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Great Ideas for Kindergarten Gym Games

Kids ages 5 and 6 years old are physically active and usually have good large motor skills. This age group can catch and throw balls, run and jump. Kindergartners should have ample opportunity to perfect these gross motor skills, and gym class is a great place for them to do so.

Parachute Play
- Use an old parachute in gym class
  
  Have the children form a circle around a parachute that is in decent condition. The kids should grasp it firmly and gently wave it up and down. This will create a ripple effect or large waves, depending on how vigorous the children are.
  
  After the children have played Waves for a few minutes, direct them to walk to the left, keeping their circle. Have them change directions and walk to the right. Ask them to skip, hop, and shuffle changing directions every so often.
  
  When the children are in their circle again, toss two beach balls on top of the parachute. Ask the kids to make waves again. Tell them their goal is to get the balls to fly up in the air, but land back on the parachute. The children will have to work together to accomplish this.
Team Games
- Soccer develops gross motor skills
  
  Children in kindergarten have the basic physical skills needed to dribble and kick a ball, shoot a basket and swing a hockey stick. However, kids this age still need to learn how to contribute to a team, take turns, share responsibility and be gracious players. The focus on this age need not be winning or losing. These children should focus on learning the skills and nurturing a positive attitude toward physical activity. A safe environment to practice these skills is in their school gym, with a teacher and their classmates. Some games that combine these physical and emotional skills are basketball, soccer, floor hockey and running relay games.
Tag
- Tag-you're It!
  
  Tag is a running game where one person is "it," and he tries to tag (tap) the other players. There are several variations of the game, but all can be played inside a large gymnasium or outdoors when the weather cooperates.
  
  Freeze Tag: The person who is "It" tries to tag the other children. Once touched, the tagged child must stay in the position in which they were tagged. They may not move until one of the free children unfreezes them by touching their shoulder.
  
  Color Tag: Divide the class into two groups, naming one the blue team and one the green team. Pick one student to be "It". Put one group at one end of the gym and the other on the opposite side. "It" stands in the middle and calls for the blue team. The entire team tries to run to the green team without getting tagged. Whoever gets caught becomes "It," even if there are several. This group of "Its" calls the green team over. This continues until there is only one person left.
  
  Flag Tag:
  Each person wears a tag, or bright colored streamer that detaches easily. The person who is "It" tries to grab everyone's tag. The last person with a tag is the winner. You can also play where everyone is "It". The goal is to grab as many tags as possible. Once someone grabs your tag, not only are you out, but you have to give up any tag you have grabbed.

Kids Games