Setting: Curricular
Season: Spring
Activity Goal
Participants practice sending and receiving skills and game strategies while engaging in a fun activity in a spring environment. Participants build healthy relationships and social connections with others while working as a team.
For participant safety, please review the contents of the Beyond the Walls: Safety Considerations page for information on Safety Standards, Spring Safety Considerations, and Outdoor Playing Areas and Surfaces.
Equipment
- 1 ball per group (high bounce foam ball for each group)
- 1 hoop per group
Before Play
- Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
- Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area and share them with participants.
- Divide participants into teams of 2 and then pair up with another team to form a group of 4.
- Provide each group with a hoop and a ball. Have groups place their hoop within the designated playing area, a safe distance from other groups.
- The objective of the game is for teams to serve the ball by bouncing it into the hoop so the other team cannot catch/spike it.
- If the ball hits the rim of the hoop or the other team does not catch/spike the ball, a point is awarded to the serving team. A round of play ends when one team reaches 10 points.
- Have pairs switch to play another team after each round of play.
During Play
Round 1: Serve, Pass, Catch, Serve
One team serves to the other team by bouncing the ball into the hoop. The player receiving the serve, bumps the ball to their partner who catches it and serves it back to the opposing team.
Round 2: Serve, Pass, Catch, Throw/Volley
One team serves to the other team by bouncing the ball into the hoop. The player receiving the serve, bumps the ball to their partner who can elect to catch it and send it back or volley it back without first catching it.
Round 3: Serve, Pass, Spike
One team serves to the other team using an overhand or underhand serve. The player receiving the serve, bumps the ball to their partner who spikes it back to the other team.
After Play
Use the following prompts for participants to reflect on ways to be active in spring and engage others in activities to build a habit of participating in outdoor activities throughout the year.
Question prompts:
- What made it hard to catch the ball versus what made it easier to catch the ball?
- What strategies did you use to maximize your success as a team?
- How did you alter your strategies to adapt to the changes during each round of play?
- How did the outdoor conditions impact your ability to send and receive the ball (e.g., angle of the sun, direction of the wind, surface conditions)?
- What strategies did you use to effectively communicate with your partner?
- How might you adapt this game to play with friends in other outdoor settings for opportunities to engage in physical activity in the spring?
Adaptations
Consider these tips to maximize the challenge and the fun for participants.
- Have participants play one on one against another participant.
- To decrease the challenge, allow the ball to bounce off the ground outside the hoop before a catch.
- To increase the challenge, use a proper volleyball instead of a soft ball.
- Play 2 bounce with a catch and throw.
- Encourage team play, by forming teams of 3 and encourage calling the ball and rotating positions on the court.
Modifications
Consider these tips to maximize inclusion and fun for all participants.
- For participants with mobility challenges, use a larger ball with less bounce.
- Invite participants to consider ways to include all types of movement or speed of play to ensure inclusion and success for all.
- For participants with a visual impairment/blind/low vision, play with a ball that makes noise.
- Invite participants to consider ways to adjust the game's rules so everyone is playing at the same level.
- For participants that are challenged to hit the target, increase the size of the target, using environmentally friendly chalk or cones/pylons to denote the playing area.