Essential Skills:

• Demonstrates loco motor, non-loco motor, and manipulative skills in isolation and combination
• Cardiovascular - Participated in games that increase breathing, heart rate, sustains activity for increasingly longer periods of time.
• Participates in a variety of physical activity.
• Demonstrates appropriate use of all equipment and facilities.
• Accepts appropriate behavior for winning and losing.

• Playground Test Need to link These
• Playground Rules
• Playground Games Rubric

Every elementary has different safety rules for the playground. The safety rules are designed for the unique set-up of their playground and their facility. The safety rules and video that are placed in this lesson are examples of safety rules and procedures that your school can adopt.

Adaptations for playground games:
• Use a different size ball and color that will make tracking easier.
• Alter the rules for handball, four square, and neutral. Allow them more bounces and to catch the ball, then hit it.
• In four square, have students’ announce when they will hit to them.
• For the game of tetherball, you can have a responsible student or adult hitting the ball really soft. Depending on the special needs of your students, it might be a good idea to avoid this game. Their reaction time needed for this game might not be proficient.

Activities: Four Square

Four square is a very common playground game that children love. Four square is played with a rubber playground ball in a square playground with four squares. When the ball is hit to your square you must bounce the ball into another player’s square without hitting twice in your own square. The object is to get to the servers box and stay there as long as possible.

Review the general playground rules and the recess equipment.

Demonstrate and explain the rules to Four Square:
• The game must start with a proper serve from the back corner of box number one. This is the serving box. It is most commonly marked with a server’s line in the corner of the box.
• The ball must bounce once in your square and then be hit underhand into another square.
• All hits must be underhand.
• All inside lines are out. If the ball hits an outside line, players must play the ball. However, if the ball goes past an outside line, it is out of bounds.
• Backstops are allowed. Backstops are where they redirect the ball with their hands so that it bounces in their square. Not catching the ball.
• When the person is out, the new person comes into box number four (or box D). If necessary, the other players rotate clockwise, or toward the server’s box, to the next box.
• The first person in line is the judge
• The object is to get to the servers box and stay there as long as possible.

Play the game of four square.
• Students will play four square. This will give the students a chance to apply the rules. Separate the class so that each game has at least one or two people in line. When the students are playing, rotate from playground to playground to give improvements.

Activities: Handball/Wall Ball

Handball/wall ball is a very popular playground game. This game is very similar to racquetball. The main difference is the ball must hit the ground first then the wall. Two players compete against each other.

Review the rules for the swings and slides.

Demonstrate and explain the rules to Handball/Wall Ball
• The game must start with a proper serve.
• The ball must hit the ground, the wall, and hit inside the playground to be considered a good hit.
• The ball may bounce once or be hit off the wall.
• All lines are out.
• If they catch the ball or hit it more than once, then they are out.
• Body blocking is an out. This is when they intentionally stand in the way.
• If there is interference, then play over.
• The first person in line is the judge.
• The winner allows the next player to serve.

Play the game of handball/wall ball and four square.
• Students will play handball/wall ball and review four square. This will give the students a chance to apply the rules. Evenly separate the class between the number of playgrounds available. When the students are playing, rotate from playground to playground to give improvements.

Activities: Tetherball

Tetherball is another popular playground game found on elementary playgrounds. In the most common form of tetherball, a ball is tied to pole and two players try to hit to ball in one direction so that the rope wraps completely around the pole. The playground is a circle around the pole divided into two sections. The players must stay on the side of the dividing line.

Review the rules for the climbing equipment, spinners, and teeter-totters.

Demonstrate and explain the rules to Tetherball.
• 1. The player who serves the ball needs to announce which way they are hitting.
• 2. The opposing player cannot hit the ball until it has made one full rotation around the pole.
• 3. After the one full rotation, the opposing player hits the ball in the opposite direction.
• 4. A player is out if they commit any of the following fouls: catches the ball; touching the pole; hitting the rope; and/or stepping on or over the dividing line.
• 5. The player to successfully tether the ball in their direction wins.

Play the game of tetherball.
• Students will play tetherball. This will give the students a chance to apply the rules. Evenly separate the class between the number of poles available. When the students are playing, rotate from playground to playground to give improvements.

Activities: Neutral

Neutral is not as common as four square or handball. Neutral is played with a rubber playground ball. The playground is large rectangle with three sections. The middle section is the neutral zone and is a little smaller than the other sections. Neutral is a two players’ game.

Demonstrate and explain the rules to Neutral:
• The game must start with a proper serve (underhand) that must be hit over the neutral area.
• After the serve, the ball may be hit overhand or underhand.
• After the serve, the neutral area may be used.
• The ball may bounce once or be hit before it bounces.
• All lines are out. After the serve, the neutral zone line in your playground does not count as a line. Since the neutral zone can be used after the serve, this line is eliminated.
• The first person in line is the judge.
• The new player gets to be the next server.

Play both neutral and tetherball.
• Students will play neutral and review the game of tetherball. This will give the students a chance to apply the rules. Separate the class in half so that each game has at least one or two people in line. Half of the students will play neutral and the other half will play four square. After a period of time, switch groups. When the students are playing, rotate from playground to playground to give improvements.

Review the questions that will be on the written test.

Give the students the playground test.
• Give each student a test and a pencil. Have them spread out throughout the gym. When they are finished with the test, have them return the pencil and take a crayon. When everybody is finished with the test, the students will grade their own test with the crayon.
• NOTE: If you want to save precious class time, you can grade the test on your own.

Hopscotch
• Hopscotch can be found on many elementary school playgrounds. This is a simple children’s game that can be played alone or with several players.

Demonstrate and explain the rules to Western hopscotch.
• The first player tosses a marker (typically or stone, coin, or bean bag) into the first square. The marker must completely land in the designated square. If the marker lands in another square, or on a line, the player forfeits their turn.
• The player hops through the playground skipping the square with the marker in it.
• Single squares must be hopped on one foot. Side by side squares must be straddled with a foot landing in each square.
• When player’s reach the end of the playground, they turn around and hop back through the playground.
• When they reach the square with the marker, they stop and pick up the marker (and hops in the square). They continue until the reach the end.
• When a player successfully completes the sequence, on their next turn they will throw the marker into box number two. The game keeps repeating this pattern.
• While the players are hopping through the playground and steps on a line, misses a square, or losses their balance, this end their turn. The first player to complete every numbered square on the playground wins the game.

Play the game of hopscotch.
• Separate the class into even groups. This will give the students a chance to apply the rules. Evenly separate the class between the number of playgrounds available. When the students are playing, rotate from playground to playground to give improvements.

Playground game assessment
• Explain the assessment for foursquare and neutral.
• Separate the class into two even groups. Have one group start at four square while the other group starts at neutral.
• Have the students play while you are assessing their play. After you have assessed both groups, have them switch games and continue assessing. As always, give students immediate feedback.

Playground game assessment
• Explain the assessment for tetherball and handball/wall ball.
• Separate the class into two even groups. Have one group start at four square while the other group starts at neutral.
• Have the students play while you are assessing their play. After you have assessed both groups, have them switch games and continue assessing. As always, give students immediate feedback.