Around The World

OBJECT - Score all the shots first!

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Groups Two and Three. You need at least two for this game, and probably no more than 8.

WHAT YOU NEED - A basketball, a basketball court (or half-court), and some means of marking spots (chalk, tape, carpet squares).

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Mark ten spots around the basketball court, with shots increasing in difficulty. For example, spot #1 might be right by the basket (lay up) while shot #10 is behind the basket.
2. On their turn, each player will start at spot #1 and try to work their way up to spot #10.
3. If a player makes a shot, they move ahead and shoot again.
4. If a player misses a shot, their turn is over and the next player tries.
5. Each player starts their turn from the last place they missed.
6. The first person to make all ten shots is the winner.

Know your group's abilities, and don't make the shots impossible, but do make them challenging. If your group can barely get the ball to the hoop from the free throw line, don't make them shoot from midcourt.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to make all the baskets before anyone else), athletic ability (basketball skills), eye-hand coordination (making shots).

Jingle Tag

OBJECT - Catch the jingler.

GAME TYPE - Tag game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You'll need four to ten people for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - For variation one, jingle bells for everyone and one blindfold. For variation two, blindfolds for everyone and one set of jingle bells. For both groups, have an area with clearly defined borders.

HOW TO PLAY (Variation One):

1. Choose one person to be IT and blindfold them.
2. Give everyone else a set of jingle bells.
3. At the word "GO", IT tries to find someone else by listening for their jingle bells.
4. The jinglers must jingle their bells if they are moving. They also may not leave the defined area.
5. Adults can scatter around the area to help IT stay inside the borders.
6. When IT tags someone, they become the new IT.

HOW TO PLAY (Variation Two):

1. Choose one person to be IT, and blindfold everyone else.
2. Give IT a set of jingle bells.
3. At the word "GO", everyone tries to find IT by listening for the jingle bells.
4. IT must jingle the bells when moving. IT may not leave the defined area.
5. Adults can scatter around the area to help the blindfolded people stay in the area.
6. When someone catches IT, they become the new IT.

Watch out for the safety of anyone who is blindfolded. They shouldn't move too fast, and be sure the area is cleared of anything they might trip on.

THIS WORKS ON - Sensory (using ears instead of eyes), competition (trying to tag/not be tagged).

Pig

OBJECT - Score 101 points before anyone else.

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. This game is ideally played with 2-6 players.

WHAT YOU NEED - Two dice and a scorepad.

HOW YOU PLAY:

1. Decide who goes first by rolling the dice. High roll wins.
2. The first player rolls the dice and adds up the total. They may keep rolling until they bust, or roll a one, or until they choose to stop.
3. If, on any roll, one of the dice is a one, that player's turn is over and they collect no points for the turn, but may keep all points accumulated in previous turns.
4. If a player rolls double ones, their turn is over, and they lose all points accumulated in the game to that point. This is a bust.
5. If a player rolls doubles (not ones), they must roll again. They have no choice. If they roll doubles three times in a row, they lose all points accumulated to that point. This is also a bust.
6. If a player chooses to stop before busting or rolling a one, they may keep any points accumulated in that turn and add them to their total.
7. The first player to score 101 points or more is the winner. However, if any player scores exactly 100, they bust and lose all points accumulated in the game.

Confused? Here's a sample:

• Player A rolls 3-6. He chooses to keep rolling. He rolls a 2-3. He chooses to stop with 14 points.
• Player B rolls 4-4. He must roll again. He rolls a 6-6. He must roll again. He rolls 2-3. He chooses to stop with 25 points.
• Player C rolls 5-6. She rolls again. She rolls 1-3. She ends her turn with zero.
• Player D rolls 3-4. She chooses to stop with 7 points.
• Player A rolls 1-1. He loses the 14 points he earned on his first turn and now has zero.
• Player B rolls 2-2. He must roll again. He rolls 5-5. He must roll again. He rolls 3-3. He busts and loses the 25 points from the first turn, and now has zero.
• Player C keeps rolling for several turns, amazingly not rolling a single one. However, at 95 points, she rolls 2-3 bringing her total to 100. She loses all her points and is back to zero.
• Player D rolls a 6-6 and must roll again. She rolls 5-6 and chooses to stop with 23 points in this round added to her 7 from the previous round for 30 total.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (rolling for higher points than your peers), strategy (knowing when to quit rolling), math (adding numbers).

Shadow Tag

OBJECT - Tag the shadows!

GAME TYPE - Tag game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. You can have at least four for this game, or as many as you want.

WHAT YOU NEED - A sunny day.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. One person is designated as IT.
2. At the word "GO", IT attempts to tag the other players. The catch is, IT must tag their shadow by stepping on it.
3. If someone's shadow is tagged, they become the new IT.
4. Play as long as you like.

Play late in the day for easier tags (longer shadows). Play at midday for a more difficult game.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying not to get out), following directions (tagging shadow and not person).

Grid Game

OBJECT - Collect the most grid boxes.

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least three people, and up to ten.

WHAT YOU NEED - Sidewalk chalk and an area outside. In drawing the grid, make five rows and five columns of boxes for 25 total. If there are more than five playing, add another column for each player. Also, you'll need one beanbag for each player.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Draw the grid (as described above).
2. Each player takes turn throwing one beanbag at the grid.
3. If a beanbag lands in an unoccupied box (a box that has not already been claimed), the player that threw it may claim the box. They can sign their initials, or color it in with a unique color, or draw a picture, or whatever tehy want to do to claim it.
4. If the beanbag lands in a box that has already been claimed, they can have one more chance to try and get a free box. If they don't, they pass their turn.
5. Keep playing until all boxes are claimed. The player who claimed the most boxes is the winner.

Due to the set-up, this is not a game that repeats easily. Either plan on this being the only thing in your session, or have another game ready for after this one ends.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (aiming a beanbag and throwing), competition (trying to earn the most boxes), writing (signing your box).

Hungry Hippos

OBJECT - Feed the hippos!

GAME TYPE - Four team game.

WHO'S IT FOUR - Group Two and Group Three. You need at least four players to play, but probably no more than 12.

WHAT YOU NEED - Four boxes or laundry baskets, several playground balls, and a fairly large area.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide the players into four teams. There should be one to three players on each team.
2. Assign each team to one goal. This is a hippo, and this is where they will try to score.
3. Everyone must try to score a goal in their own hippo while trying to block goals in other hippos. It may be helpful for teams to divide themselves into offense and defense.
4. If there are only four players, the playing area will be much smaller than if there are twelve.
5. If a ball is kicked into a hippo, that hippo's team scores one point. The ball goes back into play.
6. Players may only kick the ball.
7. At the end of a set time limit, whichever team has the most points wins.

All four teams must cooperate to prevent other teams from scoring while trying to score themselves. This can make the game pretty chaotic, so watch for frustration.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to score goals against other teams), eye-foot coordination (trying to aim kicks), interteam cooperation (working with other teams to try and defend).

Color Bingo

OBJECT - Get Bingo using colors.

GAME TYPE - Individual game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You can have as many or as few as you want to play this game, depending on how much preparation you do.

WHAT YOU NEED - This game needs quite a bit of preparation. First, take two standard six-sided dice. Cover all faces of one die with different colored paper, such as blue, green, yellow, red, black, and white. It doesn't matter which color goes where. Leave the other die alone. You'll also need enough bingo cards for all of your players. The Bingo cards should have six rows and six boxes for a total of 36 boxes. Number each column 1-6. Each column should have four of the six colors represented and placed randomly throughout the column. You'll also need a lot of tokens or other types of markers to mark the board during the game.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Pass out the cards to the players.
2. Have a player roll both dice, the normal one and the colored one.
3. When the roll is done, have the player call out what the number and color is (e.g. "Three blue").
4. When the number/color combination is called, players look on their in the number column to see if they have that color represented. If there are one or more blues in the third column, players should mark only one with one of their tokens.
5. If a number/color combination is rolled, and the player has already marked it, they don't get to mark it again.
6. If a number/color combination is rolled, and the player doesn't have it, they don't get to mark anything.
7. All players should get a turn to roll the dice and call out the number/color combination.
8. Keep track of what has been called.
9. When someone gets six in a row (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally), they call out "BINGO!" Check to make sure they got it. If they did, they win. If not, play continues.
10. Once someone has won, clear the cards, switch them around, and play again.

This game is mostly based on luck, so try to encourage the players not to get frustrated if they don't win.

THIS WORKS ON - Color recognition (trying to identify colors on the bingo card), fine motor (placing markers on the card), competition (playing a friendly game with peers), tracking (finding the right color in the right column)

Paper Airplane Race

OBJECT - Build the best paper airplane and win the race.

GAME TYPE - Racing game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. You need at least two people to make it a race, but you can have as many as you want.

WHAT YOU NEED - Paper for the airplanes, and a number of different designs to experiment with.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Step One is the making of the paper airplanes. Each player can make several, using different designs if they want.
2. Next comes the testing of the airplanes. They can throw them around, checking to see if they work properly.
3. Now is the time for the race. Players pick their best paper airplane.
4. On the word "GO", players throw their airplanes as far as they'll go towards the finish line.
5. If the airplanes fall short, players must pick them up from where they landed and try again.
6. The first airplane to cross the finish line is the winner. If two airplanes cross at the same time, the one that went the farthest was the winner.
7. Try again with a different plane if you want.

Some players may need extra help making the airplanes. Be willing to give it.

THIS WORKS ON - Sequencing (following steps to make a paper airplane), competition (it's a race), artistic ability (being creative with designs)

Circle Kickball

OBJECT - Don't knock over any objects.

GAME TYPE - One team game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Groups One and Two. You need at least six people for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - A kickball and several items for the center of the circle that can be knocked down.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Put everyone into a large circle, with at least an arm's length between them.
2. First, have the players jsut practice kicking the ball to someone else in the circle. Don't kick it too hard, or the other player won't be able to get it.
3. After everyone has kicked the ball to someone else a few times, put an object, such as an empty soda bottle, in the middle of the circle. Now the object of the game is to kick the ball across the circle without knocking over the object.
4. If the object gets knocked over, set it back up. See how many times the ball can be kicked across the circle before the object gets knocked over.
5. As the game progresses, make it more difficult by adding more objects to the circle. If one object gets knocked down, leave it as an obstacle. Only when everything gets knocked down do you set them up again.

This game is not a competition. People don't get eliminated for knocking down the object, though if someone refuses to follow directions and keeps aiming for the object, they may need to be removed.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (everyone working together to keep the objects standing), eye-foot coordination (being able to aim kicks so the objects don't get hit), following directions (kicking to friends and not trying to hit center object).

Human Foosball

OBJECT - Protect the goal, but don't stray from your line.

GAME TYPE - Two team game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. This is a big game, and you need at least seven players per side, plus two ball chasers.

WHAT YOU NEED - A big space (such as a basketball court), sidewalk chalk, a kickable ball, and two goals.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. First, make the court. Draw three or four lines on each side of the court and set up a goal at either end.
2. After dividing the players into teams, set them on their lines. As in regular foosball, they should alternate. There should be a line of Team A in front of their goals, then a line of Team B facing them. Then Team A, Team B, Team A, and Team B in front of the goal they are protecting. Players can decide how many people they want on each line, but once the decision is made, that's it.
3. The big rule of this game is that no one may leave their line. They can move on the line wherever they want, but they may not go around another team member as that would involve leaving the line.
4. Start the ball in the middle. The team can kick it to their teammates or to the goal.
5. If the ball goes in the goal, the kicking team earns a point, and the other team gets the ball.
6. Players may use any part of their body to block, but may only pass with their feet.
7. If the ball gets stuck between the lines, the ball chasers (who otherwise stay off the court) may tip the ball in either direction. It will probably be a good idea to assign them to teams, and whoever gets there first can tip it.
8. Also, the ball chasers are responsible for getting any balls that go out of bounds. The ball chasers, however, may not try to score.
9. The winning team is the one with the most points at the end.

Have fun, but be very strict about the no leaving the lines rule. You can make the lines wide for a little more mobility, but they must stay there.

THIS WORKS ON - Athletic ability (kicking the ball and blocking), following directions (staying on the lines), competition (trying to score points against each other), teamwork (passing to each other).

Face Maker

OBJECT - Make a face using magazine pictures.

GAME TYPE - Art game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One and Group Two. You'll need enough people to cover the parts of the face, as listed below. If you have too many people, they can work in pairs or teams.

WHAT YOU NEED - Lots of old magazines, scissors, glue, and 10 sheets of paper.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Assign a facial feature to each player or team of players (eyes, ears, nose, mouth, hair, head, possibly neck, facial hair, or jewelry).
2. Have each player or team flip through the magazines look through their magazines to find their facial feature.
3. When they find it, they cut it out. (NOTE - Heads should be large, close up photos. The facial features on the head will be covered)
4. The players should find ten of their assigned facial feature.
5. Once all the facial features have been cut out, the players glue one onto each sheet of paper. Start with the head, then add the different facial features in any order after that. Facial features do not have to match.
6. Once all the faces are complete, have the players vote on which one they like the best.

This is not a competition. Everyone is working together to create faces.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (working together to build a face), body concept (recognizing each facial feature and where it goes), artistic ability (being able to cut and paste), fine motor (operating the scissors).

Spam

OBJECT - Get the other team out using paper ammo.

GAME TYPE - Dodge game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. You should have a good number of players for this, preferably at least five per side.

WHAT YOU NEED - A large space to play in, and lots of old magazines or newspapers.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Divide up into two teams.
2. Teams take sides of a playing area. In the middle of the playing area, there is a neutral zone that holds a table and the magazines and newspapers.
3. On the word "GO", both teams have exactly one minute to go to the table and make as many paper balls as they can. Rip out magazine pages, tear up newspaper, whatever they have to do. Crumple the paper up to make your team's ammunition.
4. At the end of the minute, everyone must leave the neutral zone and not return.
5. When the minute is up, players may start firing ammunition at their opponents.
6. If a paper ball hits a player, that player is out. They must sit out of the game until the next round.
7. Players may use any ammunition that is on their side of the playing area. If the ammunition falls into the neutral zone around the table, it is out of play because no one may enter the neutral zone after that first minute.
8. The team that gets the other team completely out is the winner.
9. For the next game, they may make more ammunition, or you can jsut use what was already made.

This is better than dodge ball, especially for Group Three, since they can throw the paper balls as hard as they want and not hurt anyone. This game makes a mess, so make sure everyone cleans up afterwards.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to get the other team out), eye-hand coordination (aiming and throwing to hit a target).

Fox and Geese

OBJECT - As the fox, catch the geese. As the geese, avoid the fox.

GAME TYPE - Tag game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. You don't want to have too many people playing this game, probably make six the limit.

WHAT YOU NEED - Sidewalk chalk and a big enough concrete area to use.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Draw a large circle on the concrete. Next, divide it into eight sections, creating pie wedges.
2. Select one player to be the fox. The rest are geese.
3. The fox is going to try to catch the geese. The catch of this game is that the fox and the geese may only run on the lines of the circle and that divide the circle.
4. Without leaving the chalk line, players must run around the circle. The fox tries to tag the geese. If a goose is tagged, they're out.
5. Because no one can leave the lines, playetrs must be very aware of where everyone else is to avoid collisions. Because everyone is on the lines, no one can pass anyone else.
6. The last goose to avoid being tagged becomes the fox in the next round.

Everyone really needs to be careful with this game. Be sure you draw the circle very large to give everyone room to run, and make sure everyone is watching where they're going.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to avoid the tag, or trying to tag other players), following directions (staying on the chalk line), spatial awareness (knowing where everyone is in the space provided)

Hunter and Rabbits

OBJECT - As the hunter, try to catch the rabbits. As the rabbits, try to avoid the hunters!

GAME TYPE - Dodge game.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You should have at least five players for this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - A large space to run around in, and a soft playground ball.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Select one player to be the hunter, and have all the rest as rabbits.
2. On the word "GO", the rabbits start to run, trying to avoid being hit with the ball.
3. The hunter must chase the rabbits, and throw the ball at them to try to hit them.
4. If the hunter hits a rabbit, that rabbit also becomes a hunter. The hunters then work together to catch more rabbits.
5. Each rabbit that gets caught becomes another hunter. The last rabbit remaining is the winner, and becomes the hunter for the next round.

This game should only be played with one ball, though you may add more if the players are really getting the hang of the game.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying to get other players out, and trying to avoid getting out), teamwork (hunters working together to catch rabbits)

Human Knot

OBJECT - Create a human knot and untangle yourselves.

GAME TYPE - One team games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Three. You need at least five people to make this work, but the more people you have, the more complicated and fun it becomes.

WHAT YOU NEED - A sense of humor. Otherwise, this can be really frustrating.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. All players stand in a circle.
2. Everyone reaches into the circle with their right hand and grabs someone else's hand.
3. Everyone reaches into the circle with their left hand and grabs someone else's hand, taking care not to grab a hand belonging to the person they're holding with their right hand.
4. The goal of this game is, without letting go of hands, to untangle the human knot into a full circle with no twists. Some people may be facing backwards, and that's OK.
5. There is a possibility that the knot will turn out to be two separate circles. That's OK too, as long as both get untangled successfully.

There are no winners or losers in this game. Everyone is working together to a common goal. Therefore, encourage everyone to come up with strategies, suggestions, and work together.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (working together to untangle the knot), strategy (figuring out the best moves to get the knot untangled), dexterity (being able to move through all spaces).

Marco Polo

OBJECT - Don't get tagged.

GAME TYPE - Tag games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two. You need at least four people for this game, and probably no more than ten.

WHAT YOU NEED - Normally, you need a pool for this game. However, in this dry version, you'll need a large clearly defined space and a blindfold. You may want to have some musical instruments as well.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. First, set up your area. A roped off section will work, or a chalk marking with adults on the outside making sure no one leaves.
2. Select one player as IT. IT gets blindfolded.
3. All other players must avoid being caught by IT. However, since IT cannot see, he/she tries to find the other players by shouting "MARCO!"
4. When the other players hear "MARCO!", they must respond by shouting "POLO!" Failure to do so will result in being taken out of the game.
5. IT listens for the "POLO!" and moves towards the sound. The other players must sneak away as best they can.
6. No player may leave the marked off area. If IT does (accidentally), they get redirected back to the area. If another player leaves, they are out of the game.
7. If IT catches another player and tags them, they become the new IT.

It is possible within your setting that some of the children will be non-verbal. If this is the case, use musical instruments instead of the words "MARCO POLO". For example, IT may shake a tambourine in place of "MARCO", and all other players shake maracas in place of "POLO".

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (trying not to be tagged), following directions (saying the appropriate thing at the appropriate time, not leaving the area), sensory (using sense of sound rather than sight)

Pyramid

OBJECT - Don't knock the pyramid over!

GAME TYPE - Elimination games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You can have about two to six players for this game. If you have more, it gets a little long.

WHAT YOU NEED - Plastic, paper or styrofoam cups, probably about ten to twenty for each player. Also, a table or other flat surface to play on.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Pass out cups to each player. Each player sits around the playing surface. Play goes to the left.
2. The first player puts a cup, upside down, on the table.
3. The next player puts a cup right next to the first cup.
4. The next player puts a cup on top of the first two cups, making a two level pyramid.
5. The next player adds another cup to the bottom row.
6. The next player adds a cup to the second row, so it balances on two cups.
7. The next player puts a cup at the top, making a three level pyramid.
8. Keep adding in this manner, building up the pyramid until it topples over.
9. Whoever added the cup that knocked down the pyramid is out.
10. Pick up the cups, and start over with the remaining players.
11. When it gets down to two players, the one who doesn't knock over the pyramid is the winner.

Players should be very careful not to jostle the table or playing surface at all, otherwise the pyramid will come tumbling down prematurely.

THIS WORKS ON - Eye-hand coordination (being able to balance cups on top of other cups), Desxterity (being able to move around the existing pyramid so as not to knock it over), competition (trying not to be the one to knock down the pyramid)

Dragon's Jewels

OBJECT - Steal the dragon's jewels!

GAME TYPE - Tag games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group Two or Group Three. You should have at least five people to play this game.

WHAT YOU NEED - About ten to twenty small objects to double as jewels. I like to use beanbags, but you can use just about anything.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Choose one player to be the dragon.
2. Place the dragon's jewels in the center of the floor.
3. The dragon must protect the jewels, but may not touch them. The dragon can stand over them, crouch, and protect them in anyway, but no touching.
4. All other players try to steal the jewels. They can work together, trying to distract the dragon while others steal jewels.
5. If the dragon tags a player, that player is out of the game.
6. If the player gets away from the dragon with jewels and without being tagged, the jewels are successfully stolen.
7. If the player steals jewels, but gets tagged in the getaway, the jewels go back to the nest.
8. The round is over when either all jewels have been stolen, or all players have been tagged.
9. Everyone should get a chance to be the dragon. The winner will be the dragon who has successfully defended the most treasure.

Since the jewels do not belong to an individual, but rather to the whole team, be sure to stress team cooperation. The team can't steal much treasure unless they work together.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (working together to steal jewels), strategy (figuring out the best way to stymie the dragon).

Dragon's Tail

OBJECT - Be a dragon, and don't let the head catch the tail!

GAME TYPE - One team games.

WHO'S IT FOR - Group One. You need at least five people to make a good sized dragon.

WHAT YOU NEED - Space to move around, and some kind of flag for a tail.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. Everyone lines up, one behind another, and puts their hands on the shoulders or waist of the person in front of them.
2. Attach a tail to the person in the back. It can be a flag, a handkerchief, or some other loose cloth or paper attached loosely in the back o the waist. It must be easily removed.
3. The person in front of the line is the head of the dragon. He/she must try to grab the tail from the back of the dragon and pull it off.
4. Everyone else is the body of the dragon. They must hold on and not lose contact with each other for the entire game. However, in following the head, they must try to keep it from catching the tail.
5. The tail must try to evade the head for as long as it can.
6. When the tail is removed, the person who was in the back of the line moves to the front and becomes the new head.

Make sure everyone gets a chance to be both head and tail throughout the game.

THIS WORKS ON - Teamwork (having to move as one entity), strategy (trying to keep the head from the tail)

Athlon

OBJECT - Compete in an athlon to earn points. An athlon is an event with multiple stages where players earn points, add them up, and declare a winner. A triathlon would be a three stage event, a decathlon would be a ten stage event.

GAME TYPE - Individual games.

WHO'S IT FOR - This is our first all groups game! The number of events should propably vary from group to group based on tolerance and time to spend. There should be at least three people competing in each event, but no more than ten.

WHAT YOU NEED - It depends on what events you're going to use. This requires planning and preparation.

HOW TO PLAY:

1. First, choose how many stages you're going to have in your athlon. In sporting events, athlons can be held over several days, so feel free to have yours last over several sessions. A suggestion would be to have Group One hold a triathlon (three stage event), Group Two compete in a pentathlon (five stage event), and Group Three participate in a decathlon (ten stage event).
2. Once you've determined how many stages your athlon will have, decide on the events. Suggestions can be found below.
3. Now it's time to compete. Have the children participate in the events and keep score for each event. First place scores as many points as you have players, then each subsequent placement scores one less. With five players, first place gets five points, second gets four, third gets three, fourth gets two, and fifth gets one. With ten players, first gets ten points, second gets nine, and so on.
4. Keep track of the individual scores for each event. After all stages are completed, add up the scores from each round to find your athlon champion!

Following are ten suggestions for stages in your athlon. Feel free to come up with your own events based on the likes and dislikes of your particular groups.

• Animal Race - Have players imitate animals in a race. You can have them all race as one animal, or have several legs where they change animals. Possible ways to race are as horses (galloping), crabs (walking on backs), kangaroos (hopping), snakes (crawling on bellies), penguins (waddling with legs together), and cheetahs (running). The game is discussed in detail in an article published 2/21/08. Have them race, and the fastest student wins the stage. Last place gets one point.
• Ball Draw - Put several plastic balls in a sack. There sould be about five of one type for every one of a different type (i.e. five green to one red). On their turn, each player should reach into the bag and pull a ball out. If it is green, they're still in the game. If it's red, they're out. The first one to go out gets one point, and the last one standing wins the stage. If you don't have plastic balls to use, find some other object to use, but make sure the objects are similar enough that they can't be discriminated by touch.
• Discus Throw - Using a Frisbee, each student gets three tries to throw the discus as far as they can. Only one of their throws will count, so it should be the one that went the farthest out of their three. The one who gets the discus the farthest wins the stage, and the one who threw it the shortest distance gets one point.
• Ecar - Have the students race a predetermined distance, but have them run backwards. The first one to cross the finish line (or the fastest, if you want to run them individually) wins the stage, and the last one (or slowest) gets one point.
• Jump Rope - Using a long jump rope, have two adults (or one adult and a stationary object you can tie one end of the rope to) twirl a rope for each student in turn. Each student gets three tries to jump as many times as they can, and all three tries are added together. The winner of the stage is the one with the most combined jumps, and last place gets one point.
• Memory - Lay out a deck of playing cards face down. In turn, each player turns over two cards. If they match (same number and same color, such as the two of clubs and the two of spades), the player gets to keep the pair and go again. If they don't match, the player turns them back to facedown and the next player goes. At the end, the player with the most matches wins the stage. The player with the least gets one point.
• Musical Chairs - Have enough chairs for everyone to be sated, and cluster them together. Start the music, and everyone gets up to walk around the chairs. Take one chair away, then stop the music. Whoever does not get a chair gets one point. Keep going until there's only one chair left. The student who takes it is the winner of the stage.
• Rock Paper Scissors - Each player competes against an adult, one at a time. On the count of three, both competitors throw either a rock (closed fist), paper (flat hand), or scissors (two extended fingers). Rock breaks scissors, scissors cut paper, paper covers rock. Play a best of five series. If the player wins three, they are still in the game. If the adult wins three, the player is out. The first player out gets on point, and the last player to not get eliminated wins the stage.
• Target Throw - Use some sidewalk chalk to draw a target on concrete outside. Draw five rings, with the inner ring being worth 5 points, and the outer ring being worth one. Everyone gets to throw five beanbags at the target, trying to score as many points as possible. The one with the highest score wins the stage, and the on with the lowest gets one point.
• Tug Of War - Rather than have two teams trying to pull each other over a line, this version pits everyone against everyone. Players stand around a large mat or other clearly marked area and hold hands. On the word "GO", everyone tries to pull each other onto the mat without stepping on themselves. The first person to step on the mat gets one point. The last one standing wins the stage.

In case of a tie for placement in a stage, both players get the same number of points, but each player afterwards gets the same number of points they would have had the players not tied. For example, if two players tie for second in a five player game, they both get four points, and whoever comes next in points would get two, as if they had come in fourth place.

Also, if there's a tie for first place after the athlon is finished, choose a sudden death event and have the players who tied compete for the win.

THIS WORKS ON - Competition (competing against peers in physical and non-physical activities), sequencing (doing a series of tasks to accumulate points). There are also individual goals for each activity.