As primary school teachers, we understand the importance of encouraging active lifestyles in our students. Why not take part in Active School Week as a whole school? Active School Week (ASW) is a fantastic initiative to promote physical activity and wellbeing in schools across the country. However, sometimes schools have absolutely no resources so we’ve put together some resource-free activities you can try with your class.
- Relay Race: Organise a relay race with each class competing to complete a lap of the school grounds in the fastest time.
- Nature Walk: Take the kids on a nature walk around your local area
- Duck, Duck, Goose: Have the children sit in a circle, and one child walks around tapping the others on the head, saying “duck” until they choose someone as the “goose.” The “goose” then jumps up and chases the first child, aiming to tag them before they sit down in the empty spot.
- Freeze Dance: Play music (by clapping, humming, or singing) and have the children dance. When the music stops, everyone must freeze in place. Anyone caught moving is out.
- Red Light, Green Light: One child acts as the “traffic light” and calls out “green light” for the others to move, and “red light” to stop. The goal is to reach the traffic light without being caught moving on a red light.
- Human Knot: Students stand in a circle and grab hands with two different people across from them. The goal is to untangle the knot without letting go of hands.
- Four Corners: Label the corners of the room (or outdoor area) with numbers 1-4. One child is “it” and closes their eyes while the others move to a corner. “It” calls out a number, and the children in that corner are out. Continue until one player remains.
- Chain Tag: One child is “it” and tries to tag others. Once someone is tagged, they join hands with “it,” forming a chain. The chain grows as more children are tagged. The last untagged child becomes “it” for the next round.
- Sharks and Minnows: Designate one child as the “shark” and the others as “minnows.” The minnows must cross a designated area without being tagged by the shark. If a minnow is tagged, they become a shark too.
- Sardines: Designate one student as the “hider.” The rest of the class counts while the hider finds a hiding spot. Students then search for the hider. When they find them, they join in hiding. The game continues until the last person finds the group.
- Musical Statues: Have students dance or move around to an imaginary beat. When you call out “stop,” they must freeze in place like statues. Anyone caught moving is out. Continue until one player remains.
- Leapfrog Race: Divide the class into two teams and have them race against each other in a leapfrog style. Students take turns leaping over their teammates, who are bent down in a crouch position, until they reach the finish line.
- Shadow Tag: Play a regular game of tag, but instead of physically tagging each other, players must step on each other’s shadows to “tag” them.
- Triangle Tag: Divide the class into groups of three. Two students join hands, forming a triangle with the third student inside. The student inside the triangle must try to touch the hands of the other two without them pulling away.
- Follow the Leader: Designate one student as the leader, and the rest of the class must mimic their movements. Change leaders regularly to keep the game fresh and engaging.
- 20 Questions Fitness: Have one student think of a person, place, or thing. The rest of the class takes turns asking yes or no questions to guess the answer. For every “no” answer, the class must perform a quick exercise (e.g., five jumping jacks).
- Partner Balance Challenge: Pair students and have them stand facing each other. They must work together to balance on one leg, using only their partner for support. See which pair can maintain their balance the longest.
- Group Juggling: Have students stand in a circle. One person starts by pretending to throw an imaginary ball to another student. The goal is to keep the “ball” moving around the circle without dropping it. To increase difficulty, add additional imaginary balls.