It seems like schools are continually cutting back on phys ed classes, but they're important for keeping kids in shape and can be fun, as well as good for health. Playing physical education games allows every child to get involved, be active, work in teams, experience some friendly competition, and maybe even forget that they're exercising. Even better, you can organize these games for the neighborhood kids, even if they don't get phys ed at school.
Food Group Tag
These games are for children up to third grade and have a double purpose: getting the kids active as they review healthy foods. You'll need four laminated pictures from each of the featured food groups, such as carrots from the vegetable group, oranges from the fruit group, and whole grain rice from the grain group. Choose a tagger, and four "rescuers" who each have a picture of food.
"Vision Tag" is played with pictures of yellow or orange vegetables from the vegetable group, which are high in Vitamin A and develop healthy vision. The tagger touches other kids, which represents depleting their Vitamin A. The tagged child then stops and places his hands over his eyes. Rescuers save "blinded" children by handing over a picture of a vegetable. The rescuer can now be tagged, and the rescued child becomes a rescuer.
"Ouch! Tag" is played with pictures of fruit that are high in Vitamin C, and heal the body. When tagged, the child holds the part of his body that was touched and says, "Ouch!" until rescued.
"Energy Tag" is played with pictures from the grain group, which give the body energy. When tagged, a child kneels down, calling out, "Where is my energy?" until a rescuer helps him.
Lucky Shell Game
This game is designed for grades three to five. You'll need traffic cones to cover small pieces of sports equipment, and several of each of five different pieces of equipment. In the center of the room, place one of each kind of equipment under its own cone.
Give each child one of the five pieces of equipment, and have everyone skip, glide, or hop around the room. When they meet another child, they can trade their equipment if they choose. Tell them to stop, and lift one of the cones. Each student who is holding a piece of equipment that matches the one you revealed must do an exercise you tell them, like 20 jumping jacks or 10 pushups.
Goalie Game
This is another game for grades three to five, and it helps kids practice throwing, catching and playing defense. Each child needs a hula hoop and a beanbag, and they work in partners. Place the hoops on the ground, about 6 to 8 feet apart. Players score by getting their beanbag into another player's hoop.
The defensive player can catch or deflect the beanbags by standing in front of his hoop; in offense, he must stand with both feet in his own hoop to throw a beanbag.
Red Light, Green Light
This game can be played by all ages up to teens. In a sports field, have the children line up on one side, except the one who is "it," who stays in the middle of the field. He yells out, "Green light!" and all the other children run until he yells, "Red light!" Anyone who doesn't stop when "Red light" is called is out. To win, a child must go from one end of the field to the other and back; the last one to do so is the next to be "it."
Red Rover
This game is best suited to kids in grade five or older. In two teams, the children join hands and line up facing each other. One side calls a member of the opposite team, such as, "Red Rover, Red Rover, we call Billy over!" Billy runs toward the team that called him, trying to break through the children's hands. If he makes it, he takes a member of that team back to his own; if he doesn't, he joins the opposing team.
