Playing by their own Rules

Today you will learn

• To create, construct and develop a game
• To find out why rules are important and what purpose they serve
•  To share ideas and work co-operatively
• To teach others including the teacher.

In the new national curriculum for physical education at key stage two we are asked to play competitive games such as badminton, basketball, cricket, football, netball, rounders and tennis. Traditional team games are great – but not for everyone.  So often children who are not good at these games see themselves as failures at physical education and develop a lifelong antipathy towards physical activity.

In order to play these sports children are told what to do.  But why limit a child’s imagination and creativity?   Given the opportunity all children can create new and exciting games that they will be good at.  Such games can allow less ‘sporty’, less active, less combative children to excel. 

The following lesson is intended for years 5 and 6.  It focuses on each child’s own abilities, creativity and understanding. The games come from the children, not the teacher.  Maybe, they will teach the teacher and the teacher will learn from them!

Starter Activity

When the children are changed and in the hall or playground ask for volunteers to lead warm up activities. 

By years five or six the children should have a good knowledge of suitable warm up activities and be able to lead the rest of the class and to demonstrate effectively.

Main Activities

It would be easy to allow pupils free choice of equipment, area and number of participants.  However, this can be problematic with children unused to this approach.  They tend to use too much equipment, devise games with very complicated rules or construct a game that is just fun but with no development.  Providing parameters such as the playing area, the number of pupils in each group and the equipment to be used works better.

The composition of the group is a key aspect of this approach. It is important that the children in each group are able to work together to produce something worthwhile. An odd number is fine as one child can take the role of official. It is a good idea to provide whistles if they ask for them. Some children love this role!

  1. Outline the task

The task is to devise a new game in the context of a specific playing area using equipment provided. 

Explain to the class that they cannot use the equipment for the game for which it was originally intended (they can still kick a football but not to play the formal game).  They do not even have to use a ball if they do not want to.  Emphasise their games should be unique to them, not just another version of a traditional game.

The task:

• Each member of the group should think of a possible game
• Each group should try out a few games
• The group should choose one game and refine it
• Each group should teach their game to the rest of the class

It’s important here not to let one member of the group dominate and tell the others what to do. Each member of the group should be seen as an equal.

Group members may wish to write down their ideas on paper or use a tablet.

2. Devise a Game

 

Divide the class into four groups (normally 6-8 each group) and give each group a different set of games equipment. The teacher may have a choice from footballs, cricket bats, tennis racquets, rugby balls, quicksticks, rounders bats, basketballs and badminton racquets, depending on facilities available.

The amount of games equipment given out is an interesting issue.  The children might ask for another piece of games equipment to go with the one allocated to them. This is fine, provided it is safe and is not going to ruin the equipment (for example putting tennis balls and badminton racquets together can be costly!). However, try to encourage creativity. Why not give all the children in the group a basketball or a football each and see what they make of it. Will they come up with a game that has six balls being used at once?  Does a hockey stick always have to hit a small ball?

The role of the teacher is to act as a facilitator, not as an instructor. It is important to give the children time to figure it out for themselves. This can be difficult, especially when the teacher can see that an idea will not work. However, the learning process involved when children realise why an idea does not work will help them when they move onto their next idea. The teacher should ask how the game could be developed and what the tactical capabilities of the game are at the appropriate moment. However, if there is a safety issue then please, step in right away!

3. Teaching others

 

Once a game has been developed each group should be given the opportunity to explain and demonstrate it to others in the class.  It is best if the teacher chooses who should explain this.  Perhaps this is a chance for the child who has good verbal skills to excel, something that does not often happen in a physical education setting.

 Extending the lesson

There is a lot of scope for the children to continue to develop a favourite game.  Ask the pupils to develop a set of rules, a scoring system, re-starts, specific techniques and roles, and tactics.

 

Back in the classroom they could use their enthusiasm for the game they have created to develop a display explaining how the game is played to incorporate written text (writing about real events and writing for different purposes in the English programmes of study) and use of computing skills (design and write programs that accomplish specific goals in the Computing programmes of study).

Extend their knowledge of the world around them by researching traditional games in other cultures from around the world using You Tube videos (use search technologies effectively- Computing programmes of study key stage two).

Perhaps they could design their own games equipment such as a type of projectile or a target (Design and Technology programmes of study key stage two).

  Useful Questions

• Have all the safety implications of the game been considered?

• Can children of all abilities take part in the game, including those with special needs?

• Is the game fair? Who decides this, the players, an official, a number of officials?

• What are the health/exercise benefits of the game?