Loop da Hoop

Instruct children to hold hands in a circle with a hoop hanging between two people. On teachers signal, tell the group to pass the hoop around the circle without letting any hands go.

Encourage players to use different strategies to help their neighbours position the hoop. The task is finished when the hoop returns to its initial position.

To make this activity competitive have several groups race to see which one can pass if around the quickest.

Tangled?

Have a small group of students (5-6) hold hands in a straight line, all facing in the same direction. The person at the end puts their hand up against a wall or holds onto a pole. The task is for everyone, including the person with their hand around the pole or against the wall, to end up with their arms folded across their chest.None of the children can let go and the person at end must keep their hand on the wall or pole. There are a number of known ways to solve this problem. Give the chlildren plenty of time to discuss possible solutions.

If you are setting this up correctly, you should have a line of students holding hands in a straight line. At one end the last person is either holding onto a pole or has their hand against a wall, and the other end person is at the end of the line with one hand free.

One solution to this problem is that the end person who is free to move, leads the entire group under the arm of the person attached to the pole or wall. This continues  again and again until everyone has their arms crossed. Finally the end person turns and faces the opposite direction without taking their arm off off the wall (this crosses their arms).

A second solution is by replicating a disco inferno action (a late 70's Staying Alive Dance move). Everyone crosses their arms overhead in a disco like turn to cross arms.

Human Puzzle

Choose a person (or two people) to be the leader of a group. Their task is to arrange a group of children into a pattern or shape given verbally by you or on a sheet. For example they could be given a picture of a square and they would need to move their group into a square - using only verbal commands. Pictures could relate to topic in class. Let children know they will all have a opportunity to be the "person in charge", and they will need to use good communication and people skills in order to have classmates follow their directions.

Children in the group need to know that they cannot move without being instructed to by the leader, but they may ask questions. The children may be instructed to either stand up, sit down, or otherwise (safely) move their body parts into the desired  pattern. All students must be involved. Person in charge should try not to point.

Minefield

Scatter equipment all over the floor from one end of the activity area to the other. Have the children work in pairs. One partner wears a blindfold while the other works as a guide to instruct their partner across the minefield. The instructing partner is not to touch their partner at any time. Once they cross the mine field (i.e. activity area) they switch places. If they touch a mine at any time they go back to the beginning. Make harder or easier by adding or subtracting equipment.

Helping Hands Tag

This is like regular tag but when caught a player must sit down on the floor. Explain safety rules such as keeping legs and arms tucked in to ensure no one is hurt while sitting. To be freed this person must be helped up by two others. When someone is holding a hand helping someone up they cannot be caught.

Desert Island

Tell the children that one end of the area is an island and between them and the other island at the other end of the hall is water. Teams are givens three suitable pieces of equipment (hoops, throw down spots etc). The teams must get all members safely across to the other island (i.e the other side of a designated activity area). No one can put a foot in the water, the space in between the islands or they will be carried back to the start.

Mat Dash 

Each team has two mats (instead of the three hoops/spots suggested above) and must get all player to the other side of the hall as above.

Bench Balance

One bench per team. 6-8 children per team.

Children sit on a bench in random order. Children must rearrange themselves alphabetically, according to their names, age, height, birthday etc. All groups must try to remain on their bench during the task. If any child leaves the top of the bench the whole team must start again.

Name Game

All pupils stand in a space. One person closes their eyes and stands in a corner and then one child which you point to leaves the room quietly, everyone else moves to a new space. The person facing the corner has to guess the missing person.

If you have a big class then choose more than one person to close their eyes so that they can help each other to spot the missing person.

Take a Seat

Children stand in a circle, as close together as possible, then turn to face the same direction- eg all facing clockwise. Get the children to take a sidestep in so that they are physically body to body with the children in front - older children might want to be in same sex circles. On three, all children should try to sit! They will find that the person behind will support them, therefore so will the person behind them and so on - weight is evenly distributed!