Grade: Primary Junior
Facility: Gymnasium, multipurpose room or outdoors
Materials: Blankets, balls
Activity Description: Students will have a great time playing and learning to work cooperatively with this series of physical activity challenges using blankets and balls. Increase the level of difficulty with a great team on team game, also included.
Overview:
- Divide students into groups of six
- Give each group one blanket and ball
- Ask the students to attempt a series a challenges with the blanket and the ball:
-
- throw the ball up and catch it with the blanket
- throw the ball as high as possible
- throw the ball up and catch it without the ball hitting the floor
- use the blanket to catch a ball thrown by a group member standing away from the blanket
- adding more balls, see how long the group can keep them moving on the blanket
- ask students to make up their own challenges
Variation:
- Divide the class into two groups, with the space divided into side A and side B.
- Four students from group A and four from group B are chosen to be the “catchers” for their teams.
- The “catchers” for group A stand in a space behind group B and the “catchers” from group B stand in the space behind group A. The “catchers” use the blankets (two “catchers” per blanket).
- Students from group A and B try to throw the ball over the heads of their opponents to their “catchers” on the opposite side of the playing space.
- Use a boundary line so students stand ahead of the catchers and do not block each other’s “catchers.”
- The group works together to catch as many balls as they can.
- Rotate the “catchers” often.
Source: Ontario HPE Curriculum Support Grade 3 Unit 7 Sub-task #4
