Running Games

This time let us do something different. Learn while we run. Why? One, children love the outdoors. Two, they love running – after all the sitting in class – this is such a welcome break. Three, running games do not require any material – they are simple to implement. Four, running games pump up hormones – good for brain. Five, and most importantly, running games are pure fun.

• Bucket of water at one end of track – bottle to be filled at the other end - use hands as filling cups.
• Four sheets of newspaper as four rafts. At all times all children should have at least one leg on one of the four sheets – now together travel from one end of the “river” to the other.
• All hold hands to form a loop – now the loop has to race – more children, more fun. (Set codes about not letting fall / dragging, before you start). A fun variation is run in a horizontal chain but with every alternate child facing backwards.
• All together have to balance something – say, a long stick on shoulders or a rope in armpits – and race.

• Races are a wonderful way for children to learn how to check the time. Children in pairs become the time keepers in any race or running game to time their partners. If possible give children both - an analogue and a digital clock so that they can compare and figure out, on their own, how 5-10-15 minutes / seconds on a digital clock are related to the 1-2-3 numerals on an analogue clock face.
• Create math stations on a race route. Children have to run from one station to the next, solve the math problem there and then run to the next one – check answer of previous station – if wrong – go back to solve it correctly and then run back and so on.
• Different numbers are scattered (on slips of paper) in the running area. Then a math rule (say, multiples of 3) is announced and children have to run and collect as many numbers that satisfy the rule. To add to the chaos – right in the middle of the game add / modify the rule (children then might need to throw away numbers that don’t satisfy the new rule or add more to their collection). Suggestion: use numbered tokens (like those available for tambola / housie)

• Children have to run and stop as soon as the music is changed. Or a child can be playing a rhythm ‘live’ and children have to freeze as soon as the child changes the rhythm and then start running again when the child comes back to original rhythm.
• Children run a regular race – but necessarily have to chant / sing a particular line of a song a certain number of times.
• Team of two – one child is blindfolded – another has to lead the blindfolded ONLY by singing a given song (say, ‘happy birthday to you’). So directions to the blindfolded person has to be given by way of singing in different ways – change of speed, pitch, tune, volume, etc., (clues can be pre-decided between the members of team).

• Stick newspapers on floor – children dip their feet in colur and run around to create a pattern or design a specific item.
• A relay race where children have to run to a table – draw a part of the drawing, come back and pass the pencil to team mate. Can be done by coluring, doing jigsaw puzzles, etc.
• Children run as a team – but each running on his or her line - drawn on floor criss-crossing each other – children have to run without colliding with each other – and mark the end time when all reach “home”.

• To understand oneself or one’s emotions – keep two tables, a distance apart. Child runs to the question table – reads a question about herself – say, “Which part of your body do you like the most?” – runs to answer table– chooses the answer and runs back for next one. Questions could be related to emotions – eg., “Raju is sitting in one corner, because others are teasing him. So what is Raju is feeling?” – again child runs to answer table and finds the emotion the child thinks fits the situation. Write questions that make children aware of their likes-dislikes, habits, strengths and qualities, abilities.
• A fun emotional awareness game: Read a story – now each child gets a character – write on a paper the character’s name and pin this on the chest. (more than one child for one character is fine). Either teacher or children write / draw emotions on post-it notes. Now children run around trying to tag another child’s back with the emotions relevant to the character.  Each child tries avoiding being tagged, while trying to tag others.

• Run like a specific animal.
• Run amidst nature and collect things from the ground. (put constrains – like leaves or rocks or bark of different shades, or textures, or designs, etc.)

• Scatter chits of different kinds of words in the play area. Children have to run and collect related words, reach the end point and assemble the sentence.
• For smaller children – cut up frames from a comic – give children one frame each and they run around and find a logical sequence. Or use this as a reflection of the story just read to the class – pictures signifying events are used – the first child runs and keeps what he thinks is the first in sequence. The second child runs – sees what the first child has kept – and then comes running back, picks up what she thinks comes next and so on.
• For pre primary children learning how to form letters – they run and write a letter or even a word on ground using their feet (or twigs) on the ground.
• Use the tag game given under intrapersonal intelligence – with words. Each child is a noun – tags are related adjectives, or synonyms, or rhyming words, etc.

• Run together – in pairs, threes, two tied together back-to-back or a sheet of newspaper between the backs, etc.
• Run with physical constraint - hopping on one leg; both feet together, hands always touching the knees, blindfolded, backwards, etc.
• Run balancing something – make variations of the popular lemon and spoon – like five erasers on the back of your palm, one chalk piece on your forehead, catching the ball 10 times, etc.
• Run with obstacles – jump over, go under, in between, step on a football, etc.