The unassuming flying disc known as a Frisbee supposedly made its debut in the early 1900s in the form of Frisbie Baking Company pie pans tossed around by Yale students between classes as a form of recreation, reports Ed Sobey, coauthor of "The Way Toys Work." Modern plastic Frisbees star in multiple child-friendly games, most of which require nothing more than the disc itself and a group of enthusiastic kids.
Frisbee Tag
Frisbee tag resembles traditional tag, except that children get tagged with the flying disc instead of a hand. Mark off a playing area that is large enough to allow the children to move around easily but small enough to keep the game from getting too spread out, especially if younger children will be playing. Select a child to be it and have her move outside of the marked location and toss the Frisbee in an attempt to tag the other children. Once a child is tagged, he becomes the Frisbee holder and switches places with the original child. Minimize potential bumps or bruises by instructing children to aim the Frisbee at the legs or lower torso rather than near the face.
Ultimate Frisbee
Similar to football, ultimate Frisbee requires children to score points by passing the Frisbee to a teammate behind the opposite team's goal line. As a fast-paced game that requires agility and quick thinking, ultimate Frisbee typically works well for older children and teens. Divide children into two equally sized teams and have the kicking team toss the Frisbee downfield to the receiving team. Once the receiving team catches the Frisbee, the receiving players must move it downfield to the opponents' goal line by passing it from one to the other without allowing the kicking team to touch the Frisbee holder or intercept the plastic disc. Team members cannot walk or run once the Frisbee is in their hands, so quick passing is essential to maintaining possession of the Frisbee.
Disc Golf
Disc golf can be quite challenging and it even has an official organization dedicated to the sport, but most children play this game with a plastic disc and a garbage can. Position the garbage can in the center or far end of the game area, depending upon the ages of the children playing the game. Children take turns propelling the Frisbee toward the trash can in an attempt to get it inside the trash bin in one throw. If a child misses, he must move to where his Frisbee landed and throw it from there. The number of throws a child requires to get the Frisbee into the trash can equals her score and the child with the lowest score after a set number of rounds wins.
Frisbee Baseball
Baseball with a twist, Frisbee baseball works for children of all skill levels, according to the book "Great Games!" Divide the children into two equally sized teams and arrange bases into a traditional baseball setup, with home plate marked by a medium-sized plastic garbage can. Children on the fielding team spread into the fielding area while the batting team members take turns batting, which consists of throwing the Frisbee into the outfield. Once a batting child throws the Frisbee, he must run the bases, attempting to get to home plate to score a run. Fielding children must get to home plate and toss the Frisbee into the trash can to stop the run from advancing. Once the batting team uses 20 Frisbee throws, they end their at-bat and exchange places with the fielding team. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end of the game.
References
- "The Way Toys Work"; Ed Sobey and Woody Sobey; 2008
- "101 Family Vacation Games"; Shando Varda and Valerie James; 2005
- "A Rulebook of Children's Games"; Jack Maguire; 1992
- "Great Games!"; Matthew Toone; 2009
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