Keeping Kids in Motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
PADDLES IN PE – 4 fun games worth checking out!
Bring on the foam! I love using foam equipment in my PE classes. Foam swim noodles, foam activity pins, coated foam balls, and lately, foam lollipop paddles regularly weave their way throughout my curriculum. For the most part, foam equipment is durable, versatile, and extremely safe, especially for my younger students.
Foam paddles have always been a huge hit with my Pre-K – 3rd-grade classes. Here are four popular games we like to play.
Lollipop Paddle Golf
Full explanation within the video.
Lollipop Paddle Battle
Full explanation with the video
Paddle to Mozart
This is a fun way to make a cross-curricular connection with your music program. Our first-grade classes were studying famous composers. During PE, I presented a slide with a composer and a brief biography. Then we played a game while listening to the composer. Although this game is called Paddle to Mozart, you can easily plug in any composer, musician, or genre of music that the students are studying in music class.
I like using the paddles to move the ball across the floor encouraging multiple changes in speed and pathway. When Mozart is playing, the students move the ball. When the music stops, they quickly move then stop the ball into an open hoop. We have discussions prior to and after each lesson about sharing space, being polite, and using controlled movements. Finally, with my younger students, I use the same number of hoops as there are students. However, you can use one or two fewer hoops than students to make it more competitive. With this, there needs to be a discussion on resolving potential conflict if two people get to a hoop at the same time.
Home Run Derby
This is a great activity to play to enhance striking skills and moving to the ball. You can play this game without a point system. However, I get more engagement when they can keep score.
Scoring:
-Each player gets three turns to strike before rotating.
-Practice striking like swinging a bat and like practicing a tennis forehand
Points system for defense
– 1 point for fielding the ball cleanly in front of you
– 2 points for catching a fly ball
Points system for batter
– 1 point if the ball rolls past the defender
-2 points if the ball hits the back wall
-No points if the ball is bobbled by the defender.
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I would like to order Lollipop paddles for my PE Class. Where did you order these? What are the diminsions of the paddle (length of paddle)?
https://www.usgames.com/foam-paddles