As with all activities that include children, safety considerations come first. Be ready to intervene if children attempt actions beyond their abilities. Adjust the activities as needed for the number of children and their ages.
1. Ball Roll. Each person has a ball to roll from point A to point B. Decide whether the ball should be rolled or kicked. Or do both.
2. Balance Beam. Find a crack in the sidewalk, a driveway edge, a log or a plank. Walk along the crack or plank, carefully balancing to keep from falling over. Older kids will want more of a challenge, so be sure to monitor their balancing.
3. Target Throw. Mark off a court and place a target at one end and a safety line at the other. Kids can take turns tossing beanbags or balls at the target. Each person must remain behind the safety line at all times. Kids may want to make up their own rules.
4. Simon Says. An old but still popular game. The leader indicates movements of the players by making statements like, "Simon says take three giant steps." Statements that don't include the words "Simon says" are ignored. Players attempt to reach a goal first. Other actions include "baby steps," "kangaroo hops," "snake slithers," and "backward steps." You can make up more of your own, the sillier the better.
5. Motion Obstacle Course. Make up your own stations on an obstacle course that includes actions. For example, at station one, the player must turn around three times, then move on to the next station. At station two, do three sit-ups. At station three, jog in place for one minute, and so on.
Kids can help monitor the stations while waiting for their turn. For variation, you can use a stopwatch and record individual times or divide up into teams. Teams can participate in a relay, passing an object to the next person at each stop after completing the required action.
To keep these games lively, introduce variations when the action slows down. Take your clues from what the kids are doing and talking about as they play-they are the source of the best ideas!
Debbie Wilburn is County Agent/Family and Consumer Science Agent with the Hall (770)535-8290 and the Forsyth (770)887-2418 County Extension Service.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2004/6/157772