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If you are going to have a great time outdoors, then you should consider learning about the physical education games for small groups. It can be games for kids or adults. In this guide, we will look at all the different games you can consider for the kids who might be looking to have a good time during their physical education lesson. We will group the games into various categories so that you can pick the right ones based on your needs of the lesson.
Health and Fitness Games
As part of the PE lesson, you need to teach the kids about health and fitness in a context they love. This can be done through fun and engaging games we will cover below. It is through these games that the kids can learn about heart zones, fitness components, and nutrition facts.
1. Jake the Hungry Snake
For this set of physical education games for small groups, the students will get to explore the different types of healthy foods and their nutritional content. Many find the game being from moderate to vigorous in terms of the physical activity. From the nutrition card pack, the students will learn more about the different food types that they are likely to eat at home or school.
The game is played by having the students standing a circle around the teacher. The teacher will then introduce a long jump rope which is called Jake The Hungry Snake, and thus the name. When the teacher mentions the food on the card, the students have to jump over the rope. If the rope contacts any of the students, it is taken that Jake has bitten the student. The student would then have to do more exercises to burn all the calories that Jake the snake has consumed.
2. Rock Paper Scissors Tug-o-War
This is another top option for physical education games for small groups of students. It is an exciting health and fitness game that explores the speed and reaction time of the students. If you have ever played rock paper scissors game, then it will be easy to understand the different rules that come with the game.
For this game, the teacher divides the students into two teams. Each of the team members stand in a line on the opposing sides of the play area. The teacher will give a signal for the first players from each side to meet and play a single round of rock paper scissors. The winner of the round of this game sprints to the opposing team line. The same happens for the losing member who has to chase the winning member.
This game goes on until the winning player can make it successfully to the opposing team line. The rules are simple and many of the students should have an easy time playing the game.
3. Builders & Bulldozers
For those still looking for physical education games for small groups, then you should consider this one. The game is all about helping the students learn more about health and fitness. We recommend this game for pre-K, Kindergarten, and Elementary levels. This is a perfect game for the teacher to introduce the concepts related to heart, physical activity levels, and resting heart rate.
The game is seen as ideal for playing outdoors, in a gym, or even in a large classroom.
The teacher will set up this game using cones with some knocked over while others upright. As for the students, they have to be divided into two teams. We will have the Bulldozers and the Builders. On the teacher’s signal, the builders have to set the knocked over cones upright while the bulldozers do the opposite. They all have to use their hands and not kicking the cones. Each round will last two minutes.
If the round comes to an end and there are more knocked over cones, then the bulldozers win and vice versa.
Net and Wall Games
For these games, the players need to hit the object or ball into the court space of the opposing team cannot hit it back within the allowed number of bounces. This is likely to vary from one game to another as we will see below. Let us look at some of the net and wall physical education games for small groups.
4. Meteor Ball
For this game, the students will be divided into four teams having the same number of people. These teams will be assigned 4 playing areas. The idea is that the teams must always stay in their play areas. When the teacher throws a giant ball into the play area, the team members have to work together and get the ball into the opposing teams without it touching the floor. They also have to consider the number of bounces as set out by the teacher. If the ball lands to the floor in your area, then the other three teams get a point each.
The game is all about teaching the students about setting up an attack, defending their space, and positioning themselves better in a court.
As a teacher, consider giving the students enough room for playing as part of safety. The last thing you want is for the students to run into each other while playing.
5. Spot Ball
There is never short of physical education games for small groups. Well, it is why we also have to look at Spot Ball as part of these games.
The game requires two players that can play in a badminton sized court. They will use the lines of the court as boundaries. This game integrates rock paper scissors to decide which player will have to start. The server needs to lob the tennis ball higher than the height of the opposing member. A score will only count if the ball will bounce twice before the opponent can catch it.
Many will find this being an ideal game to improve skills such as setting up an attack, defending your space, and having a better court positioning technique.
6. Lobster Ball
This is another choice for many who are looking for physical education games for small groups. With this game, you will focus on skills such as deceiving the opponent, defending your territory, and then maintaining a rally. By the time the students are done with the game, they would have had quite the workout in a short period.
Each of the student will have his or her own area marked using four cones. The space between the two students is the dead zone. The players need to lob the ball into the opposing student zone. The other student has to lob the ball back to the other player. The ball may bounce once before lobbing it back. However, if the ball bounces twice before you can catch it, then the player who lobbed the ball will win that round. The game is played up to 5 points.
The best thing about this game should be that it does not require much to get started. You just need tennis balls and cones. As the teacher, you can come up with additional rules if you want to make the game more interesting.
Target Games
The players will get the scores if they throw an object closer or strike the target where their opponents are unable to do so. These are tactical physical education games for small groups that can go a long way to improve the students aim, accuracy, and a lot more. Let us see some of the target games they can try out for PE lessons.
7. B-O-W-L
This game is what you need when you want the students to have a lot of fun during the PE lesson. It can also be used at home to challenge a family member to see who has the best bowling shots. The more you practice your bowling skills, the better you get over time.
During this game, partners challenge each other to a classic game of bowling challenge cards. Your playing partner will set up the bowling pins in different formations and you have to hit them. The formation can be as challenging as possible as a way of making the game interesting. If you cannot knock down all the pins in a single trial, then the opponent wins.
You will find the game being easy to play on overall. Even if it is your first time bowling, you will soon get better at it.
As for equipment, you will need bowling pins, ball, floor mart, and the BOWL challenge cards.
8. Throw Archery
Just as the name suggests, you are likely to end up with the best skills in terms of accuracy and distance when playing this game. As such, the teacher would recommend the game for their students to help improve their form.
The game can be played by setting up five target areas using skipping ropes. The players will then have to stand behind the throwing line and attempt to get the object over as many skipping ropes as possible. Each player will have up to five throws and see who ends up with the most points. The most common object used for throwing across the skipping ropes is bean bags.
Not much is needed for the game to happen. Also, whatever you need will be easily available. Such include bean bags, cones, and skipping ropes.
Safety is still important when playing this game. Some opt for tennis balls in place of bean bags. Just make sure there are no students in front of the throwing line. This should keep them safe during the entire game session.
Chasing and Fleeing Games
These are some of the options too to consider as physical education games for small groups of students. For these games, the students have to move within a given play area while attempting not to be caught by the other players and vice versa. Such games are good for promoting tactical thinking and evading of opponents. You can also give misleading signals to win the game.
9. Pirates of the Caribbean
Well, you might have watched the movie with a similar title and it was quite entertaining. You should also enjoy this game too. The game offers a standard chasing and fleeing experience that is perfect for any PE program. It will allow the students to focus on developing offensive and defensive strategies. For this type of game, you can play it indoors at a gym or outdoors.
The rules are simple. The teacher will create a play area having three zones. Such zones include the main playing zone, the endzone, and the treasure cave. If you get the game package, it will have all the setup processes that you need. As such, it should be easier to set it up.
10. Chicken Noodle Tag
Playing with the chicken noodle tag has always been a favorite with most kids. They can enjoy doing so in this game too. The game is seen as perfect for kids in Kindergarten and Elementary level. For this game, it focuses on skills such as chasing, fleeing, trapping your opponent, and deceiving the opponent too. There are also several builds to choose from. It comes down to what you want to achieve with the students.
Playing this game can be easy. This is because it is best suited for gyms and outdoors. It can also be a great game for laugher because you are playing with chicken noodle tags.
Final Thoughts
From the many physical education games for small groups mentioned above, it is easy to see why students might enjoy having a PE lesson. It is also why many schools would adopt such programs. It is always nice to improve the physical activity of the children and keep them engaged. Get creative with the many games during the PE program. Whenever you do this, the students will always be looking forward to such games.
Whenever playing these games, always consider the safety of the students. Make sure that you have enough space to hold all the students. The last thing you want is the kids bumping into each other while playing and thus injuring themselves.
