Knee Tag

Knee Tag: Everybody It

Setup and Equipment: No equipment needed.

handsonkneesGuidelines:

  • This is an “Everybody It” Game:
  • The object of this game is to tag other players on the knee
  • If you get tagged on the knee, you immediately go down to one knee and extend a hand. You may continue playing the game after a classmate gives you a “five” with their hand.
  • Variation: You may have students do a 5 second or 5 repetition exercise such as push-ups, sit-ups, etc.
  • You are immune from getting tagged whenever you are standing still with your hands covering your knees. This is the same as standing on a base in many other tag games.
  • Players may only have hands on knees for three seconds, then they have to move.
  • You may not move or run with hands on your knees.
  • This is continuous game.
  • Speed Up Variation: To add some excitement near the end of the activity– The Teacher stops the music and asks everyone to raise their hands in the air. For the next minute you cannot cover your knees so there are no bases and the other tag rules remain.
  • After a minute is up, stop the music and everyone returns to the regular Knee Tag rules.
  • THE MOST FUN WINS!
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Valentine Hug Tag

Setup and Equipment:

  • Four soft red balls for the “cupid – its”
  • Practice the hug: Lean forward with two soft taps
  • Practice the Macho Hug: Do a thumb handshake with two hand taps on the other person’s back
  • Practice becoming a “heart” by lifting arms (elbows up) above their heads and pointing their hands downwards to the top of their head.
  • When a person is tagged they stand frozen in this position.

Guidelines:

  • The “cupid – its” attempt to tag players by throwing or tagging them with the red ball
  • If a player is tagged, they stand frozen in the “heart” position
  • A heart is unfrozen and the player returns to the game when another player gives them a hug – or a “macho hug”
  • Continue the game by having the “old its” pick “new its”until turns are completed by each student.

 

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Reindeer Tag

Setup and Equipment

  • Equipment: Yarn balls or stuffed animals for tagging
  • Four people are chosen to be “its”

Guidelines

  • When a student gets tagged they kneel with one knee down and one knee up. They put their thumbs on their head and spread their fingers out like antlers.
  • In order to be defrosted from the “reindeer position” the other players approach the frozen player from the front and wiggle their antlers/fingers together to free them.
  • After a one to two minute winter holiday song, a transition song is played. The theme from the Nutcracker works well right before the winter break.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Rock, Paper, Scissors Partner Tag

Equipment and Setup:

  • Two lines facing each other in the middle of the gym.
  • Space each line so players are  spread out.
  • Each player should have someone across from them. This is their partner.

Practice with the teacher:

  • Rock is a fist (Everyone make a fist).
  • Paper is a flat hand facing down (Everyone make a flat hand facing down).
  • Scissors is a hand that simulates scissors with the 1st and 2nd fingers separating and closing (Everyone make a hand that simulates scissors).
  • ROCK SMASHES SCISSORS
  • PAPER COVERS ROCK
  • SCISSORS CUTS PAPER

Guidelines:

  • Teacher gives signal or starts music to begin game.
  • Partners do rock, paper, scissors by facing each other and pounding their fist into their hand and together chanting: “1,2,3 show”.
  • One the word “show” each player displays either rock, paper, or scissors.
  • When a player wins they become  they become the tagger and do 5 jumping jacks or three spins.
  • The other player may move around the gym and attempt to avoid the tag. When playing in the gym you may want to  define a locomotor skill such as walking (power walking), slide-stepping, skipping, or galloping.
  • The tag we use is called the peace tag. Hold your two fingers up and show the peace sign. When you tag, it is a  peaceful tag,  two fingers in the middle of your partner’s back.
  • After the tag, you can do the rock, paper, scissors to begin a new game again. In grades K /1/ 2 it may work better to just have partners change roles each time.
  • For a longer game and more interaction, pick new partners after each player has completed turns as the tagger and another turn as the player being tagged.

 

 

 

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Slammer

Equipment and Setup:

  • Twenty pins are lined up on the black lines in front of the opposing walls. It works best to pick a couple of students to begin setting up the targets while the rules are covered and the teams set.
  • It works best to pick a couple of students to begin setting up the targets while the rules are covered and the teams set.
  • Break class into two teams. In our gym we have four teams (red, blue, yellow, green). So it’s pretty easy to put two teams on each side.
  • The dividing line in the middle of the gym cannot be crossed (unless going to the slammer)
  • Each team has twenty pins that are defended by goalies on their team.
  • The object of the game is to knock down all of the pins on the opposite end
  • Each team starts with an equal number of soft foam balls.(between 10-15 works well) Players sit if front of their targets and wait for the music to start to begin the game.

Guidelines:

  • Players may kick or throw the balls.
  • The only way that a player is out is if their ball (kicked or thrown) is caught in the air by an opposing player.
  • A player goes to the slammer (the area behind the pins on the opposite end of your team) when their ball is caught by someone on the opposing team.
  • They get out of the slammer when they catch a ball thrown from a teammate. or they throw a ball from the slammer to a teammate.
  • The games is over when all of the pins are knocked down. If there is time still left in the class, teams change ends and continue the game.
  • The Most Fun Wins!

 

 

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Crows and Cranes

Setup and Equipment:

  • Divide class into two teams.

Guidelines:

  • Have each team line up facing each other about 6-10 feet apart.
  • One team is the “crows” and one team is the “cranes.”
  • The teacher calls one of the teams.
  • The team’s name that is called has to run back to the end line without getting tagged by someone on the other team. If they get tagged, they join the other team.
  • If “crows” is called, cranes are chasing the crows. If “cranes” is called, crows are chasing the cranes.

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One Base

Setup and Equipment:

  • Two or three  foam  balls, two cones: each one placed 10 feet from the baseline on each side.
  • Two teams: a running team and a defense team

Guidelines:

  • The running team starts behind one cone in the gym. This area is their “base.” They must run from their base to the other cone in the gym and back without getting hit with a ball.
  • If they get hit, they stand against the wall.
  • The defense cannot move with the ball. They have 3 seconds to either throw at a runner or pass to a teammate who is closer.
  • Emphasize teamwork! Teams that work better together and pass the ball well will be more successful. Switch teams every 2 minutes.

Recommended for 3rd, 4th, 5th

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Circle of Power

Setup and Equipment:

  • Foam balls, stackable mats set up vertically at each corner of the basketball court lines, stopwatch
  • Two teams: a running team and a throwing team.

Guidelines:

  • The running team starts in one corner of the gym. Their goal is to complete as many laps as possible in the allotted time (usually 1 or 2 min.). For every lap each team member completes, they get one point for their team.
  • If they get hit with a ball (must be a direct hit, no bounces or deflections, *headshots don’t count), they must stand against the wall, out of the way of the runners. They can get back in only if they catch a ball that the throwing team throws.
  • The throwing team stays in the middle circle to throw at the runners. They may leave to get a ball, but must return to the circle to throw.
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Jump Rope Tag

Setup and Equipment:

  • Jump Ropes and one end of the gym designated as the Jump Rope Area
  • Yarnball Taggers

Guidelines:

  • Four or five people are chosen to be “it”
  • All other players have a “safe base” available to them at all times.
  • If a player wants to avoid being tagged, they simply have to be completing a
  • series of ten jumps with the “invisible rope style” when the tagger tags them
  • If a player is tagged they must complete ten jumps with a jump rope in the designated jump rope area.

 

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Bump Basketball (Official Rules)

Setup and Equipment: 2 Basketballs, Basketball Court – Free Line marked

Objective: The object of the game is to “bump” the other players out of the game by making a shot before the person in back of you in the line does.

  • Order is established by forming a line at the free throw line.
  • All players must attempt their first shot from this point.
  • The first and second players in the line get a basketball. Play begins with the first person in line taking the first shot.
  • After the 1st player shoots, the 2nd player may shoot.
  • If the first shot by a player is missed they must follow their rebound and try to make a basket from anywhere on the court.
  • The game at this point is between player #1 and #2
  • If player #2 makes a shot before the first player, then player #1 is “bumped” from the game.
  • If Player #1 makes a shot, the ball should be rebounded and immediately passed to the third player in line. The contest is now between players #2 and #3.
  • Players may only touch their own ball. There is no basketball skill involved in hitting a basketball with another basketball, so this is not allowed in the official rules of “Bump”.

 

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