Having a Successful Physical Activity Event
APPENDIX A

Appendix A | Appendix B | Appendix C | Appendix D

GAME AND ACTIVITY IDEAS

Adults have to be imaginative to keep kids' interest in just about anything. Below is a list of activities and games developed for the VERB campaign. This list provides ideas on ways to get and keep kids interested in physical play any time, any where. Kids can play the suggested games as is, make up their own rules for them, or even make up their own games.

Basketball–Related Activities

BASKETBALL + BASEBALL = BASEKETBALL

Place four "bases" around the basketball court. The batter is the same as a passer in Baseketball. Pass or throw the basketball as far as you can, all the way to the outfield, run the bases before the opposing team member catches the ball and makes a basket. First team to score gets the point. Equipment Needs: 4 bases (or hot spots), 1 basketball, half-court set up

BASKETBALL + FOOTBALL = END ZONE HOOPS

Defend your basket as though it's the end zone. Play football on the basketball court, which means running and passing with a football instead of dribbling. Once the offense gets near enough to a basket to shoot, any attempt is allowed. Defensive players jump up to block. If the opponent scores, head back the other way. Equipment Needs: 1 football, half- or full-court

BASKETBALL + RUNNING = BASKET DASH

What would basketball be without all that dribbling? Basket Dash! Run as fast as you can, but don't be a ball hog. Keep your teammates on the go with you — each side must pass at least six times before shooting. Keep your arms and legs on the move. Equipment Needs: 1 basketball, half- or full-court

BASKETBALL + FLYING DISK = BASKET DISK

Grab a disk and head to the court. Designate certain spots two-, three-, and four-point zones. Let the disk soar and hit the basket from any of these zones to earn the same number of points. Defensive blocks and stealing allowed. Equipment Needs: 1 flying disk, half- or full-court

BASKETBALL + GOLF = TIGER HOOPS

Set up a miniature golf course around the basketball court. Make sure your last hole is in the free-throw zone. Once you get there, your club is no longer required. Take a shot for the basket with your lightweight miniature golf ball. Hole-in-one, anyone? Equipment Needs: 4 golf clubs, 1 lightweight miniature golf ball, 4 cones, half-court

BASKETBALL + HOPSCOTCH = HOOPSCOTCH

The court looks a little different when you tape hopscotch squares down on the paint. Pick a square, dribble down to it, and take a shot from where you stop. If you make it, you score that number of points. Then hop your way through the remaining squares to complete the play. Equipment Needs: 1 roll of painters tape or some sidewalk chalk, half- or full-court, 1 basketball

BASKETBALL + MARTIAL ARTS = KUNG FU BALL

The aim of this game is to get silly! A basketball game with martial arts skills looks like this: every player who does not have the ball must bust a move. A kung fu kick, a punch, a karate chop — keep the defense on the defensive with your moves. Watch out, though. These moves are for fun, not contact. Equipment Needs: 1 basketball, half- or full-court

BASKET/HOOPS

Try shooting hoops at a laundry basket or milk crate using a regular basketball, crumpled wad of paper or rolled up pair of socks. Or, play V-E-R-B, our version of H-O-R-S-E. Equipment Needs: 2 large milk crates, 1 garbage can or waste basket, 1 laundry basket, 1 basketball, 4 mini basketballs, loose leaf paper, rolls of tape

Volleyball–Related Games

VOLLEYHACKEY

Lower the net or use a limbo stick and kick a foot bag or beanbag over it. Score the game just like volleyball. Equipment Needs: 1 mini-net, 1 foot bag

HOTVOLLEY

Pass a ball back and forth over the net while music plays. When it stops, the player who has the ball gets a point. The object is to get the fewest points. Equipment Needs: 1 volleyball ball, 1 mini-net, music

VOLLEYBALL BALL

Practice your volleyball skills: BUMP, SET, and SPIKE are double fun with two volleyballs instead of one. Get ready for constant motion. Equipment Needs: 2 volleyball balls, 1 mini-net 12

Hockey–Related Games

MARCOHOCKEY

Designate a secret location in the room as the "goal." Players push around a puck and listen for whether they are "hot" (near the goal) or "cold" (far from it). Equipment Needs: 4-8 hockey sticks, 1 puck (or bouncy ball)

EXTRA NET HOCKEY

In field hockey, or ice hockey, the intensity's increased when each team has two goals to SHOOT for and more opportunities to SCORE. Equipment Needs: 4-8 hockey sticks, 1 puck, 4 nets (or use other items designated as goals such as garbage cans)

BROOMSTICK HOCKEY

Try scoring a goal using a crushed can. Knock the can into the goal with a broomstick. Equipment Needs: 2 goals or laundry baskets. 4 Brooms or hockey sticks, crushed cans

Soccer–Related Games

MINI-SOCCKEY

Add hockey sticks and a mini-soccer ball to the equation to double the fun. If you don't have a mini-soccer ball, any small and bouncy ball will do. Equipment Needs: 1 Mini soccer ball, hockey sticks

EXTRA NET SOCCER

A net on all 4-sides of the field increases your opportunities to score a goal. Dribble the ball down the field, pass it to your teammate, and kick one in. Equipment Needs: 1 soccer ball, 4 nets (or use other items designated as goals such as garbage cans)

Football–Related Games

PIG BALL

Overview: Make as many baskets as possible by only passing and catching the football. Start the game with a throw-in from the end line. The team with the ball tries to pass and catch it, advancing toward their basket. After catching the ball, a player cannot take any steps. The passer has three seconds to throw the ball to a teammate. Defenders must be three feet away from the passer. The closest defender must count "1 Pig Ball, 2 Pig Ball, 3 Pig Ball" out loud. If the passer doesn’t throw the ball before "3 Pig Ball" the team on defense takes over the ball. Equipment Needs: 1 football, basket 13

Dance–Related Games

DANCETAG

Play a traditional game of "freeze" tag, but instead of remaining "frozen," tagged players must do hip hop dance moves until re-tagged. Equipment Needs: music (not mandatory)

ANY GROOVE

Overview: This area will be used to showcase VERBrations, a STOMP-like activity that encourages tweens to make their own music by playing every day household items, such as buckets (drums), empty water jugs (bass), empty soda cans filled with rice (maracas) and pots & pans with lids (drums/symbols). Equipment Needs: 3 round buckets (various sizes), 6 large wooden spoons, 6 drum sticks, 6 silver spoons, 1 empty water jug, 4 soda cans filled with rice, 2 sets of pots and pans with lids (various sizes)

Everyday Items/Games

Use every day items to make games and activities more unusual and to demonstrate that no special equipment is necessary to play.

SOCCLOON

Blow up balloons and keep them in the air for as long as you can with the head, knees, and feet, not the hands. Equipment Needs: 4 balloons

DISC GOLF

Grab a flying disc, find some open space and you're ready to PLAY. Choose trees, bushes, or objects like plastic garbage cans to be the holes and GOLF away. Equipment Needs: flying disc, whatever else is around

TRIPLE TIME FOOTBAG

TAP and TOSS a foot bag with friends while standing in a circle. Try 3 foot bags to up the challenge and keep the game action packed. Equipment Needs: 3 foot bags

HIP HOP SCOTCH

Overview: Just like regular Hop Scotch, but with a funky twist of Hip Hop flavor. Draw the boxes but instead of numbers, you write in dance moves like spin, bounce, step, or shake. Toss the rock and whatever it lands on is what you do. If it lands on a question mark, you choose – do anything. Equipment Needs: chalk, rock or something flat to toss.

JUMP ROPE/DOUBLE TIME DUTCH

Overview: Just like regular Jump Rope, but can you handle two? How about balancing a foot bag on your foot while jumping? Equipment Needs: 2 jump ropes, 1 foot bag 14

Team Games

"NATIVE AMERICAN KICKBALL" – Originally played by the Hopi Indians, this game is all about teamwork. First you create an obstacle course using anything you have hanging around (jump ropes, cones, garbage cans…whatever you have). Make as many twists and turns as you want. Then, two teams run through the course, kicking their ball forward to the end or finish line. Each team member takes a turn kicking the ball through the course, but no one player can kick the ball twice in a row. Add your own twists and turns to this game, and start kicking…or maybe hopping…or wheel barrowing…or skipping…you get the idea!

"LOS HOYOS"("THE HOLES") – All this game needs is a tennis ball and some chalk. For each player, you create a hole (using chalk, a paper plate, or even digging a hole in dirt if you're playing outside) about 10 feet away from where the players will stand. The first player rolls the ball into another player's hole. If they miss the hole, the next player rolls the ball. If the ball lands in the hole, whoever the hole belongs to has to run to get the ball without being tagged by the other players. If the player makes it back to their standing place without being tagged, they get a point. Try out "Los Hoyos" or create your own game using just a tennis ball and chalk. See what you can come up with!

Page last reviewed: August 1, 2007
Page last modified: August 1, 2007
Content source: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health