Active Group Games

Island Ball

Game Summary
Two players throw balls from an “island” in the center of the gym. They try to recruit more “throwers” onto the island by hitting them with a ball.

  

Group Size
8 to 30 is ideal

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Materials

• Several foam balls (More is better)

 

Play Area
Gym or other large area with a circle in the middle

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Time 
Unlimited (20 to 30 minutes is ideal)

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Description
     Create an “island” in the middle of the gym. Most gyms will have a circle painted on the floor that works great, or you can use a rope or cones to make a circle. Place all of the balls you have in the island. Select two people to be the first throwers, and have them go inside the circle.
     Everyone else should line up in one corner of the gym. A leader stands at the front of the line and sends one kid at a time to run around the outside of the gym. The runner tries to make it back to the line without getting hit by a ball that is thrown. The leader should send a new runner about every one to five seconds so the runners do not run over each other. Any player who is hit immediately joins the throwers on the island (if a player is hit by a ball that has hit the ground first, it does not count). Once a ball is thrown, anyone on the island can retrieve it and bring it back to the island before throwing it again. 
     Once the first runner makes it back to the front of the line, stop the game and allow everyone on the island to gather up all of the balls. That marks the end of the first round.
     At the start of each round, announce a new way the runners must move around the gym (skipping, spinning, walking backwards, etc.). When only two runners remain off the island, start over with those two on the island and everyone else back in line. 

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Variation
If this game is played outside, you should mark the play area with cones so the runners do not run too far away from the island.

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Cone Knock Over

Game Summary
Two teams, on opposite sides of the gym, throw and roll balls back and forth to hit or knock down cones on the opposite side. The goal is to capture all of the cones on the other side and win.

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Group Size
8 to 30 is ideal

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Materials

• Several foam balls

• 6 to 10 small plastic orange cones (Substituting for cones can be 2-liter bottles filled with 2 inches of water; use with the cap on.)

 

Play Area
Gym or other large area

 

Time
Unlimited (20 to 30 minutes is ideal.)

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Description
     Divide the group into two teams. Assign each team to a different half of the gym. Give each team an equal amount of cones (three to five cones is ideal) along with half of the balls. If in a gym with a basketball court, use the key area (rectangle area under the basket used for free throws that is marked off by lines) and have each team place their cones somewhere inside their own key. If there is no key, set up a similar area using smaller cones or other markers. 
     Each team must protect the cones on their side from being hit by a ball that is thrown or rolled from the other side. During the game, players must stay on their own side of the gym and cannot go into their own key unless they are retrieving a ball that has rolled into the area. If at anytime someone throws a ball and it hits a cone on the opposite side (it does not have to knock it over), they can go to the other side and collect that cone and bring it back to their own side and place it in their own key. The winning team is the first team to collect all of the cones. 
     This is a game that seems to never end since the cones go back and forth rather quickly. When leading this game, the leader can wait till the cones are back to equal numbers and declare it a tie before moving on to the next activity.

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Color Match

Game Summary
Groups compete to find all the colored markers in a large area before the other groups do. 

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Group Size
4 or more

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Materials

• 2 sets of colored markers (It is best if one set is the “washable” type of marker.)

• 3x5 cards

• Small poly cones

• Play Area

• Large open area is best

• Time

• 20 minutes

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Description
     Prior to the activity, take one set of colored markers (use the washable ones if you have a set) and place one distinct color under each cone somewhere in the play area. The cones should be spread out as much as possible in the play area.
     Divide the group into teams of two or more members each, and give each group a 3x5 card. The leader has a set of markers and marks a different color on each card. Each group must go find that colored marker under a cone, and each person must put a mark on her arm in that color and then place the marker back under the cone. After finding the correct color, the group runs back to the leader for a different color to be marked on their cards. Once a group has found all the colors, they can be declared the winner.

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Variation 
Each person signs their name on the card in the correct color, instead of marking on their arm.

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Run Rabbit Run

Game Summary
Runners try to make it from one side of the play area to the other, without being hit by a ball that is thrown by one of two Throwers who are on the sides. If a player is hit by the ball, he must sit down and can tag runners as they run across the gym.

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Group Size
10 to 40 is ideal

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Materials

• Several foam balls

• 2 hula hoops (However, you may be able to play without these.)

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Play Area
Gym or outside play area

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Time
15 to 20 minutes is ideal

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Description
     Select two players to be the “Throwers,” and give them each a few foam balls. Send the Throwers to the center of the gym or play area, and have one stand on the far right side of the center line and one on the far left. These two spots can be marked with hula hoops or other objects. The Throwers can only throw when standing inside this spot. Everyone else lines up side-by-side on one end of the gym or play area. When the leader says, “Run rabbit run,” everyone tries to cross the play area without being hit by a ball that has been thrown by either one of the Throwers. If hit by a ball, the runner must sit in the spot where he was hit and can now try to reach out and tag other runners as they run by. Throwers can collect balls at any time and run back to their throwing spot to throw again. After all the runners make it across to the other side, the leader can say, “Run rabbit run” again or change the way the runners must get across the gym by saying, “Hop rabbit hop,” etc. When there are two runners remaining who have not been tagged or hit by a ball, they become the next two Throwers for a new game. 

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Variation
If someone who is sitting picks up a loose ball as it rolls by and gets someone out by throwing it at them (they must throw from a sitting position), then they can stand up and become a runner again.