WARM UP GAMES

Name of the Game: Counting Circle Stage: Early Stage 1

Explanation
Students are divided into two groups to form two standing circles. Each circle is given a bean bag and team name, and
the teacher explains that the student who begins with the bean bag starts by saying the number one when they throw it,
the person who catches it then must continue counting up saying two, and so on until the circle reaches the number ten.
Once they reach ten students in the circle must all sit down and they become the winning team. Teachers can also play
the same game but start from ten and have the students count backwards.

Why is this game important for this stage? 3 reasons

• This game helps to develop important gross motor and finer manipulative skills within young children, which is
critical for physical coordination and functioning.
• The game consolidates children’s learning in other curriculum areas by incorporating forward and backward
number sequences.
• The game requires teamwork and listening to one another which builds upon fundamental communication and
social skills in the early years of the child.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. COES1.1
Expresses feelings, needs and wants in appropriate ways.
-responds to simple instructions and rules

2. INES1.3
Relates well to others in work and play situations.
- works happily with class peers

3. MOES1.4
Demonstrates a general awareness of how basic movement skills apply in play and other
introductory movement experiences.
- demonstrates manipulative skills in throwing and catching bean bags.
Equipment and Teaching cues
• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• Six bean bags
Name of the Game: Changing train stations Stage: Early stage 1
Explanation
The teacher chooses three students who become the station masters, placing them in different areas and allocating them
all a different action to do, for example star jumps, hoping, and jumping. The teacher then breaks the rest of the class
into three groups and each station master must explain to that group what to do. When the teacher blows the whistle
students must go onto the following station and begin doing the next action they see the station master doing. The
teacher can fasten the pace of the warm up by blowing the whistle faster.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game strengthens children’s locomotor skills and hand-eye coordination which are necessary for basic bodily
functioning and movement.
• The game develops within children observational and mirroring abilities including turn-taking, attending to the
action, and replicating the action’s salient features.
• The game begins to raise children’s understanding toward concepts of tempo and speed.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. COES1.1
Expresses feelings, needs and wants in appropriate ways.
- responds to simple instructions and rules

2. INES1.3
Relates well to others in work and play situations.
- works happily with class peers

3. MOES1.4
Demonstrates a general awareness of how basic movement skills apply in play and other
introductory movement experiences.
-runs, hops, jumps at different tempos/speeds
Equipment and Teaching cues
• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 1x Whistle
• 3x braids for station masters

Name of the Game: Sport Change Stage: Stage 1

Explanation
In this game the teacher demonstrates that when she calls a particular sport name, for example swimming, students then
do the actions associated with this sport. The teacher will ask the class to form a circle and slowly going around the circle
each student will demonstrate a sporting move which everyone in the circle must imitate.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game is significant as it cultivates children’s visual motor skills, and ability to coordinate what they see with
movements of the body.
• This game helps to develop or improve in children important gross motor skills which form the basis of physical
coordination and functioning.
• The game is important as it begins to question children on the sports they know and the actions involved which can
stimulate thinking processes.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. MOS1.4
Demonstrates maturing performance of basic movement and compositional skills in a variety of
predictable situations.
-repeats sporting movements demonstrated by peers

2. COS1.1
Communicates appropriately in a variety of ways.
- expresses their ideas about different sports through movement

3. INS1.3
Develops positive relationships with peers and other people.
 -displays cooperation in class activities, e.g. taking turns

Equipment and Teaching cues

• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• Generate discussion in circle about different sports to give students ideas before beginning warm-up

Name of the Game: Four Directions Stage: Stage 1

Explanation
Four different coloured cones are placed in four corners. Students are told that when each colour is called it represents a
different action, this could mean hopping=red, running=blue, walking=green, jumping=pink. Students begin in the
middle of the square and must perform each action toward the coloured cone being called by the teacher and back to the
centre of the square.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• The game is important as it requires children to remember the action associated with the colour being called this
can strengthen memory abilities.
• This game helps to develop, improve, or consolidate important locomotor skills which are critical for physical
coordination and functioning.
• The game requires children’s full attention and can enhance their active listening skills.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. MOS1.4
Demonstrates maturing performance of basic movement and compositional skills in a variety of
predictable situations.
-repeats movements to form a sequence, e.g. jump, hop, run

2. INS1.3
Develops positive relationships with peers and other people.
- interacts with other students

3. COS1.1
Communicates appropriately in a variety of ways.
 - actively listens to peers and teacher

Equipment and Teaching cues

• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 4x different coloured cones
• Before starting the warm-up ask students questions about which action stood for what colour cone.

Name of the Game: Cats and Rats Stage: Stage 2

Explanation
Divide the class into cats and rats, giving those who are the rats braids to put behind them as a tail. Within a set area the
cats must try and grab as many rat tails as possible. When all the rats tails are taken the students should then alternate
their roles.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game is important as it develops children’s decision-making and tactical strategies, which involve critical
thinking.
• The game requires children to possess a heightened sense of alertness and spatial awareness of their
surroundings.
• This game advances children’s locomotor skills in sprinting, running, dodging, and side stepping
What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. MOS2.4
Displays a focus on quality of movement in applying movement skills to a variety of familiar and
new situations.
- performs locomotor movements e.g. sprinting, running, dodging, and side stepping

2. INS2.3
Makes positive contributions in group activities.
-participates in the class sporting activity

3. PSS2.5
Uses a range of problem-solving strategies.
-performs a simple movement sequence given particular limitations, e.g. restricted use of space.

Equipment and Teaching cues

• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 20x same colour braids

Name of the Game: Frog and Fly Stage: Stage 2

Explanation
Students form a circle standing and holding hands. A student is picked to be in the middle as the fly, and another student
is picked to be outside the circle as the frog. The students forming the circle must protect the fly by raising their hands to
let it escape and putting their hands down when the frog tries to enter.
Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game is important as it develops decision-making skills within children that can enhance critical thinking.
• The game requires quick communication and cooperative abilities, which can build peer relations and social skills.
• The game develops the concept of positional awareness, this is important for children at this stage as they can
understand being in the right place at the right time and having an idea of where the other players on both teams
are in relation to themselves.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. COS2.1
Uses a variety of ways to communicate with and within groups.
-communicates with students in team whilst playing sport

2. DMS2.2
Makes decisions as an individual and as a group member.
-assists the group toward winning when playing sport
-decides how not to let the frog capture the fly

3. INS2.3
Makes positive contributions in group activities.
- helps team members in winning class sporting activity.

Equipment and Teaching cues

• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 5x same coloured braids to give to students chosen as flies
• To make the game more difficult increase the number of children as frogs and flies.

Name of the Game: Protect the hoop Stage: Stage 3

Explanation
Five coloured hoops are evenly spread out with five of the same coloured cones within them. The class is split into two
even groups heroes and villains who are each given coloured braids to wear. The heroes must make sure that the hoops
always have the same coloured cones within them, while the villains need to place different colours in different colour
hoops.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game is important as it builds children’s problem-solving and decision-making skills, heightening the level of
their thinking.
• The game demonstrates the importance of team work and interpersonal skills and relationships to children.
• This game develops children’s understanding of spatial and tactical awareness.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. DMS3.2
Makes informed decisions and accepts responsibility for consequences.
- applies decision-making processes when participating in team games.

2. COS3.1
Communicates confidently in a variety of situations.
-communicates ideas and game strategies with fellow team players in sporting activities

3. MOS3.4
Refines and applies movement skills creatively to a variety of challenging situations.
-varies running patterns to cater for sprinting, distance running, side-stepping, dodging and defensive marking

Equipment and Teaching cues

• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 5x coloured hoops
• 5x blue cones, 5x red cones, 5x yellow cones, 5x green cones, 5x purple cones. (25x cones in total)

Name of the Game: Poison and medicine Stage: Stage 3

Explanation
Each child is given a colour hoop, and within these are three red (poison hoops) and three yellow (medicine) hoops.
Children must stand with the hoops on the tops of their feet and shuffle to avoid getting hit by the poison hoops. If
children are poisoned they must sit down in their hoop until a medicine hoop cures them.

Why is this game important for this stage?

• This game is significant for this stage as it combines locomotor and non-locomotor skills together by having
children balance hoops on the tops of their feet whilst moving, this comprises of a greater level of difficulty and
requires increased concentration.
• This game incorporates decision-making and strategic abilities that stimulate children’s cognitive processes.
• Children cooperate with one another and work together to play the game, which helps to develop interpersonal
relationships.

What are the PDHPE skills involved in this game? How?

1. DMS3.2
Makes informed decisions and accepts responsibility for consequences.
- applies decision-making processes when participating in class games.

2. COS3.1
Communicates confidently in a variety of situations.
-communicates with peers during sporting games to achieve victory.

3. MOS3.4
Refines and applies movement skills creatively to a variety of challenging situations.
-combines locomotor and non-locomotor movements
Equipment and Teaching cues
• 10-15 minute warm-up activity
• 35x hula hoops - make sure there only five yellow (medicine hoops) and five red (poison hoops) given out amongst
the class, the rest must all be of different colours.