L.O.G.
L.O.G.
Low organizational games are an excellent tool to have in your repertoire as a teacher. In the following pages you will find a long list of L.O.G. that will get any teacher through a half period, a rain day, joining another class, being stuck in a 1/3 of the gym, or if the kids just need a break from the curriculum. From our experience, we have picked some of the favorite games we’ve played and some that we have picked up during our practice teaching placements.
1.
Balloon Battle (active)
Equipment: Helium filled balloons, string. Enough for each person in the class.
How to play? Split the class into two teams; tie balloons to the ankles of each person in the class. The object is for your team to pop all the balloons of the other team before they pop yours. If your balloon is popped you withdraw from the game.
2.
Barnyard Scramble (cooperative/active)
Equipment: Flashcards with the animal names on them.
How to play? Each child in the class is given the name of a barnyard animal, with three children in the class having the same animal name (it doesn’t have to be three’s but whatever works best for your class size). On the teachers signal the students begin to act and sound like their barnyard animal. The first group of three animals to find each another and sit together is the winners. The students give the cards back and you can play again. Great for a warm-up game or an icebreaker.
3.
Beat the Bunny (circle/passive)
Equipment: Two softballs of different sizes. The small ball is the bunny and the large ball is the farmer.
How to play? The bunny ball is started around the circle, passed from child to child. The farmer ball is started when the bunny ball gets half way around the circle. The object of the game is for the farmer ball to catch the bunny ball. The farmer ball and bunny ball can both change directions but must always be in motion.
4.
Blind Beach Volleyball (active)
Equipment: Blankets to cover the volleyball net, and depending on the age level of the students, the ball can range from a beach ball to a real volleyball.
How to play? The normal rules of volleyball apply.
5.
Buzz (circle/passive/backpocket)
Equipment: None
How to play? Players stand in a circle and start counting, 1,2,3,4… Each time the players come to a number with seven in it or a number that is a multiple of seven they must replace it with the word buzz. If a person misses the buzzword they are out. If you want to prolong the game, each time a player makes a mistake he/she gets a letter of the word BUZZ and when they spell buzz they are out.
6.
Crows and Cranes (active)
Equipment: none
How to play? Divide the class into two equal teams. Name one the crows and one the cranes. Have them stand about five feet apart facing one another. Flip a coin, each time the coin comes up heads you call out cranes, and each time the coin comes up tails you call out crows. When you call out cranes the cranes turn and run to a line on the floor. If the crane is tagged by the crow before they reach the line they switch teams and become crows. You continue to play until one team eliminates the other.
7.
Guess Who? (icebreaker)
Equipment-Have cards with famous people’s names written on them.
How do we play? Have each student tape a card to his or her back. On the signal from the teacher they move around the room and ask other people YES and NO questions that will help them figure out who’s name they have taped to their back. They can only ask one question per person. The game is over when the first person guesses who they are.
8.
Indy 500 (circle/active)
Equipment: None
How to play? Sit the students in a circle, and then number them from one to four. Give each number the name of a car. When you call out a car name, those people get up and run around the circle. The first person to make it back to their spot gets a letter to spell INDY. The first person to spell “Indy” wins. Add a twist to the game by causing damage to the cars, i.e.- flat tire-hop on one foot, bad gas-crab walk etc.
9.
Minefield (active/cooperative)
Equipment- none
How do we play? Split the class into three equal groups. One group will be the mines, one will be the rowers and one will be the guides. The mines stand around the playing area, spaced out stationary. The rowers will be on scooter boards with their eyes closed. The guides will be standing at the opposite side of the gym, partnered up with a rower. The guide tries to get the rower the to the opposite side of the gym without the rower running into a mine. If the rower runs into a mine he becomes a mine and the guide sits out. The last pair to survive wins.
10.
Telephone or Gossip (circle)
Intended for large groups, the bigger the better.
§ Sit in a circle
§ Pick a person to start the message. Make it a creative weird message.
§ The first person whispers the message to the person next to them, and they whisper it to the person next to them. The message continues around the circle until it returns to the originator.
§ The first person to start the message repeats the message they received aloud, and then they repeat the original message that they started so you can hear how much the message has changed.
11.
Sausage (circle/icebreaker)
Equipment- none
How do
we play?
The person who is “it” stands it the middle of a circle formed by the rest of the other students. The students ask the person in the middle appropriate questions to which the only answer is “sausage”. The first person to make the individual in the middle laugh has the opportunity to go into the middle or choose someone else to be “it”. To put a little spin on the game, choose a different word to be the “answer” each time a new person is put in the middle.
12.
Bounce (active)
Equipment: two basketballs and a basketball net.
How to
play?
§ Line everyone up in a straight line at the foul line.
§ Give the first two people in line the basketballs
§ The first person in line shoots the ball until they sink it. Once they sink it they pass the ball to the third person in line.
§ Immediately after the first person begins to shoot, the second person starts shooting.
§ If the second person to shoot sinks the ball before the first person does, the first person is eliminated from the game.
§ The game continues until only one person remains.
§ You can spice up the game by knocking one another’s balls away so that you can score.
13.
Spud (active)
Equipment: Sponge ball and a wide-open space
How to
play?
§ Number each person in the class starting at one and ending up with however many students are in the class. I.e.- if you have 30 kids in the class then you will have them numbered from 1 to 30.
§ Pick a person to be “it”.
§ The person that is “it” stands in the middle of the class that is all huddled around him.
§ He tosses the ball straight up in the air and calls out a number loudly and clearly. The number must be form 1 to 30
§ If the “it” calls out the number 23, the person who was given the number 23 catches the ball and yells “spud”. After the person tossed the ball up everyone who isn’t number 23 runs as far away from the ball as possible.
§ When number 23 catches the ball and yells “spud” all the other players stop where they are and stand still.
§ The people who ran can no longer move their feet.
§ Number 23 can now take 3 giant steps and throw the ball at someone.
§ If they hit that person with the ball that person is given an “s”. If the thrower misses the person they are throwing at, they will get the “s”.
§ Once you spell the word “spud” you are out.
§ The game continues until only one person is left standing.
14.
Kings Court (active/team ball game)
Equipment: 3 gator balls
How to
play?
§ Split the class into two equal teams
§ Use the centre line in the gym to divide the gym in half.
§ Put the 2 teams on either side of the gym.
§ Give them 1 gator ball
§ One team throws the ball at players on the other team. If they hit someone that person is out.
§ If the person on the other team catches the ball, the thrower is out.
§ Introduce the other two balls randomly.
§ Variation: Make the basketball court the playing surface.
Ø When a person is hit with the ball they go to the opposite side of the gym, behind the end line of the basketball court.
Ø They can catch the ball and try to hit a person on the opposite team.
Ø If they hit someone they can go back to their team and the other person must go behind the opposite foul line.
Ø The game continues until one team eliminates all the players on the other team.
15.
Watch-out (active/warm-up)
Equipment: 3 gator balls
How to
play?
§ Choose three people in the class to be “it”.
§ When the people that are “it” have the ball they can only take three giant steps to attempt to hit someone with that ball.
§ All the people in the class that are not it try not to get hit by the ball.
§ If the ball hits them they must sit down on the floor and cross their legs. They cannot move from this spot.
§ If a ball that is thrown by a person that is it hits them, they are back into the game. They can stand back up and try not to get hit again.
§ You put a ten-minute time limit on the game.
§ If the players that are “it” hit all the others and knock them out within the ten minutes then they are the winners, and if they cannot then the rest of the class are the winners.
§ Slowly introduce all three balls.
§
Variations: When you’re knocked out,
you’re out of the game for good.
§ The players that are “it” cannot take any steps.
§ Have more than or less than three people “it”.
§
Pair the people up in the class that
are not “it”. Have one of them blind folded and the other person act as the
guide.
16. Gator Baseball
(active/team game)
Equipment: Hula-hoops and three gator balls
How to play?
§ Split the class into two teams
§ Spread the hula hoops out inside the basket ball court.
§ Designate one team to be the offensive team and one team to be the defensive team.
§ The defensive team stands inside the hula hoops on the basketball court.
§ The offensive team splits up into at least 4 equal lines along the sidelines of the basketball court.
§ The offensive team scores a run when a player runs from one sideline to the other and back without being hit by a defensive player throwing the ball.
§ The defensive team cannot throw a ball unless they are standing inside a hula-hoop.
§ Any player hit in the head with a ball is not out.
§ An inning has 5 outs and you can play as many innings as you would like.
§ If a player is hit they raise their hand and walk to the end lines of the basketball court and back into line. The next person in line can go as soon as the ball hits the person.
§ The winning team is the team with the most runs.
§ After five outs the offensive and defensive team’s switch positions and continue in the same way.
17. Frantic Frisbee (active/team
game)
Equipment: 1 Frisbee
How to play?
§
Split the class into two teams, and them split each team into 2 or 3
lines depending on the size of the class. The optimal number of players on the
field at one time is 4 or 5.
§
The playing field is the basketball court, and the scoring zone is the
key.
§
The players on the field score points by catching the Frisbee while
they are entirely within the key.
§
When you have the Frisbee you can only take two steps or it is a
travelling penalty and the Frisbee will be turned over to the other team. If
the Frisbee is dropped during a pass, it is turned over to the other team.
§
The players who are not on the court stand around the sidelines of the
court and are also active players in the game.
§
Players on the field can pass the Frisbee to players on the sidelines
and they can pass it back. The players on the sidelines cannot step onto the
court and the people on the court cannot step off the court to catch a Frisbee.
§
Play with 3 minute shifts and 4 quarters. This way everyone has 4
shifts on the floor.
§
The team that wins is the team that scores the most points.
18. Calling all cars (active)
How to play?
§
Split the class into 4 equal teams
§
Have each team choose a car name that they would like to be.
§
Tape off four squares in each of the corners of the gym. These are the
safe zones for the cars.
§
Pick one person to be the police officer.
§
The police officer calls out two car names, and these two teams must switch
safe zones without the police officer catching them.
§
The first 2 people that the police officer catches become policeman
with him.
§
The police officer continues to call teams until all people are caught
and only one team remains with players.
§
When people are tagged, they sit in the centre circle of the basketball
court and can be used as an obstacle by the players that remain in the game.
The players that remain in the game cannot cut through the centre circle.
19. Bubble Gum (circle/low
activity)
How to play?
§
Pick one person to be the counter.
§
Everyone else stands around the counter in a tight circle.
§
The people standing around the counter hold both of their fists into
the centre of the circle.
§
The counter starts with their fists and says “bubble gum, bubble gum,
in a dish. How many bubble gum do you wish?” Whoever the counter taps last
chooses a number between 1 and 20. The counter them counts to 20, tapping a
person’s fist each time. The last person the counter taps has to take their
fist out. When you remove both of your fists from the circle you are out of the
game.
20. Winkum (circle/low activity)
Equipment: none
How to play?
§
Sit all the kids in a circle and have them put their heads down and
close their eyes.
§
The teacher walks around the circle and chooses a winker by tapping
someone on the head.
§
The winker then knocks people out of the circle by winking at them.
§
The person that is winked at counts to ten them lays down.
§
If you think that you have caught the person that is the winker you can
holler “suspect”. Then you say “ I suspect that SO AND SO is the winker”. If
you are right then the game is done and the teacher picks a new winker. If the
person chosen is not the winker then the accuser lays down.
21. Kitty Corner (active)
Equipment: 3 gator balls
How to play?
§
Choose 3 people to be “it”. These people are the cats. All the other
people that are not cats are the mice.
§
All the mice stand in a safe area in the corner of the gym and the cats
stand in the centre circle of the gym.
§
The cats each have a gator ball.
§
When the teacher says, “run mice run”, the mice take-off from their
corner to the next corner of the gym always following the gym wall.
§
The cats try to hit the mice with the gator ball before they make it to
the next safe area.
§
The cat that hits the most mice wins or the mouse that is the last one
left is the winner.
22. Around the World
(active/ball game)
How to play?
§
Mark off seven spots around the key.
§
A player shoots the ball from the first spot on the floor. If they sink
it they move to the next spot. They continue to shoot until they miss. When
they miss it is the next person’s turn to go.
§
If the shooter misses they can risk it all and re-shoot. If they miss
on the re-shoot they return back to the first square, but if they sink it they
continue on.
§
The first person to make it around the key and back is the winner.
23. Horse (active/ball game)
How to play?
§
Line the participants up at the foul line.
§
The first person takes a shot.
§
The second person in line must match the shot. If they hit the shot,
the next person in line must match the shot. This continues on until someone
misses. The person that misses gets an “H”.
§
You are knocked out of the game when you miss enough shots to spell
“HORSE”.
§
When a player misses the shot, the next player in line gets to attempt
another type of shot.
24. Dodgeball (active)
How to play?
§
Choose 6 players to be throwers. The throwers stand in the centre
circle of the gym.
§
All the other players run around the outside wall of the gym and try
not to get hit by the ball.
§
Players around the outside of the gym can only travel in one direction.
§
The last person to be left standing is the winner.
§
The throwers try to hit the people travelling around the outside of the
gym.
§
You can put a time limit on the game to determine whether the throwers
are the winners or the runners are the winners. If the throwers hit all the
runners before the time is up then they win, but if the runners still remain
when the time runs out, they are the winners.
§
When players are eliminated they must sit off to the side, out of the
way of the runners and throwers.
25. Duck, Duck, Goose
(active/circle game)
How to play?
§
In this game, kids sit down in a circle facing each other.
§
One person is “it” and walks around the outside of the circle saying,
“duck, duck, duck, GOOSE.” When the person taps you on the head and says goose
you have to get up and chase the person back to your spot. If they get back and
sit there before you tag them then you become the person that is “it.”
§
If the person is tagged before they reach the goose’s spot then they
must sit in the middle of the circle until the next person is tagged. When the
next person is tagged then they take that persons spot in the circle.
§
There is no real winner, the game can be stopped at any time or be
allowed to continue for as long as possible.
26. Heads up, seven up (passive
game)
How to play?
§
Seven students stand in front of the class.
§
The class all put their heads down on their desks or in their laps and
closes their eyes.
§
The seven people then go out and each tap one person on the head.
§
When they are done they go back to the front of the class and say,
“heads up, seven up.”
§
Each of the people in the class that were tapped on the head has one
opportunity to guess who tapped them on the head. If they guess correct they
switch places with the person at the front of the room, and if they guess
incorrectly they remain in their seat.
27. PIP, SQUEAK, and WILBUR
(active)
How to play?
§
Divide the class into groups of three.
§
Have all the groups of three stand around the outside of the centre
circle, facing inward.
§
The first person of the three is PIP, the second is SQUEAK and the
third is WILBUR.
§
There are shoes put in the centre circle. There is one less shoe in the
centre of the circle than the number of runners in a given round.
§
The teacher hollers out one of the three names (PIP, SQUEAK or WILBUR).
These people leave their line and run around the circle, back to their line and
through the legs of their teammates and try to get one of the shoes in the
centre of the circle.
§
The person who does not get a shoe is eliminated from the game.
§
The game continues until a winner is determined.
28. Undies Unite (activities for
splitting into groups)
How is it done?
§
It’s a very funny activity that will get a rise from the class.
Individuals group together on the basis of the types of undies that they are
wearing. There is no need for participants to actually show their underwear,
most people can remember what they’re wearing.
§
I.e.-Splitting a group into those with solid, light-coloured undies on
one side and those with bright colors, patterns and flowers on the other side.
§
To add a little humor you can specify that those who are wearing no
undies can just stand in the middle. If they’re brave enough to do it, it
usually makes for a good laugh.
§
You could also debate the age-old question of boxers or briefs.
§
Extensions to this game may be using birthdays, birth months, signs of
the zodiac, etc.
§
You also divide on the basis of colors being worn, favorite ice cream,
favorite sport etc.
29. High five (transition activities)
How to do it?
§
This is a quick transition activity that works very well. It encourages
individuals to interact with each other and if you specify, to meet people they
don’t know. At the end of an activity the teacher hollers “high five” and all
the individuals in the class must go around the gym class and give people a
high five before they come in to join the group to begin the next activity.
This works good to give the teacher a few seconds to gather their thoughts and transition
to the next activity.
§
Extensions: Make it 3 people you don’t know well and 2 that you do.
Make it 2 blonde people, a guy and 2 girls.
Three people
shorter and two people with brown hair.
Instead of high
fives you could have them touch five lines on the gym floor or all four walls
in the gym.
30. The Blob (tag game)
How to play?
§
Pick two people to be “it.”
§
Those two people interlock arms and stand at the mid-line on the gym.
§
The rest of the class stands at one end of the gym.
§
The object is for thew runners to make it from one end of the gym to
the other without being tagged by the blob.
§
If the blob tags you become part of the blob. The blob can only tag
someone if it is fully intact.
§
Continue the activity until one person is left.
§
Great warm up game.
§
Extensions: have the tagged individuals stand still where they were.
They cannot pick up their feet but can tag individuals that are trying to make
it to the other side.
31. Line tag (tag game)
How do you play?
§
Choose one person to be “it.” The game follows the basic rules of tag,
that is if the person who’s “it” tags you, you become the one that is it. The
spin that this game throws you is that you can only travel around the gym on
the coloured lines painted on the floor. You cannot jump from one line to
another, but can only change directions at the intersection of two lines.
§
It’s a fun game for a change, but won’t go over very well on a regular
basis.
§
Extensions: Have multiple people “it.”
Hop on one foot around the gym, crab walk, one eye closed, change
direction and you have to change the foot you’re hopping on etc.
32. Bopper Tag (tag game)
Equipment: Bopper bat (foam
bat)
How do we play?
§
A new twist on the old game of tag. The person that is “it” has a
bopper bat and tags people by hitting people below the waist with the bopper
bat. They them drop the bat and the next person is “it.”
§
It’s a good game to let kids vent some extra energy and is always good
for a laugh.
§
Extensions: more than one bopper
Hopping, skipping, crab walk, etc.
33. Freeze and Thaw (tag game)
How do we play?
§
Choose one or more people to be “it.”
§
When an individual is tagged they must stand frozen with their feet
apart.
§
The only way that they can be thawed is if another person other than
someone who is it slides between their legs.
§
Have a time limit to determine a winner, the freezers or the thawers.
34. Tail Tag (tag game)
Equipment: Enough strips of
cloth for each person in the class.
How do we play?
§
Each person tucks a strip of cloth into his or her shorts.
§
When the game starts everyone is “it.”
§
The object of the game is for each person to collect as many cloth
strips as possible.
§
No one is ever out of the game; therefore it is good to keep the whole
class involved.
§
When no one has a cloth strip left the game is over and the person with
the most is the winner.
§
Extensions: You move around the gym while dribbling a basketball or
soccer ball.
You can only crab tails with you non-dominant hand.
Have different colored tails worth different point values.
35. Dare to be dizzy (individual challenge)
How do we play?
§
Challenge all the people in the class to place one hand on the floor
and move around that hand in a circle as many times as they can.
§
This game is usually good for a great laugh.
§
The winner is the one that can move around their hand the most before
falling over is the winner.
§
Extensions: Set a time limit to the activity. I.e.- how many times can
you spin in thirty seconds?
-Have them spin for twenty
seconds then run to a finish line.
36. Pendulum (team builder)
How do we play?
§
In groups of three, with people approximately the same size.
§
Have one person in the group stand as stiff as a board, with feet
together and arms crossed over the chest.
§
The other two participants, the catchers, stand on either side of the
volunteer with one foot pressed up against the volunteer’s foot and the other
extended back for support. The catchers hold the volunteer’s shoulders and
slowly begin to rock them back and forth. Have the catchers move apart upon the
request of the volunteer.
§
Extension: blindfold the volunteer.
37. Blow it (individual one on
one challenges)
How do we play?
§
Give one Ping-Pong ball to each pair of people.
§
Establish a goal line for each person.
§
The object is for your opponent to blow the ping pong ball past you
over your goal line.
§
Extensions: have the two people blow the ball from one side of the gym
to the other and whoever reaches the far side of the gym first wins.
38. Keep it up (fitness
activity)
Equipment: Two balloons for
each person in the class.
How do we play?
§
On the word go, everyone in the class throws their balloons up.
§
The object of the activity is to keep all the balloons up in the air;
not letting any of the balloons hit the floor.
39. Silly Soccer
(fitness/team builder)
Equipment- Two to four soccer balls for each game and four nets. Mats against the wall can be used as nets, hockey nets, cones to mark off posts against the gym wall. Hockey nets work the best. Four different colored bibs.
How do we play?
§ Divide the class into four teams and give them different coloured bibs.
§ Have each team pick a goalie and a net.
§ Set up a net in each of the four corners of the gym. Designate a crease that extends at least five feet out from the net and one foot on either side of the net.
§ The object of the game is to score goals on any of the other three nets.
§ The twist on the game is that you can either dribble the ball with your feet or pass it with your hands.
§ If you dribble the ball with your feet and kick the ball in the net, the goal is worth 1 point.
§ If you throw the ball in the net it is worth 2 points. You may not run with the ball in your hands and you may not pick it up off the floor. The only way you can get the ball into your hands is if someone kicks it into the air and you catch it. Once you catch the ball, you may only take two steps. If you take more than two steps it is a travelling violation and you must turn the ball over to one of the other teams.
§ Have a student that is sitting out or one without their gym cloths keep track of the score.
§ Designate one player from each team as the captain. It is the job of the captain to holler out the points whenever their team scores a goal.
§ The game has a time limit set on it and is set at your own discretion.
§ The team that scores the highest number of points is the winner.
§ This is an excellent team game that emphasizes a number of fundamental skills that belong to a number of different sports.
40. Marco Polo (water game/tag game)
Equipment- a pool
How do we play?
§ Pick one person to be “it.” This person is Marco.
§ The rest of the class is Polo.
§ The whole class gets in the pool.
§ The person that is Marco closes their eyes and counts to ten under water.
§ The rest of the class scatters in the pool.
§ After Marco is finished counting, they come up from under the water, still with their eyes closed, and start calling out “Marco.” The rest of the class calls back “Polo.”
§ The object of the game is for Marco to tag one of the Polo’s with their eyes closed.
§ When Marco tags someone they become Marco and the game starts over again.
Low organizational games are an excellent break in the curriculum, and kids love playing them. We’ve tried to put as many L.O.G. together for you as we could come up with, so that you have a resource to use in your classroom when there’s an unexpected turn in events. The majority of these games can be modified to fit any environment, any situation, and any make-up of students. We hope that you can implement as many of these games and activities in your classroom as possible.