Playground games are a vital part of a child’s development and can help to teach them valuable skills that they can carry with them into adulthood. These games can improve their balance, coordination and teamwork, as well as helping to build their social and cognitive skills. In addition, they can also encourage them to exercise and keep fit, which is something that children need in order to live a healthy life.
Getting kids to enjoy PE lessons isn’t always easy, especially if the same old exercises and sports get repeated again and again. This can cause kids to switch off, and it’s important to keep up the variety so that they are constantly learning new things and getting plenty of exercise. Luckily, there are plenty of fun playground games that can be used to make PE lessons more interesting.
The classic clap and chant games are still popular, but you can also use your facility’s playground games for ks1 equipment to set up teams for agility courses. One player from each team will go through an obstacle course, and whoever gets to the end first wins. This is a great way to get kids moving and learning to work as a team, but it also encourages them to use their problem-solving skills to find creative ways around obstacles.
This game is a good choice for older children, and it can be played either indoors or outdoors. Players should stand in a circle, and one player will walk around the outside of the circle while patting the heads of the other players. When he or she calls out a color, the players who are wearing that color run from a starting point across the playground to try and avoid being tagged. If a player is tagged, they must dance in a jig until the other players can catch them.
Another classic playground game, this is best played with a large group of children. Players should all stand in a line, and one person will close their eyes while counting to ten. When they reach ten, the other players should start to move in different directions – for example, if they hear “Marco, go left” they should all run to the left of the playground, and if they hear “Polo, come right” then they should run to the right.
What the Game Teaches: Counting, speed and teamwork
A simple yet fun variation on Simon Says, this is great for kids of all ages. Divide the group into equal teams, and then give them a series of instructions. If they do what you say, they continue, but if they don’t, they are out of the game. This is a good way to teach the concept of listening carefully and obeying instructions, and it can also be used as a warm-up activity before any PE activities.
This is a simple game that can be played with a large group of students. Children should stand on a line, and then a teacher will call out a food. For example, they might say “cats or dogs,” and then the kids will need to decide which side of the line they want to stand on.