Setting: Intramurals
Season: Winter
Activity Goal
Participants engage in a fun activity in a winter environment to build healthy relationships and social connections with others and for additional opportunities to be active throughout the school day.
For participant safety, please review the contents of the Beyond the Walls: Safety Considerations page for information on Safety Standards, Winter Safety Considerations, and Outdoor Playing Areas and Surfaces.
Equipment
- Balls (elephant skin, volleyball, rugby ball, soccer, football)
- Hoops
- Mini pylons
- Pool noodles
- Relay objects (baton, rubber chicken, noodle, bean bags)
Preparation
Plan ahead by identifying and generating ideas through planning sessions with intramural student leaders to identify fun games that provide opportunities for mass participation and can be adapted for play outside during winter. Have intramural leaders consider:
- Available equipment suitable for outdoor winter use
- Available outdoor spaces
- Structures and natural elements
- Station-based events to promote participation
- Rules and safety standards for the activity area and their games
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.
How to Play
Winter Triathlon ideas for activity leaders could include:
- Relay Race - Participants traverse a course using different movements from traditional winter pursuits (e.g., snowshoe lunge, slalom hops, ski strides), while passing an object to teammates at designated intervals.
- Snow Bowling - Create a target in the snow with small cones inside a hoop. Identify a fowl line. Teams bowl a ball to hit the cones and knock them down or out of the hoop.
- Noodle Ball - Draw lines at each end of the playing area to mark end zones. Participants use pool noodles to pass a ball, attempting to score a goal by hitting their ball over the opponent's end zone.
- Divide participants into equal groups to promote fun, friendly play and maximum participation.
- Encourage participants to provide feedback on the event by reflecting on how participating in daily physical activity outside in winter makes them feel, what they enjoyed most, and what they might enjoy in the future to continue participating in Winter Intramurals.
Adaptations
Consider these tips to maximize the challenge and the fun for participants.
- Invite participants to determine a game's point system or adapt the games to make them more challenging.
- Have participants attempt to pass several objects at the same time.
- Adapt the playing area to accommodate the number of participants.
Modifications
Consider these tips to maximize inclusion and fun for all participants.
- Connect with provincial Paralympic organizations to access equipment, resources, and adaptations to your activities.
- Consider inclusive approaches to increase or decrease the challenge to find a role for every participant and to encourage full participation.
- Invite participants to consider ways to reduce movement or movement speed around the playing area to ensure inclusion and success for all.
- For participants with mobility challenges, adjust the game's rules and invite the whole group to think of a way to make the game more static, so everyone is playing at the same level.