Keeping Kids in motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
6 Laundry Basket Games Your PE Students Will LOVE!
Several years ago, my team and I were looking for an inexpensive way to store some of our smaller pieces of equipment. Milk crates worked but were a little smaller than what we needed for our variety of balls, scoops, noodles, pinnies, etc. We discovered laundry baskets were the perfect alternative. They are durable, lightweight, easy to carry and fit well on our shelves. We ordered several of two different sizes; the 1.5-bushel square basket and the longer, more shallow 2-bushel basket.
Over time, we realized that our new receptacles were not only an excellent way to keep our equipment organized, but they worked equally well as a resource for our PE curriculum. Laundry baskets we frequently emptied and utilized in several of our drills and games. In fact, they inspired us to create several new games our students love. Here are a few of their favorites.
1. Race to 3 – The SPORTSMANSHIP Game
I’ve been playing this game for years with coffee cans. However, I learned that it’s much more age-appropriate for my younger students when I used laundry baskets instead of coffee cans.
How to play:
- Spread out half as many laundry baskets as there are students.
- Place two, 4-6 inch gator skin balls in each basket.
- Two students begin at each basket.
- On the signal to begin, the two students reach across the basket to give each other knuckles, then compete to see who can bounce the ball three times into the basket first.
- After each round, the pair shakes hands to reinforce good sportsmanship.
- The winner takes a victory lap around the perimeter. The loser immediately searches for another available player to challenge.
2. Laundry Basketball
I introduce this game to my first-grade students toward the end of our throwing and catching unit. It’s a great way for me to observe proper tossing, throwing, and catching fundamentals, fair play, and sportsmanship.
The video includes a thorough explanation of the set-up and rules.
3. Beachball in a Basket
I played this game for the first time this year with my fifth grade students during our team-building unit.
How to play:
- Spread out the laundry baskets, each with a beachball.
- Send 3-4 students to each basket.
- Students attempt to strike the beachball five times before guiding it into the basket.
- Each student must touch the ball at least once.
4. Dirty Laundry with Scoops
This game is extremely versatile. I’ve played it as a cooperative throwing game with my 3rd-5th-grade students and as a team-building game with my first-grade students using scoops.
How to play:
- Set up three zones across the width of your space using cones. Each zone has a point value; zone 1 = 1 point, zone 2 = 2 points, and zone 3 = 3 points.
- Organize the students in groups of 3-4.
- One player begins as the scooper. The other two students each hold one handle of the laundry basket. Their job is to work together to catch the ball thrown by the scooper.
- The team earns points for each successful catch. For example, if a ball is caught in zone 3, they earn 3 points.
- Rotate scoopers after every three tosses.
5. 6 Pillars of Power
The 6 Pillars of Power has without a doubt become one of our favorite games. It’s nonstop action and excitement is unparalleled. It’s another one of those games where I can stand on the sideline and assess sportsmanship, integrity, and throwing and catching fundamentals.
The video includes a thorough explanation of the set-up and rules.
6. Laundry Jam
Laundry Jam an inexpensive version of the backyard game called Kan Jam. We’ve played this as a flying disc game as well as an overhand and underhand throwing game.
How to play:
- Set up two laundry baskets 15-30 feet apart depending on the skill level of your students. Place a flying disc in one of the baskets.
- There are four players divided into teams of two at each set of baskets.
- Members of the same team stand at opposite goals.
- One partner throws the disc toward the opposite goal. When necessary, the other partner redirects the disc toward or into the goal.
- When both partners complete one throw each, the other set of partners then get the disc.
- The first team to score 11 points wins the round (Real Kan Jam is played to 21 points).
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10 Halloween Games for PE
Each year, around October 15th, my students in 1st-5th grades begin asking for Halloween games in PE. They love the excitement of dimming the lights, listening to spooky music while playing a variety of games with a Halloween twist. They also appreciate a good storyline attached to each game. It is my hope that you can use a few of our games with your students during one of the most exciting times of the year for kids.
I would like to thank all the PE teachers on social media for sharing your amazing ideas. Some of the following games were influenced by YOUR creativity.
All equipment used in the following games is listed at the bottom of the post. Enjoy!
If you are having trouble viewing the videos, click 9 Halloween Games for PE to access a direct link to the Halloween playlist on my Youtube channel.
Storyline: Three evil witches are patrolling the forest on Halloween night. They want to prevent all the children of the land from trick-or-treating. The witches cast a spell on the children by turning them into witches’ helpers. The only hope for the kids is for at least one of them to survive being tagged by the witch. This breaks the spell and frees the children of the land.
Storyline: Each Halloween, evil spirits in the neighborhood cemetery come to life. They haunt the trick-or-treaters by hovering over gravestones. Two teams of ghostbusters are called to eliminate the ghosts once and for all. Each team wants all the glory by being the one to eliminate the ghosts. Which team will prevail?
Storyline: There’s a haunted house in your neighborhood. You and your friends know that the house has the best Halloween candy in the world! Your mission is to capture all the candy. If successful, you’ll not only have the best candy in the world but will also eliminate the ghosts forever!!!
Storyline: There’s a rumor that zombies are slowly taking over the village. The people of the village don’t trust anyone. They don’t know who is a zombie and who is human. Therefore, they must attempt to eliminate anything and anyone! Can you survive the Night of the Living Zombies?
Storyline: Ghost, Ghouls, and Goblins annually hold a Halloween dance in the local cemetery. They play their scary music way too loud and their spooky conversations frighten all the local residents. Therefore, The Triple G Busters have been called to “bust” the ghosts, ghouls, and goblins. Can the Triple G Busters eliminate them in less than 2 minutes?
Storyline: There are a bunch of friendly ghosts and perfect pumpkins throughout the pumpkin patch. Both are desired by all the children. The ghosts are fun to play with and the pumpkins make the most delicious pumpkin pie! How many can you and your buddy collect?
Storyline: 2 neighboring pumpkin farms are having their annual Pumpkin Patch Throw Down. Each farm wants pumpkin farm supremacy by picking all the pumpkins off the opposing farm’s vines. Who will win this year’s throw down?
Storyline: Three evil witches are patrolling the forest on Halloween night. They want to prevent all the children of the land from trick-or-treating. The witches cast a spell on the children by turning them into zombies. The only hope for the kids is for at least one of them to survive being tagged by the witch. This breaks the spell and frees the children of the land.
Storyline: The local kids have had an exhausting night of trick-or-treating. It’s now time to go home. However, it’s past 10:00. This is when the graveyard comes to life with ghosts and zombies. Unfortunately, all roads home lead through the graveyard. Will you and your candy make it home safely?
Storyline: The silly ghostly pumpkins are once again having a friendly battle in the graveyard. They try to toss gourds at each other in an attempt to knock each other over. A knocked over ghostly pumpkin is transformed into a jack-o-lantern and is placed on a pedestal. Which team of ghostly pumpkins with completely decorate their pedestals first?
Equipment used in 10 Halloween Games for PE
AEROBIC STEPS
BEAN BAGS
- Adorox Set of 12 Assorted 5″ Nylon Bean Bags Cornhole Primary Colors Carnival Game
- Oojami Nylon Bean Bags Toy Assorted (5 Inches by 5 Inches, 12 Piece)
BOWLING PINS
CONES
- 18″ Spectrum Poly Cones
- Kuqqi 7 Inch Plastic Agility Cones 20 Pack Set, Indoor/Outdoor Sports Soccer Flexible Cone for Training, Party, Activity, Traffic(Multicolor)
FOAM ACTIVITY CYLINDERS
GATOR SKIN BALLS
- Champion Sports Rhino Skin Basic Dodgeball Set, 6″
- S&S Worldwide 8″ Gator Skin&174; Special Foam Balls (Set of 6)
HULA HOOPS
LAUNDRY BASKETS
NOODLES
PINNIES
POLY SPOTS
SCARVES
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for over 100 useful games for physical education!
The Race to 200 – An EXTREMELY Motivating, TEAM Running Challenge
I’m always searching for ways to motivate my students to run. I struck gold several years ago when I first introduced the Race to 200. The premise is simple. How long will it take the entire class to run a combined total of 200 laps?
Although the name of the challenge is the Race to 200, the number 200 is a changing variable.
My First Grade classes were the first to take the challenge. Each class had 20 students and I knew I wanted them to run a quick pace for approximately 3-4 minutes. This meant the students would average 10 laps per person.
20 students X 10 laps per student = 200 laps
What about classes with more or less than 20 students?
It didn’t take long for me to realize there was an easy-to-fix flaw in the formula. What if a student was absent or a class had 21 students rather than 20? Or how could I complete the challenge with my Third Grade double classes consisting of 40 students?
Each class in the above picture consisted of 38 students.
38 students X 10 laps person = 380 laps
The solution was simple. I posted the following question on the screen:
How long will it take your class to run an average of 10 laps per person?
Therefore, for a class of 19, the challenge would be called the Race to 190. For my Third Grade classes consisting of 40 students, the challenge would be called the Race to 400.
How is the challenge presented?
On the day of the challenge, we begin with a discussion on teamwork. I posed the following questions:
- What will teamwork look and sound like during the Race to 200?
- How can you be the best teammate for your team?
- What variables can slow us down?
- What happens to the team when we all maximize our effort?
- How does running etiquette factor into the challenge?
- Would anyone like to share any words of wisdom?
Following the discussion, students gather at the starting line. They spread out on the baseline to prevent a stampede. I position myself in the corner where they begin the challenge, ready to count laps with my tally counter.
When the class reaches their target number, I stop the clock and record their time. Each class will complete the challenge four times per year, each time with a goal of improving their previous score. I like to post each classes’ times on the wall for added motivation.
Factors to consider when setting a target number for your students:
- How long do you want your students to run? The challenge looks a little different for my Fifth Grade students. Since I want them to run longer, I increase their target number. Therefore, they might average 12 laps per student rather than 10.
- How long is a lap in your space? A large gym compared to a small gym will have two different target numbers.
- What your goal as the instructor? For this challenge, I want my students to maintain a relatively quick pace. You may want your students to run a little longer to increase endurance.
The Race to 200 has been a game-changer for my program. My students look forward to the challenge each time we take it. It has become the ultimate bonding experience for each class.
Be sure to check out another popular running challenge I use with my students called, The 5-Minute Challenge!
Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/justybubpe.
Check out my Facebook group called Keeping Kids in Motion!
Subscribe to my Youtube Channel for over 100 useful games for physical education!
