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Youth Games to Play in the Gym

As a child, gym class or after-school recreational gym activities often consist of sports related games such as basketball, volleyball or badminton. Some children might not find these sports appealing because of their lack of natural ability or general disinterest. In an effort to keep children physically active and entertained, a number of alternative gym games have been created with interesting rules and objectives.

Dodgeball & Medic Dodgeball
- Dodge ball is a classic game often played in elementary, middle school and high school gym classes. The gymnasium is split into two halves with players on each side hurling soft rubber or foam balls at each other. In the classic version, if a player is hit he must leave the court and sit on the side until a player on his team catches a ball, allowing an eliminated player to re-enter the game. The game continues until one side has no remaining players.
  
  Because of the game&'s popularity, another version of the game called Medic Dodgeball has been created. The game plays out the same as the classic, but with a player on each team being designated as a "medic" before the game begins. When a player is hit by a ball, he is sit on the floor in the exact spot he was hit. The only way he can be released back into the game is if the medic player touches him. If the medic gets hit, he is out and no eliminated players on that team can re-enter for the remainder of the game. The medic cannot be revived. Each team must disclose to the other team who their medic is before the game begins.
Four Corners
- This is a fun guessing game for elementary school kids to play in gym class. The game starts with the teacher or game facilitator giving each corner of the gym a designated number, one through four. Each round, one player is selected to be the picker and placed in the middle of the gym. The picker is blindfolded while the other players choose what corner of the gym they want to run to. Once each player chooses a corner, the picker yells out a number and everyone that chose the corresponding corner is eliminated. This process continues until only one player remains, who is declared the winner.
British Bulldogs
- The game begins with one or more players (depending on the size of the group playing) placing themselves in the center of the gymnasium. These players are known as "bulldogs." Each round, the non-bulldog players or "runners" are positioned on one end of the gym. When given the cue by the game&'s facilitator, they are to run across to the other end without being caught by a bulldog. A runner is caught by a bulldog when one or more of them manage to hold onto them for at least three seconds. Runners that are caught become bulldogs. The last runner remaining is declared the winner.

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