Ice Cream Relay

This is an activity I like to play as a warm-up with all elementary grades or as a main lesson with my younger grades.  We have fun sharing what our favorite ice cream flavors are and seeing who can collect the most scoops of ice cream!

Activity Goal:  Students fill their empty basket (bowl) with balls (ice cream scoops) while practicing locomotor movements, balance, and eye-hand coordination.

Motor Concepts:  Balance, eye-hand coordination, locomotor skills.

Equipment:  Cardboard paper towel tubes, baskets for each student or team, lots of small balls (plastic, yarn, foam, etc.), cones, poly spots.  I like to use the ball pit balls the best for this activity.

Set up:  Place a cone or ploy spot for each student or team at one end of the play area.  Have a basket for each student or team next to their spot or cone.   Place all of the balls at the other end of the play area.  The can be scattered on the floor, or in baskets.

Procedure: Divide students into teams if necessary and have students stand on a spot ready to start.  Give each student or team a paper towel tube.  On the start signal the student performs a locomotor movement to the pile of balls (“ice cream shop”),chooses one ball (“scoop of ice cream”), balances the ball on the paper towel tube and moves back to their base and drops the ball in their basket.  If the “ice cream scoop” falls off in route to the basket, you can have the student go back and start over, or have them pick up and replace it and continue where they left off.  Continue playing for a given amount of time or until all the balls are collected.

Low Variations:  Shorten the distance the student has to travel with the “ice cream.”  Use larger or smaller balls. Allow student to use their free hand to balance the ball on the "cone". 

High Variations:  Lengthen the distance the student has to travel with the “ice cream.”  Have student count how many scoops of “ice cream” they have.  Have students perform various locomotor movements as they move to get a ball.  Have students move backwards, sideways, on their knees, etc. while balancing a ball on their tube.

Informal Questions: Is the student able to balance the ball on the roller?  Is the student able to move while balancing the ball on the roller?