Updated 7.22.19

Recess ToolkitElementary Teachers

Health and Physical Education ProgramEmily Utter, Supervisor of Health and Physical Education, and Driver Education

Office of Student Learning, PWCSutteres@pwcs.edu (703) 791-7270

Beth Tomanek, Health and Physical Education SpecialistOffice of Student Learning, PWCS

Tomanekea@pwcs.edu (703) 791-7270

Regulation 602-1 - Elementary Instructional Day

Regulation 602-1:

Schools shall provide no less than 30 minutes of unstructured recreational time each day and this time shall be included in the calculation of total instructional time. Ten of these minutes can be conducted in the classroom informally, as the school determines during the course of the day.

Unstructured recreational time is defined as time allocated for students to develop teamwork, social skills, and improve overall physical fitness. These activities may include, but are not limited to: • Walking (indoor/outdoor);• Dance time;• Choice of sports/fitness activities with available space and equipment;• Gross motor exploratory activities;• Time to talk or socialize in small groups;• “GoNoodle.”• “PeacePaths.”

Unstructured Recreational Time Options Include:

• Option A: 10-minute morning or afternoon break*, and 20 minutes paired with lunch;• Option B: 15-minute morning break* set by the teacher/teams, and 15 minutes paired with lunch; or• Option C: 30 minutes before or after lunch.

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*Morning breaks, as part of the instructional time, may be incorporated into CORE extension or another content area recommending a break to increase focus and retention. Implementation Strategies:

• Provide various recess equipment to students;• Give brain breaks, dance and movement, and energizer activities during intensive remediation;• Offer synergy activity room choice for students;• Involve Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Committee on playground expectations and

lessons;• Use the playground unit in physical education to learn playground games, fitness activities, proper

etiquette, fair play, and safe behavior;• Make available peace paths, four-square, and hopscotch painted on the playground; and• Provide ideas for free and cooperative play using the physical education teacher.

Additional Support for Schools:

Music and art teachers; wellness committee members may also contribute ideas and suggestions for unstructured recreational time.

Toolkit website is live and can be accessed here.

Other:

Supervision in all designated play areas is important for student safety. Regulation 275-1:

Physical Activity and Punishment: Teachers and other school and community personnel shall not use physical activity (such as running laps or pushups) as punishment. The withholding of opportunities for physical activity (such as recess or physical education class) as punishment shall not be permitted.

Top 10 Reasons for Recess:

1. Improves students learning and overall academic achievement2. Increases classroom engagement3. Reduces disruptive behavior in the classroom4. Lowers stress in students5. Leads to greater on-task behavior in the classroom6. Improves student’s memory, attention and concentration7. Supports social-emotional development by improving social skills8. Allows students to learn which physical activities they enjoy; fostering lifetime activity9. Supports the normal growth and physical development of students10. Help students meet the national daily recommended 60 minutes of daily physical activitywww.shapeamerica.org

Acknowledgements and contributors

This resource was developed with the support, expertise and guidance from the following teachers and staff: Douglas Gilbert – Covington-Harper ES, Eduardo Garcia – Porter TS, Patty Swanson – Ashland ES, Corinne Haugan – Haymarket ES, Marjorie Lathers – Triangle ES, Trish Chimento – Rosa Parks ES, Emily Horn – Penn ES, and Stephanie Schaefer – Kyle Wilson ES.

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Sample Activities

K-5 social skills to practice in unstructured recess:

Safety rules and procedures Safe participation individually and with others Cooperative skills, including taking turns and sharing equipment Inclusive setting in recess and activities Respectful and sportsmanship behavior Group goals and strategies for successful completion Conflict-resolution strategies for positive solutions in resolving disagreements

Rock Paper Scissors. Encourage students to solve problems/conflicts with rock, paper, scissors.I-Messages.  Encourage students to use I-messages when there is conflict. Using an I-statement, such as “I feel sad when you don’t play with me,” allows children to identify their emotion and not blame others. Peace Path. Encourage students to think through guided steps when resolving conflicts. Students can reference information on the wall or paint words/designs on the playground. The path may have statements to finish, such as “I feel… when….” and “I need…”, or things for students to answer, such as “what happened?”, “how would you feel?”, and “brainstorm a solution.” https://www.playworks.org/resource/four-conflict-resolution-techniques-school-children/

Outdoor Activities:

Four Square

Get in OrderChose who will start on each square. The player in square 4 will begin the game by serving.

ServingPlayer 4 (server and highest ranked player) starts play by dropping the ball, and hitting under hand from the resulting bounce to player 1 (receiver). Player 1 lets the ball bounce once, then hits it into whatever square they choose. Now the game has begun!

BouncingPlayers let the ball bounce into their square, then hit the ball underhand into the player of their choice’s square. This goes on until someone misses placing the ball inside another players square. In foursquare, misplacing the ball inside another players square results in a “fault” and leads to elimination.

EliminationsPlayers get eliminated and replaced with the person in the next lower numbered box to you if you make any of these mistakes:

Hit the ball without letting it bounce once in their own square; Hit the ball out of the playing area; Hit the ball when it is not their turn to do so; Hit the ball after it has bounced twice in their own square; Hit the ball so that it bounces on one of the inner lines of the playing area (the outer lines are considered fair

territory); Hit a ball that has been passed to them but played incorrectly by another player in one of the manners

described above; Miss returning a ball completely;

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Hold onto or “carry” the ball before returning it in an effort to guide the ball into a particular area of another player’s square;

Hit the ball overhand instead of underhand. If this happens to you, go get at the back of the line of people waiting to be number 1, or if you only have four players, go back to the number 1 square.

Hopscotch

Get your MarkersEach player will need a distinct object to act as a marker. It will need to be heavy enough not to blow away, and flat enough to not roll. Nearby rocks make great markers, as long as you keep track of whose rocks are whose.

Determine Player OrderChoose who goes first, second, and so on. You will go in the same order every round.

Pitch Your MarkerThrow your marker, trying to make it land in the number one square. If you make it, good for you! If not, your turn is over, time for the next person to try.

HopIf your marker lands in the right place, now it’s time for you to hop. Avoiding the number one square, hop on one foot in each of the other squares in order. If two squares are next to each other, use both feet to hop on them at the same time. If you make it all the way to home without tripping or missing a square, good for you! If not, you must try again on your next turn. Either way, it’s now time for the next person to have a turn.

AscendPitch to the next number in order and if your pitch was successful hop, avoiding the stone that contains your marker. Each turn should either include a successful pitch and hop, a successful pitch and unsuccessful hop, or an unsuccessful pitch. Only players who have successful pitches and hops can try for the next highest number on their next turn. It might take several turns to get some numbers right.

WinningWin in a group by being the first to get all the way to home, having successfully pitched and hopped every number in order. Win alone by getting all the way to home, having successfully pitched and hopped every number.

Long Rope Games

Students K-2 should work on Swinging the long rope and:K- Simply running through the rope without jumping1st- One jump and exit2nd- Two jumps and exit

** After they have accomplished the above, they may move on to the next level and add rhymes.

Students 3rd-5th should be able to swing their ropes correctly and jump a single rope consecutively.

As they improve with a single rope, students can progress to double dutch swinging. All students 3rd-5th should practice entering a double dutch rope and completing as many jumps as possible.

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Ultimate Keep Away

Students split into two teams. The goal of the game is to complete as many passes in a row as a team without an incomplete pass. An incomplete pass results in change of possession. At the end of recess, the team with the longest consecutive streak wins.

Mat Ball (Spike Ball variation)

When first learning to play, start with what is called a “Gentlemen Serve”, with the goal of getting the point successfully started.   

The server must stand 6 feet back.  Only the returning player opposite the server can return the serve, his/her partner cannot.  If you outright miss the circle or the ball bounces twice on the set, you lose the point and the other team

serves.  If you hit the ball higher than the outstretched hand of the returner, that is a redo. The point officially starts

when their partner engages on the 2nd hit.  Before that 2nd hit, either player can shut the point down.  If you are serving and you win the point you and your partner switch positions and the defense stays in the

same place.  You ONLY switch if your team is serving and you win a point.   A player has up to 3 hits to get it back off the net and that each spike must get off the circle one bounce or you lose the point. If there are disagreements, redo it! 

Call a hinder if the defense is impeding on your ability to get the ball.  And then, redo the point.  If you spike it and the ball hits your partner or yourself, you lose the point. 

No Dribble Basketball

Dribbling the ball often gets in the way of the offense/defense game of basketball, so why not try this?

This game is a cross between basketball and ultimate frisbee. When a student has the ball, they may not move. They must either pass or shoot the ball. This way, each team can focus on moving to open space and passing. To make scorekeeping easy, count each score as 1 point. It is much easier to play this game full court with normal boundaries.

Soccer World Cup

Make sure players are divided up into multiple teams of two. One player (or a coach) will be the goalkeeper not on a team.

Have each team pick a country that they will represent. The United States will be popular, sure, but students will have fun choosing different countries that they will play as in this "World Cup." Using half of the field and one ball, have all the teams on the field when the game begins. The coach throws the ball into the middle of the playing area.

At this point, play. The object is for you or your teammate to score on the goalkeeper. But each team will be going up against multiple other teams with the same mission.

If the goalkeeper saves the ball, just punt it back into the middle of the playing area.

Once a team scores, they leave the game and get ready for the next round. Continue playing with all the other teams.

The lone team that doesn't score in that round is eliminated. All the other teams that did score head back onto the field for the second round.

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Play as many rounds as it takes to eliminate all but two teams. Those two teams then face off in the "World Cup Final" and the team that scores first is the champion.

Throwing/Catching Activities

One-HandedImagine you only have one hand and you have to catch all your balls with only that hand. Count the number of consecutive catches you and are your partner can complete!

Throw-CatchThrow and catch a ball at the same time. Add a frisbee or a tennis ball. See how many times you can throw and catch with one or more pieces of equipment. Two people pass the ball back and forth until someone drops it. Whoever drops it loses.

Then you start passing the ball back and forth. If more than two people are playing, you can pass the ball in a circle. Every time someone drops a ball they get a letter. Eventually the letters should spell out the word you chose. When that happens the person is out.

You could even practice times tables with this: Like if you use the number 3 every time some drops the ball they go up 3: 3,6,9,12, etc. until the reach a certain number.

Keep Away

Keep away can be played as a team or individually. Individually, one person is it and they have to try to get the ball from the others by either tagging or intercepting the ball.

Team keep away is the same except that a whole team tries to get it from another team. Have someone time how long each team can keep the ball. The team with longest time wins.

Tag Games

Freeze TagThis is a variation of Tag where if the person who is “it” tags you, you have to freeze where you are. Another participant can tag you to unfreeze you.

Rock, Paper, Scissor Tag

Everyone each team stands on an outside line facing each other. When the leader gives the signal, teams walk to the center line and pair up with a player on the opposite team. On another signal, each pair plays Rock Paper Scissor. The player who loses the game of Rock Paper Scissors quickly turns and runs back to her or his outside line. The player who wins the game of Rock Paper Scissors, chases the other player attempting to tag them before reaching the outside line. Then have each player go back to their line. Have one line shift players down one spot so they will meet a new opponent at the center line. And repeat.

Sharks and Minnows

Explain to players that the shark(s) will say “fishy, fishy come out and play,” and all minnows will begin walking across the play area.Be sure all players know minnows will run to the other side when the shark(s) say(s), “Shark attack!”

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Remind all players to be aware of their surroundings so that they do not run into others.Remind players that all taggers will use safe, light-touch tags, or butterfly tags.Identify who will be the shark(s), either a player or the leader. Everyone else will be minnows.The shark stands in the middle of the play area and says, “Fishy, fishy, come out and play.” The minnows slowly walk towards the sharks.At any time, the shark can yell, “Shark attack!” At which point, the minnows must run to the opposite boundary line without being tagged.If a minnow is tagged, s/he also becomes a shark.When there is only one or two minnows left, they become the sharks in the next round.

Everyone’s It Tag

The object is for players to tag and keep a running count of everyone they touch in three minutes.No one person is "it" and no one stops playing or "freezes" when tagged.

(sources: https://www.playworks.org/game-library/ , 8/13/18)

Indoor Activities:

Your Biggest Fan – Rock, Paper, Scissors. Loser gets behind winner-hands on shoulders, “Hello, my name is….,” “Hey team, this is….,” Cheer for your leader by name!

Red Light, Green Light – run in place, A-talking, B-no talking.

Math/Verb/Body/Direction Snatchers- (equipment- cones or noodle) 1 noodle between each pair of students, teacher calls out details, when teacher says “snatch” students try to grab the object before their partner.

Roll with It- (equipment-1 dice and 6 popsicle sticks per pair, containers for popsicle sticks) Students in pairs, 1 partner rolls the dice, goes and collects matching number stick, switch and continue until your team has received all 6. If you roll a number you already have, you must return it.

Beanbag Battle - (50+ laminated index cards with numbers, letters, sounds, words, math problems, etc.,12 bean bags, tossing line –tape) cards scattered around open area in room. Students in pairs, 1 partner tosses beanbag from line. If the beanbag lands on a card, the student collects the card and brings it back to their table. Continue until all cards have been taken. Students’ sit down and either read or solve cards for practice/review.

Paper Snowball Toss- with numbers and or words…. (50-word sheets crumpled up) Scatter the paper balls around the room…when the music plays students toss their paper ball around the room randomly. Students pick up any paper ball close to them and keep tossing until the music stops. When the music stops, face a partner, and taking turns they open their paper and state their word. If they are right, they get a point. If they are wrong, but the partner can help them get it with clues, the partner gets an extra point in that round and the person helped gets a point also.

Verb and spell - (50 cards with words) Played individually in general space in the classroom. Each student gets a card in their hand w/ a word on it…The card says jump and spell, spin and spell, kick and spell, plank and spell, crabwalk and spell, hop and spell, twist and spell, reach and spell, squat and spell……. Upon completion of the verb and spell, hold card up and switch with a classmate.

Cardio Skip Counting …run, skip or cross crawl in place and count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s ….

Balloon Tap Skip Counting/Spelling- (12 balloons) Students pair up. Teacher calls out a word and together they spell it as they tap a balloon back and forth. Math=They can tap skip counts, numbers, math problems….

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Alphabet Sticks- ( 10 sticks per pair, alphabet posted) Students are given a specific time limit to create as many letters in the Alphabet as they can using their sticks. After completion of each letter, students perform an exercise for 5 repetitions before moving on to the next letter.

Subtraction Bowling- (10 cups, 1 tennis ball, paper and pencil per pair) 1 partner at a time rolls the ball at the 10 stack of cups they created while the other student records subtraction problem, switch. Continue until all the cups fall down and start over.

Fidget Frenzy - (1 fidget spinner, 12 dry erase boards, markers) Students are working in pairs. Teacher spins the fidget spinner and students have until it stops to write as many vocabulary words based on subject matter.

Cornhole Cooperation - (1 target-paper plate or student desk, 1 rolled up sock or ball per pair and 1 basket of 100 vocabulary word cards) 1 student at a time will toss ball or object to land in a target. Earn 1 vocabulary card each time your team makes it in the target. Once time is up or words are gone, partners review words together and create 2 piles. 1 pile represents the words they have mastered, and 1 pile are the words they are still learning.

Counting with Cards – (equipment-1-6 decks, optional number line) Cards in center of play area. Students in pairs, 1 partner performs locomotor skill and collects 1 card and places on number line in order while partner performs exercise, switch.

Sequencize – 1-5 or more in a line in the front of the room, each person creates an exercise and the class performs the exercise with them, while counting. 1st person does exercise 1x, 2nd person 2x, etc. For skip counting you can have students in groups to represent the numbers 1, 3, 5, or 2, 4, 6.

Crab Walk Solvers - solving math problems/sight words- (50 plates with math problems or sight words, 24 dry erase boards) Students in pairs, 1 partner crabwalks out to a plate w/ a word or problem. They state the problem/word while kicking a foot up for each letter or number answer. Example 5 -1= (kick 1-2-3-4). Partner can be writing the problem and answer on the dry erase board. Switch after each answer.

Bouncing Brainiacs- (12 balls, 50 plates, 12 Dry erase boards) Students pair up. One partner bounces a ball on letters, numbers, sight words…The waiting partner records. (every 30 seconds switch jobs). Upon completion of the task, they return and switch with their partner.

Beach ball Blabber - (12 beach balls marked w/sight words/numbers/letters/problems) in pairs or small groups - One person tosses and catches the beach ball. They verbalize the information that their hands have landed on when catching the ball. Take turns with a partner or in a group.

Number Line Run- (chalk) Draw 4 lines of 10 for each team of 4. Relay style set up. Basic-The teacher will shout out a number. The first player will locomotor move to that number. The first one there gets 2 points. All other teams who get it correct, get 1 point. Variation-1st student locomotors to the 10 and does 10 exercises (jumps, squats, scissors, cross crawls…). They locomotor back and touch the next person in line. That person goes to the 9 and does 9 of the exercise selected at the start…this continues until the team reaches the 0 first. *Variation+ Teacher can call out a total-the whole team can participate in standing on a number that will equal that number.

Index Card Exchange - (Index cards with numbers, letters, words) All students mingle around the classroom with one card in their hand. When the music stops they pair up. The person w/ the larger number jumps 3 times the lower number gets down low and does 3 crab kicks, push-ups, etc. Index cards can be odd number do one thing, even number do another. Index cards can have letters and words to challenge their partner. Trade cards after each exercise. Take a knee when finished and wait for music to start to move again.

Classroom Live Board Game- (Laminated cards or plates w/set words, numbers, sounds, 12 dice) Set cards around the perimeter of the room. Each pair starts at a different card. They roll their dice and jump that many times to get to a new card. If they can say the word, sounds, number…they roll again. The object is to get all the way around the room first. You may have to add rules like…. you may only

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move 3 times in a row then switch turns. If you don’t get the answer right, back up one space and your turn is over.

Active Ed- Walkabouts -allow students to move while learning on the smart board. They are directed to (walk, slide R/L, jog, climb…)

Music in the Classroom/Indoor Recess Ideas:

Let’s Dance

Young children just love dancing!  It’s a great indoor activity that helps the students in class relax, socialize and have fun.  You can simply have the class dance to a few Wiggles songs or play a dancing game.  The most popular dancing games include:

Dance freeze

Have the class dance until the music stops — when they have to freeze their current dance pose.  You can give out prizes for the funniest frozen dance pose.

Musical chairs

A classic game that is still a lot of fun for young children.  Set up chairs in a circle around the room and have your students dance their way around the chairs.  Have one fewer chair than the number of students currently dancing.  When the music stops, they have to scramble for a chair.  Students who don’t get a chair are out for the round.  Constantly reduce the number of chairs as the number of players shrinks.

15 Awesome Hand Clapping Games with VIDEO(source: https://icebreakerideas.com/hand-clapping-games/, 8/13/18)

Sit across from your clapping partner. Choose your handclapping rhyme. Begin by clapping your hands together at the same time, then reach out with your right hand to clap your partner’s right hand. Next, clap your hands again. Now reach out with your left hand and clap your partner’s left hand. Repeat. Clap on each beat of the rhyme. (Click on the links below for video and instructions)

1   Patty Cake Song 2   Double, Double 3   Miss Mary Mack 4   Miss Suzie 5   Miss Susie 6   Say, Say, Oh Playmate 7   Long Legged Sailor 8   A Sailor Went to Sea

9   Went to a Chinese Restaurant 10   Lemonade Crunchy Ice 11   Charlie Brown 12   Apples on a Stick 13   Down, Down, Baby (Roller Coaster) 14   ABC 15   Nobody Likes Me

Jack Hartman Sing and Learn Channel

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Songs for students and educational videos to help children learn counting, numbers, reading and language skills, nursery rhymes, science, physical fitness, dance and movement. Children actively participate in all the learning with lots of movement and fun. These songs for students have a tremendous diversity of musical styles from pop, Hip-Hop, Latin, country and rock.

“tes.com”:

27+ go-to videos for music and movement for k-2 students in the classroom: Geared toward pre k-1https://www.tes.com/lessons/s9cGCaYOYsJ2Sw/copy-of-indoor-recess

The Learning Station:

This collection of 20 favorite songs that invite children to activity participate, sing, dance and move!

Click on each song title to view the activity video:

1. “ Dancing Robots ”  2. “Get Funky” 3. “C’Mon Let’s Dance” 4. “Raise the Ceiling” 5. “Body Boogie” 6. “My Aunt Came Back” 7. “Boom Chicka Boom” 8. “A Ram Sam Sam”9. “A Root Chy Cha”

10. “Boogaloo Song”

11. “Stomp and Clap” 12. “Go Bananas”13. “Singing in the Rain”14. “Icky Sticky Bubble Gum” 15. “12 Days of Gym Class” 16. “Tony Chestnut” 17. “Be Kind to Your Web Footed Friends”18. “Button Factory”19. “Itsy Ditsy Spider”

20. “Wishy Washy Washer Woman”

Make your own music

This cool idea can be implemented in music classes. This game allows you to encourage your child’s interest in music in a fun and entertaining way.

You will need: Sheets of paper Color pens

How to play:1. Create symbols and denote the sounds they mean. For example, a star symbol means ‘clap’, a circle means

‘stomp your foot’, a triangle means ‘hit the desk’, and a square means ‘snap your fingers’.2. Put these instructions on the board and get the children to compose their own music, using only the

symbols.3. Then let the children display their music on the board while the others follow the ‘notes’ to create the

music.They will clap, they will snap, and clap again before stomping their feet and hitting the desks…! And all of this will be music to their ears!

Musical masterpiece

This game brings the best of both worlds – art or drawing and music – to bring out whatever talent the child has. The game is played best in groups or classrooms.

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You will need: A music player or a computer Sheets of paper Color pens and pencils for the students

How to play:1. Give each student a sheet of paper and color pencils.2. Instruct the students to start drawing when you play the music and stop drawing when the music stops.3. Leaving the paper and pens at the desk, move to another desk and continue drawing and coloring in that

sheet until the music stops again.4. Ask them to do so until you tell them to stop.5. In the end, they go back to their desks and see the final product.

Note – You can also put these instructions on a chart, big enough for the children to see and play the game.

Yes/no game

This is a warm-up game that works with choir groups or just a group of music students at a school.

You will need: Space to play

How to play:1. The parent or teacher is the conductor who will say a few musical or rhythmic phrases to begin with and the

children will have to repeat.2. Then replace the notes with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’. The children will have to say the opposite of what you say, in the

same rhythmic fashion.3. For example, if you sing, “No, no, no, yes, no, yes, no, no”, then the students will have to sing “yes, yes,

yes, no, yes, no, yes, yes”.You can use only one word or mix up the two words to make it confusing and fun for the students.

Musical hide and seek

This musical hide and seek is played with objects and is an excellent tool to help the child improve his listening skills.

You will need: A musical toy or device Hiding places

How to play:1. The objective of the game is for the child to find the toy by listening to its music.2. Turn the toy’s music on and hide it somewhere the child can find.3. Keep hiding the toy and make it a little complicated each time.

The more the child plays it, the better his listening skills get.

Musical chair reading

This is a variation of the regular musical chairs party game and can be played in a class to encourage reading or recitation.

You will need: Chairs Space Music

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How to:1. Pick an activity that you want each student to take turns and do. You could try reading from a book or

solving a math problem on the blackboard.2. Arrange the chairs in a circular fashion and play the music.3. The students should walk as long as the music is playing and sit in the closest chair as soon as the music

stops.4. The student who is left standing when the music stops has to read a para from the book or solve the math

problem on the board.This can be a fun and impartial way to pick students for activities.

What’s that sound?

How does the guitar sound? What is the sound of the cello? If you want your child to identify and learn how different instruments sound, you should try this game.

You will need: Music player Different instrumental music

How to play:1. Play the sounds of different instruments first.2. Then play a simple song with distinct sounds of the instruments and ask the children to identify the

instruments.You can make each level more complicated by playing songs with not-so-distinct instrument sounds.

Musical trivia

A quiz about music? Why not! If you want an activity for a music class, have trivia questions relating to musical notes or tunes. Otherwise, it could just be about your student’s favorite bands or singers and their songs!

You will need: Set of questions Gifts

How to play:1. You could make this an individual event or a team event.2. When playing this at parties or school, divide the students into groups. Give them cool team names – you

could use names of composers.3. You could also use this for revising music lessons and give away gifts to students who get the answers

right.

Spin the microphone

Spin the mic is a chance game that can be customized any way you want. You can turn it into a trivia game or a karaoke event.

You will need: A functional microphone, preferably wireless List of activities or dares you to want the students to do

How to play:1. Have the students sit in a circle and place the mic in the center.2. Get one child to spin the mic.3. When it stops spinning, whoever the mic points to should do the activity or answer a trivia question.

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You could make this an elimination game where the person gets to move out of the circle after the activity and new people can join in to replace them.

Antakshari

A popular local game played in India and the Middle East, Antakshari is a parlor game played in teams. It usually involves singing of Bollywood or regional movie songs, but you can change the rules to sing any songs you like.

You will need: Place to play Microphone (optional)

How to play:1. Establishing clear rules is essential to play the game without any glitches.2. To start the game, the moderator will pick a letter of the alphabet. The first team has to sing a song (no

more than a para or two) starting with that letter.3. The next team has to sing a song starting with the consonant that the first team’s song ends with.4. And so on, each team has to sing a song starting with the consonant that the previous team’s song ends

with.5. Any team that fails to do so will lose points.

The team with the highest number of points wins. You can make variations of this game to make it interesting. For instance, you can have different rounds or levels in the game where the students have to sing songs only from a particular genre or a particular generation or by a particular type of band.

Karaoke competitions

Simple but pure fun, karaoke is one thing you can enjoy with family as well as friends.

You will need: A microphone and sound system Karaoke songs – make sure you pick songs that your child knows and enjoys singing

How to play:1. Write down a list of songs on small pieces of paper and put them in a box.2. Divide the participants into teams.3. Your child, along with the partner, has to sing-along the song correctly.

You could score them on tune and tone but avoid judging their singing voice. To make the competition challenging, throw in a few songs that they are not familiar with. That way, they’ll have to use whatever music knowledge they have to try and guess the right tune!

When you want to combine physical activity with musical activity, these are the games to rely on.

Dance with props

A simple and silly music game for all ages, dance with props allows you to get creative too.

You will need: Music player Props such as hats, balloons, ribbons, pom-poms, wigs, teddy bears, flowers, and so on Space to dance

How to play:1. Create a dance floor – remove any obstacles and make the place child-friendly.2. Place all the props on a table, to the side of the room.

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3. As soon as you play the music, the students will have to run to the table and pick a prop. You can also ask them to pick any other accessory from the room (as long as it is safe) to dance.

4. Then dance any way they want while using the prop as an accessory.5. Once the music ends, they put the prop back on the table.6. They go back and pick another prop when the music begins again and continue dancing in that style.

This way, they can dance for as long as they want!

Tissue dance

A tissue dance is more like a balancing act and less of a dance form. But, it is fun!

You will need: A box of tissues Space to dance Music player

How to play:1. Give each child a tissue and ask them to put it on their head.2. When the music starts, they should start dancing and moving on the dance floor, without letting the tissue

fall.3. If the tissue falls off the child’s head and he or she catches it before it touches the ground, they can put it

back on their head and continue dancing.4. But if the tissue falls on the ground, the student is out.5. The last one to stand dancing with the tissue is the winner.

Musical statues

A game for one or more people, musical statues can be enjoyed by students of all ages.

You will need: Music player Space to dance

How to play:1. Play the music and ask the students to dance.2. When the music stops, the children should freeze like statues.3. The students have to stand like that for a minute or so, and anyone who moves, giggles, or even wobbles

when the music is not playing is out.4. When the music is back on, they continue dancing.

The last person dancing on at the end is the champion statue!

Mood music

This is an excellent way to introduce the students to different genres of music and the many emotions linked to them. This will help children connect actions with emotions.

You will need: A collection of songs depicting different emotions – anger, happiness, sadness, and silliness Music player Space to dance

How to play:1. Make sure you pick songs that are appropriate for the child’s age.2. Then explain the game to the students and ask them how they would behave when they are happy, sad,

cross, etc.3. Then tell them that they have to dance according to the mood of the song, which you will mention before

playing it.

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4. For a happy song, you want the students jumping and moving energetically, while for a sad song they might simply sway.

5. They could dance silly or aggressively (not violently) when they are angry.In short, whatever is the mood of the song, the students have to act it when they dance.

Dance like an animal

That’s right. This game will make the students dance like an animal, literally! Read on to know how.

You will need: A chart of animals/birds/reptiles Songs of different genres Space to dance Music player

How to play:1. Put the chart of animals at a place where all the students can see it.2. If the students are too young, you might want to explain the traits of each animal on the chart before you

start the game. You need to tell them how the animal moves, how fast or slow it moves, the sounds it makes, and any other unique traits it has.

3. For example, a student who picks a dog has to be on all fours and bark in between while dancing or swaying. A snake has to crawl on the floor and a bird will flap its wings when dancing.

4. If need be, you could show them a few moves and get a few giggles in return.5. Play the music, keep shuffling between genres, from slow to fast and vice versa.

Watch the fun!

Party island

The game is highly popular at teen parties and is usually for couples. But, it can be modified a bit to suit children of all ages.

You will need: Music player Space (a lot of it) for dancing Newspapers

How to:1. This is a challenging game in which the child has to use his spatial intelligence and his ability to balance to

win.2. Give each child a sheet of the newspaper and enough space between to dance comfortably.3. When the music starts, the children will put the paper on the floor and dance on it. They cannot step on the

floor while the music is on.4. After a few minutes, stop the music and ask the children to fold the paper exactly in half and put it back on

the floor.5. When the music starts, the students have to dance on the folded paper and not step on the folder.

After every few minutes, the students have to fold the paper in half and dance on it. The smaller the paper gets, the difficult it would be for the students to stay on it. The child who manages to dance only on the last folded piece of paper wins!

Strictly come dancing

This is a group dance competition for students of all ages. All you need to do is give them some props and accessories, ask them to pick a song of their choice, and prepare a dance routine.

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You will need: Music player Space to dance Props and costumes if any for the dancers

How to play:1. Divide the students into teams or groups. Give them props or accessories.2. Let them pick a song of their choice and prepare a dance routine using the accessories.3. Have a competition between the groups, and the team that performs best wins.

Musical limbo

Limbo is a game that tests how flexible the body is. Add music, and it becomes all the more fun. In musical limbo, you don’t just walk under the beam. You have to go dancing from under it!

You will need: A long stick or beam Music player Space to play

How to play:1. Have two adults hold the beam at a height such that the students can pass from under it without a lot of

effort.2. There are two simple rules to this game: the students have to dance to move, and they should not touch the

beam.3. Play the music and have the children move from under the beam, one after the other.4. Whoever touches the pole or fails to dance while under it is out of the game.5. After one round, lower the beam a little and repeat the routine.6. Do it until there is only one student left. The student who manages to last till the end wins!

(source: MomJunction.com https://www.momjunction.com/articles/music-games-activities-for-students_00387016/?ref=content, 8/13/18)

Vendor Resources:

GOPHER Active & Healthy School Program Dr. Recess (PlayFit Education, Inc.)