Keeping Kids in motion
Building a community where fitness and play are the foundation for all families.
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
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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!
October’s “Fitness is Spooktacular” Fitness Challenge
It’s once again time to Flourish with Fitness by taking October’s Fitness is Spooktacular fitness challenge.
Fitness is Spooktacular consists of three separate workouts. Each workout is represented by one of three spooky Halloween images; a jack-o’-lantern, a skeleton, and a vampire bat.
On the calendar, each day of the week is highlighted by one of the three images. For example, October 1st has an image of a jack-o’-lantern. Therefore, on that day, students complete the jack-o’-lantern workout. A student’s level of spook (level of fitness), determines how many rounds of the workout he/she completes. Students write their initials on the calendar each day they complete the workout. At the end of the month, they add up the total number of days completed, have their parents sign the bottom of the calendar and return it to a PE teacher for a certificate and shoe token.
By using the editable copy of the fitness challenge, you can add or substitute exercises that fit your students.
