I have written several blogs (which you can find here, here, and here) about the Invent a Sport Lesson series. It is a versatile set of lessons that accomplish several things. If you want to teach the engineering method, this is the perfect complement to your PE class. Some schools have a fair that celebrates inventors or inventions, and it should be obvious how this lesson series would correlate for integration. For PE teachers who do not integrate topics from the classroom, these lessons can be used to create unique games that can be used for traditions such as Field Day. They could at least be added to your lesson plan repertoire. Students would get a big kick from knowing a game they invented would be played well after graduation. If you wanted to make it a contest to see which class could invent the best sport, that could be a fun way to build school spirit.
The Invent a Sport Lesson Series involves manipulating playing areas, identifying sport-specific materials, initial idea generation, creating prototypes, testing, retesting, and finally, codifying the rule set so others can play the game. This is a multi-week lesson series, which is nice when you get to that point in the year where you count down the days. If you decide to use the invented games within your field day, having the kids introduce and referee each other as they play each other’s games would be a fun way to build school camaraderie, especially if you have older students teaching younger students.
Here are four examples of games that upper elementary students invented. They were created over a six-week span of time that integrated with an Inventor’s Fair happening in the classroom. Afterward, they played each other’s games and voted on which one was their favorite. Funny enough, every game involved scooters somehow, which means I need to do more games with scooters! Our play setting was a gymnasium, but this could easily be done in an outside environment. Feel free to use these if you think your students would like the games. If you do indeed use them, please let me know if your students enjoyed them so I can pass that along to the students who invented these games!
Sport #1
· The basic gameplay resembles “Sharks and Minnows.”
· The tagging team (sharks) are on scooters and have pool noodles. The running team (minnows) are on foot.
· The ratio of runners to taggers should be about 4:1.
· The running team gets a point for every player that makes it across without getting tagged.
· If the running team gets 100 points (five times the number of runners), they win the game.
· Taggers freeze runners with their pool noodles by touching them as they run across the gym.
· If a runner gets tagged, they are frozen for the remainder of the round. Runners can attempt to save them in the next round.
· During the next round, if a runner tags a frozen runner, they have rescued them. The previously frozen player gets a free walkback. However, the player who did the unfreezing is not safe and needs to dodge tags like usual.
· If the frozen player tags a scooter player on the body, they unfroze themselves. The frozen player must keep their feet in place but can bend over to make the tag. This is an anti-puppy guarding rule.
· If a runner is frozen for two rounds in a row, they become a scooter player.
· If the scooter team doubles their number of players from the beginning of the game before the running team can get 100 points, the scooter team wins.
Sport #2
· The basic gameplay resembles Capture the Flag (which are footballs). There are three footballs per team.
· A team wins when they have possession of all six footballs in their safety area. Even if a ball is being held by an invader from the other team, the game is over if all six balls are in a safe zone.
· Each team has two to three players sitting on scooters holding pool noodles, and the rest are standing.
o The scooter players play defense by tagging opponents, which sends them to jail. They also help capture thrown flags.
o Scooter players cannot go into the other team’s territory. Only invader players can.
o Standing players are offensive players or invaders. They try to get to the flags to throw them across or save jailed teammates.
o Defenders and Invaders are allowed to switch roles during gameplay.
· The flags are located at the end of each playing area, called a “safe zone.” Defenders cannot cross into the area where the flags are located. When an invader makes it inside, they cannot be tagged as long as they have a flag.
o If an invader does not have a flag, they can be tagged by a scooter player who keeps their scooter outside the safe zone by reaching in with their pool noodle. When the invader picks up a football, they are immune from being tagged by the pool noodle.
· When an invader has a flag, they can either try to run it out to their side, or they can try and throw it to a teammate on a scooter. They can throw the ball to a teammate on the invading side if it does not travel forward (football lateral).
o If they run it out and get tagged by a scooter, they put the football back and go to jail.
o The flag is captured if they throw the ball and it is caught by a defender teammate. However, the invader is now unsafe and must leave the safe zone. They cannot pick up another ball immediately. They must return to their side and invade again to pick up another ball.
o If the thrown ball is missed, the invader who threw it retrieves the ball, brings it back to the safety zone, and proceeds to jail.
· If an invader decides to free someone from jail and they have a flag, they must put it down first. Then, the invader tags a player in jail to save them. They both get free walkbacks.
Sport #3
· This is a polo-style sport combined with aspects of ultimate frisbee. The main players are on scooters, and the perimeter players are standing up. They use a soccer ball. There are two goals defended by goalies. If your goals are large, they can stand, and if they are small, the goalies should be on scooters.
· Depending on the class size, the main playing area should be around five versus five players on scooters, two goalies, and four pairs of perimeter players, each playing a quarter of the sideline.
· When a scooter player has the ball, they may spin around but not move their scooter in any direction. This is essentially pivoting, but they are not allowed to move. A scooter player without the ball can move wherever they like.
· Scooter players are not allowed to use their feet to move the ball. If they do so, it is a turnover.
· If a “jump ball” happens, the ball always goes to the defender. Opposing scooter players must give space for this player to throw the ball but can guard the receivers. Once the pass is made, gameplay goes back to normal.
· Each sideline has two pairs of standing players who can travel up and down their half of the sideline. Each pair is made up of one player from each team. Sideline players cannot cross the sideline into the main game. However, they can pass and shoot like a player on a scooter as long as they stay behind the perimeter line.
· When a goal is scored, perimeter and scooter players switch roles with their teammates.
Sport #4
· This is a full-court dodgeball-style game. One team is the throwing team, and one team is the defending team. They alternate roles after each round.
· The throwing team places their players around the court in strategic places where they sit for the round. One throwing team player is on a scooter, and they can move, and one player is the reloader. The loader gives dodgeballs to sitting players as well as the scooter player. The loader cannot throw any dodgeballs.
o The loader is potentially the most essential player in the game.
· The defending team tries to avoid being hit by a dodgeball for one minute. If they are hit, they are out. However, if a thrown ball is caught by a defender, all hit players immediately reenter the game.
· Headshots don’t count.
· At the end of the round, the number of hit players is the score for that round. The teams switch roles and play again.