Submitted by: Jackie Fuga, HPEC Conference Grant Recipient
Keeping PE interesting, challenging yet available to everyone is a task! Below are some tried and true warm up games that favours everyone, lots of fun, and worthy of repeating! It is important to note I did not invent these games, but I have learned them along the way and feel everyone could benefit from these simple yet effective games.
Home Alone
Equipment: equal number of hula hoops and cones
You will want ⅓ ish of the number of participants to cones/hula hoops
Ex. if you have 24 students, you want 6-8 cones/hula hoops
Set up: place the cone inside the hula hoop and scatter them throughout your playing area
Have a one student stand inside the hula hoop alongside the cone
Objective: the students inside the hula hoop is trying to protect their cone (the key) from all the robbers (the other students)
The students without a house are actively trying to capture the cone from inside the hula hoop without being tagged
If the homeowner tags the robber, the robber cannot take the cone
If a robber successfully takes the key (the cone) without being tagged, then they are the new hometowner.
Game is over whenever you want it to be.
Can declare those inside the house to be “the winners” if you so desire.
Fitness Buffalo Run
Equipment: cones to mark out your track or circle, music (optional)
Set up: students will need a partner.
Partners will stand back to back (can have them all start in same area, or scattered around the track)
The direction the partner is facing is the direction they will run (partners will run in opposite directions)
On teacher’s whistle or when music stops, partners need to run to each other on the track and sit down beside each other
RUNNERS MUST AVOID CUTTING THROUGH THE MIDDLE
The last partner(s) to sit down proceed to the middle of the track and begin completing fun fitness activities
For example: jumping jacks while other participants are running, holding a plank, partner push ups, etc.
Repeat for multiple rounds
Same or Different
Equipment: playing area with a centerline, and 2 end lines
Set up: students in partners, facing each other (easiest if set up on centre line of playing area)
Objective: win same/different, but if you lose, tag your partner/don't get tagged.
Partners will be labeled the same or different.
same= partners place the same number of fingers up
different= partners do not mirror each other
Partners will start with one hand behind their back
On show- they can either put up 1 or 2 fingers
Whoever is the winner, needs to run to the wall on their side to avoid being tagged by their partner
For example: partner A is labeled the same, partner B is different
On show: A puts up 1 finger, and B puts up 1 finger= SAME
Same wins (partner A) partner A runs to their safety line on their side. Partner B is trying to tag A before they enter the safety area.
B fails to tag A= A wins!
If B tagged A then B would win.
Win= 1 point
Play until partners achieve a certain number of points.
