Submitted by: Sonia Sheehan, HPEC Vice President Communications
1. Holiday
Winter Guess:
Create 4 choices of holiday winter actions
(snow angel – lay on the ground and perform snow angels, candy cane – stand
with arms curled forward, reindeer – gallop in a circle with hands overhead as
antlers, snowflake – stand with arms and legs stretched out wide and sway from
side to side). Create a slide show with
a random order of the 4 holiday winter actions or have the 4 holiday winter
actions written in large letters on separate pieces of paper. Have students
perform a movement or fitness activity (jumping jacks, squats, lunges, running
on the spot, side sliding, bicep curls, etc…). When students hear “Freeze”, they
must stop the movement or fitness activity.
When students hear “Make your Holiday Winter Guess”, they must choose
one of the holiday winter actions to perform.
Provide students with a 5 second count down to complete their choice. Teacher will reveal either the slide with one
of the holiday winter actions or randomly show one of the pieces of paper with
the holiday winter action. The object of
the game is to match the holiday winter action the teacher shows.
If you match the activity = complete a
holiday dance celebration move and earn 1 point
If you do not match the activity = complete
1 lap skipping around the gym
2. Reindeer
Switch:
Set up hula hoops or poly spots (reindeer
homes) for all students to stand in, except 3-4 students of the class. The students without a hula hoop/poly spot/
reindeer home are the lost reindeer. When the teacher calls “Reindeer Switch”
all the reindeer need to move and stand in a new reindeer home. Any students without a reindeer home are the
lost reindeer for that round. Challenge
students to try to find a reindeer home quickly and safely each time the
teacher says “Reindeer Switch”. To add a
cooperative twist, remove some reindeer homes to have two reindeer in each
home. When students hear “Reindeer
Switch” they need to find a new home and each home can have 2 reindeer before
it is full.
3. Tree
Topple:
Equipment: bowling pins (or an item that
can be knocked over) to represent holiday trees and bean bags
Set up: 2 equal teams on each side of the
activity area, 10 holiday trees/bowling pins on each side of the gym, bean bags
randomly scattered throughout the area to chop down the holiday trees
Objective: With each team staying on their own side, students will slide the bean bag along the ground to the other side of the gym to try to “topple” the trees over. Try to be the first team to topple all the trees on the other side.
Extension: If a student topples a tree over
with a bean bag, the student will run over to the other side, pick up the tree
that was toppled over, bring it back to their side and add it to the standing
trees on their side. Try to be the team
with the most trees on their side.
4. Winter
Would You Rather:
Create a list of two winter items/activities
for students to choose from. Teacher
will call out the two items/activities and students need to choose which
item/activity they prefer. Have students
move to the corresponding side of your activity area based on the item/activity
they choose. Reveal what activity will
be performed based on the item/activity chosen by the student.
|
Item/Activity Choice #1 |
Item/Activity Choice #2 |
|
Ski = 10 jumping jacks |
Snowboard = 10 chicken jacks |
|
Play snow soccer = 10 squats |
Play on the playground = 10 lunges |
|
Ice skate = 10 raise the roofs |
Sled/toboggan = 10 flosses |
|
Play ice hockey = 10 air punches |
Play ringette = 10 high kicks |
|
Build a snowman = run around in a circle 5 times |
Build a snow fort = 5 squat jumps |
|
Open presents = do your favourite dance move |
Give presents = run on the spot with fast feet |
|
Snowshoe = side slide across the activity area |
Cross Country Ski = spin 3 times each way |
|
Sing holiday songs = 10 arm curls |
Watch holiday movies = 10 lunges |
|
Bake holiday cookies = 10 jumping jacks |
Eat holiday cookies = 4 air punches and 4 high kicks |
|
Run = touch your toes and reach up 5 times |
Walk = show your best robot moves |
|
Sleep in an igloo = 5 squat jumps |
Sleep in a tent = 10 high kicks |
|
Play video games = run across the activity area |
Play outside in the snow = play an imaginary musical
instrument |
|
Eat a candy cane = 10 skier jumps |
Eat a gingerbread cookie = 6 squat jumps |
5. 2 Sided Santa Says:
Similar to Simon Says. Try to include winter or holiday type
activities. Choose 2 students to be
“Santa” on opposite sides of the playing area.
Have half the class face each of the 2 Santas. Students need to complete an activity if
“Santa Says” to do the activity.
Students are not to complete the activity if Santa does not say. If a student does an activity that Santa did
not say, that student would leave the game they are part of and join the Santa
on the other side of the activity area. Students
will continue to move from game to game as the Santas try to trick the students
into doing an activity that Santa did not say.
Switch the student Santas throughout the game.
6. Snow
Run:
This activity needs to take place outside.
Students challenge a partner or group to see who can run the fastest to a
certain part of the field or outdoor area while running through the snow. Take
a little rest and then snow run to a new location in the field or challenge a
new partner or group to a snow run.
7. Pass
the Present:
Equipment: a variety of tossable items that
can represent presents (examples include: a variety of balls, bean bags, deck
rings, pool noodles, etc…)
Set up: Students in groups of 3-4 with a
winter holiday team name (example team names: candy canes, elves, snowflakes,
snowballs, toys, reindeer, gingerbread, etc…) and some type of holiday winter
celebration move (the celebration move can be a dance move or a fitness move)
Challenge: groups work together to complete
the designated number of passes of their present in the designated way (if the
present is dropped the counting starts again from zero), once the group
completes the designated number of passes with their present, complete a
holiday winter celebration move and then change the present used for passing and
move onto the next round featuring a different way to pass the present
Recommended Designated number of passes by
grade level:
Grade 1: 10 passes
Grade 2: 15 passes
Grade 3: 20 passes
Grade 4: 25 passes
Suggested Rounds of Designated types of
Passes:
Round #1: Underhand pass
Round #2: One bounce pass
Round #3: Jump up and down before pass
Round #4: Under the leg pass
Round #5: Spin in a circle and then pass
Round #6: Moving while passing
8. Snowball
Target Practice:
Equipment: gator balls to represent multi
coloured snowballs or crunched up pieces of recycling paper to represent snowballs,
a variety of buckets or baskets for targets, bowling pins as targets
Set up: place the buckets, baskets, and
bowling pins around the activity area as targets and each student has their own
snowball (gator ball or crunched up piece of paper)
Objective: Challenge students to see how
many targets they can knock over (bowling pins) or get their snowball in
(buckets or baskets)
Additional Challenges:
·
Throw your snowball from further away from the target
·
Alternate between underhand throw and overhand
throw to the target
·
Try a trick shot throw to the target (under a
leg throw, over the shoulder throw, backwards throw, etc…)
·
Set a time limit: how many targets can you hit
in 1 minute time, 2 minute time, 3 minute time
9. Protect
the Snowmen:
Equipment: gator balls to represent multi
coloured snowballs, bowling pins to represent the snowmen and if available,
build large snowmen by putting one exercise ball on top of another exercise
ball with some type of stand or base at the bottom of the snowman and inbetween
the two balls of the snowman
Set up: Divide the class into two teams
with one team on each side of the activity area, 6 – 8 snowmen at the back of each
side, a centre line dividing the two teams and snowballs (gator balls)
scattered throughout the playing area
Objective: Work as a team to throw the
snowballs at the other team’s snowmen and knock over all the snowmen on the
other side. Continue until one team has
no snowmen left standing
Modification: If a snowman is knocked over,
the team that knocked it over can run and get the snowman and stand it up on
their side. See which team has the most
snowmen at the end of the game.
Modification: Add a snowman rebuilding process. If a snowman is knocked over, a student can pick
up the snowman, run one lap around the gym while holding the snowman, and then
put the snowman back up on their side to continue in the game.
10. The Great Toy Hunt:
Equipment: wide range of random PE
equipment, scooters, mats, list of toys for groups to find in The Great Toy
Hunt, hula hoop for each groups toy chest
Set up: Scatter random PE equipment on one
side of the activity area, students in groups of 3 with a winter sleigh (made
of 3 scooters under one folding gymnastic mat), each group with a list for the
Great Toy Hunt (See a sample list below) and a hula hoop for their toy chest
Objective: Work as a team to gather all the
items from Toy Hunt List. Toys can only
be gathered one at a time. To gather an
item, one group member must ride on the sleigh, one group member must safely
push the sleigh and one group member holds the Toy Hunt List and indicates
which toy to find and bring back to the team toy chest. Once an item is gathered, the group members switch
jobs. Challenge your group to gather as
many toys as they can on the toy hunt list.
THE
GREAT TOY HUNT
Toy
Hunt List:
Collect one of each item
Bowling
Pin
Gator
Ball
Table
Tennis Paddle
Poly
Spot
Bean
Bag
Frisbee
Scoop
Tennis
Ball
Pool
Noodle
Pylon
Whiffle
Ball
Scarf
Juggling
Club
Cylinder
Ring
Rubber
Chicken
Cup
Stilt
Fluff
Ball
