Activity of the week

Name: Group juggling
Materials: one tossable (ex: beach ball, frisbee, ping pong balls, scarves, etc) per player
Number of players: 2+. The more the better in my opinion, but I would cap it at 10 for littler ones. Older students would find 20+ an enjoyable challenge.
Space: Indoor and outdoor. Preferably in a coned off space, but not necessary.

How to play:
1. All players stand in a circle, arms held wide, fingertip to fingertip.
2. Each player chooses a "passing partner," the person they are going to pass to. The Starter (usually the teacher), says the name of his/her partner, 2nd player says name of his/her partner, etc. Until the Ender, who will always pass to the Starter.
3. Starter passes tossable to his/her partner, keep going until all tossables are in the air.
4. Keep going for as long as possible.

This is one of my favorite group games from SPARK! It's fun, allows catch-and-release as well as communication practice (players have to get the attention of their partner before tossing), and teaches kids to be aware of their surroundings as well as focus on one person at a time. This is harder than it looks for young kids.

Note: When I say young kids, I mean 2nd grade and below usually.

I played this with water balloons last week. It was tough since I had a range of 1st grade through 6th, as well as low to high athletic abilities. But this activity is meant to be low-stress: no competition, just trying your best to keep the items in the air, so it's a lot of fun too.

Photo: qesnrecit