown, and must not be swatted or hit. A water balloon can be used as a variation. Sit and Pop (submitted by Lauren P.) Materials: Two or more balloons Description: Balloons are placed on the ground, next to each other, at a certain distance from the starting line. At the signal, each participant runs and tries to pop a balloon by sitting on it. The first person to pop his or her balloon wins. If you have teams, after someone pops a balloon, he or she must run back to the starting line and "tag" the next person before he or she can go. Tee Time Materials: Golf clubs (play or real), bowl(s), and balloons Description: Balloons are place on the ground, and putted into a bowl placed at a certain distance. The fewest number of strokes wins. 8 / 10

9 VolleyBalloon (submitted by Natalia G.) Materials: Tape, rope or other item to create a dividing line, and balloons Description: The playing area is divided into two, and out-of-bounds lines are determined. Each person or team stands on one side of the line, and the balloon is "served" from any point on the server's side. A point is won if the balloon hits the ground on the other side, and the server continues to serve until a point is lost. Balloons cannot be "spiked" or hit at a downward angle -- only horizontally or upward. A maximum of three hits in a row are allowed on one side. The team who hits 15 (or another set number) first wins (must win by two). Waddle Balloon Materials: Balloons, knees Description: Participants line up at the starting line, and place inflated balloons between their knees. At the signal, they "waddle" towards the finish line, without dropping the balloon. The first person to cross the finish line with the balloon securely between the knees wins. Participants may not touch the balloon with their hands unless it falls to the ground, at which time they must stop and not continue until the balloon is secured again between the legs. A variation for outdoor games is to use a water balloon. Wheelballoon Slalom 9 / 10

10 Materials: Wheelbarrow (small, if possible), balloons, and several cones Description: Cones are placed in a line, several feet apart. A participant places a balloon in the wheelbarrow, and, at the signal, weaves the wheelbarrow with the balloon between the cones, without allowing the balloon to fly out. The balloon cannot touch any part of the body - only the wheelbarrow; if it does, the person must stop in place until the balloon falls or is placed back in the wheelbarrow. The fastest time wins. >Back to the KidTLC Home Page >The KidTLC Veggie Tools 10 / 10

AfL Playbook: 5-8 years old 12 days of active fun for kids, parents, and caregivers

AfL Playbook: 5-8 years old 12 days of active fun for kids, parents, and caregivers 12 days of active fun for kids, parents, and caregivers Ready to have fun developing movement skills? Active for Life has created a set of games and activities for you and your child to play together.