You could choose one or two games to try in a normal session, but why not go the whole hog and have an Olympic / Paralympic-themed day. Have teams and encourage them to design their own flag, make your own torch, hold an opening ceremony and give out medals at the end.
Obstacle course
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Lots!
Number of children: 8+
Equipment: Various obstacles such as hula hoops, cones, chairs and a risk assessment of your course
Set up an obstacle course and call it the steeplechase (you could even include a water jump). Split into teams with each person going in a relay.
Silly shot put
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Enough for the children to throw the shot
Number of children: Any
Equipment: Hula hoop, something to act as a ‘shot’ (e.g. tennis or cricket ball), tape measure
Put a hula hoop on the ground and use this as your shot put circle. The kids take it in turns to stand in the circle and throw the ‘shot’ using the correct method: with the ‘shot’ wedged under the side of your chin and launched into the air by pushing your arm up. As you might expect the longest throw wins. You could choose various silly items as the ‘shot’ such as an orange or tin can!
Balance beam
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: About 3 metres
Number of children: Any
Equipment: Masking tape or chalk
Mark out a balance beam on the ground with chalk or strips of tape. Challenge the children to get to the other side of the beam without falling off. Start simply by walking across, but then make it more challenging: go backwards, hop, spin like a ballerina, do it blindfolded or cartwheel.
Balloon tennis
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Enough for a small tennis court
Number of children: 2+
Equipment: Balloons, tennis racquets, cones, chairs
Set up a rough tennis court with cones and use chairs to make a net. Play tennis using a balloon as the ball, but the balloon shouldn’t bounce on the floor.
Synchronised non-swimming
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Enough to run around in
Number of children: Any
The aim is to copy what everyone else is doing and follow them. You can start off with some simple clapping then get more complicated with jumping, spinning, moving etc. Choose someone to be the leader: they decide when you change to a new movement and everyone has to copy them. You could play without telling anyone who the leader is. At the end, children have to guess who was leading.
Water-balloon relay
Where: Outdoors
Space needed: A large field or playground
Number of children: 8+
Equipment: Water balloons, water
Fill lots of water balloons and then split the children into equal teams. Line up the teams, give each one a balloon and challenge them to pass (or throw) it down their line without bursting it. After each successful pass, the team should spread out further. The team that is furthest apart before their balloon bursts is the winner!
Too small cycling
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Enough for a decent course
Number of children: Any
Equipment: A small tricycle, stopwatch
This is a good challenge if you’ve got a range of ages as it’s much easier for smaller children. Mark out a distance and challenge everyone to get there and back the quickest on a small tricycle.
Rhythmic gymnastics
Where: Indoors or outdoors
Space needed: Enough for the children to move around
Number of children: Any
Equipment: Tissue boxes, belts, ping-pong balls
Before the session, take a tissue box and make two holes in the side. Slide a belt through the holes and fasten it around a child’s waist so the tissue box is on their lower back. Place seven ping-pong balls in the box. The aim is then to jump and twist and get the ping pong balls out of the box without using hands.
Steve Mawhinney is the children’s worker for Barnsbury Parish, Islington
