Field day for schools is a very important day in the life of a child in elementary school. During field day, schools will set up games and sporting events outside or inside so that they children can break up into teams and compete for prizes and simply just to have fun. Usually, field day is near the end of the school year, when the weather gets warm and summer is approaching. The games vary and are usually silly games that are not hard but may require the players to put on silly costumes, carry odd objects, or get wet. Traditional games are three-legged races, sack races, and wheelbarrow races. Games can include any type of prop and are played for fun and not as much for competition. Here are some field day games for elementary schools:
The beach ball race is when a pair of children have to carry a beach ball across the finish line together. They may not use their hands, so they must work together to decide which way of carrying the ball will get them across the finish the fastest without dropping the ball. They can choose to use their backs and run sideways without dropping the ball, or they can use their heads to hold the ball up. This is a fun game of coordination between the kids.
One of the most popular field day activities for elementary students, this relay requires you to divide the class in half and line them up in two (or three or four) straight lines. There should be a bucket full of water at the beginning of each line with a large sponge and an empty bucket at the end of each line. The first student must saturate the sponge in the bucket of water. Then they pass it down the line until it gets to the end of the line. Each child in line must pass the sponge over their heads. The child at the end will wring out the sponge into the bucket. The first team to fill their bucket wins.
This relay is also one that can be played with two to four or five teams. Each team of children lines up at one end of the field. The first person in each line races to their baseball bat across the field. They put the bat to their forehead, put the other end of the bat on the ground, and they have to spin around the bat five times in a circle, keeping the bat touching the ground on one end and their forehead on the other. After the fifth spin, they must run back to the line and tag the next player. Then they continue until the first line has finished. The fun of this game is that each player will be dizzy on their trek back to the line.
In the heat of the summer, this game is ideal to keep kids cool. Everyone takes a partner. Each set of children is given a water balloon. They must toss it back and forth without it breaking. Once they have caught the balloon without it popping, they must each take a step back and toss it to their partner. Once the children get too far apart, they will catch the balloon but it will pop and most likely get them wet.
Set up a row of Hula-Hoops. The children will line up, and each child stands a few feet from each hoop and tosses a bean bag into their hoop. With each successful throw, they must take a step back. The child that gets the most bean bags inside the hoop at the point the farthest back wins.
During field day, schools should hone in on the three-legged race. This classic game can be easily done with a few Velcro straps or a few belts. The children pair up, stand side by side, and connect their inside legs together. They will race with other teams of kids to the finish line. The first pair there wins. The fun part is watching the coordination, or lack thereof, as the children try to get to the end as quickly as they can.
The children should be split into four or five teams and should line up. Each child in line has a spoon. The first person in line carries an egg in the spoon across the field, around a cone, and back to the team line. The next person in line must do the same until the egg has been carried by all team members. The egg cannot touch any hands at any time. If it falls, it must be picked up with a spoon. When it's passed to the next person in line, it must be passed with the spoon. The first team to finish wins.
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