TGfU Category: Target Games
Locations: gymnasium, outdoor space (e.g., field, tarmac)
Game/Sport Connections
Target games are activities in which players send an object toward a target while avoiding any obstacles. By playing these games, participants develop skills and tactics to play other target games or games that require the application of similar skills, concepts, and strategies (e.g., archery, bocce, bowling, croquet, curling, golf, horseshoes, shuffleboard, Snow Snake).
Activity Overview
Participants learn about and practise sending an object farther than their group members.
Key Movement Skills, Concepts, and Strategies
Throughout the activity, consider highlighting the following skills, concepts, and strategies for effectively sending an object toward a target. Note that this list is not exhaustive and further learning opportunities may arise during the task.
Movement Skills and Concepts
- Manipulation skills and effort awareness: applying an appropriate force to send the object in a specific direction (e.g., sliding the stick with a controlled force so that it goes farther)
- Body awareness: knowing what parts of the body move and how to move them (e.g., bending the body into a low position while moving the arm and flicking the wrist to slide the stick across the floor).
Movement Strategies
Activity appreciation: learning about the game and appreciating the game’s structure, rules, and skills needed to participate successfully (e.g., taking turns to slide the stick, using greater force to send it farther).
Considerations
- Incorporate some or all of the variations listed in the “Variations” section while planning the activity. This will help to best meet the diverse backgrounds, identities, needs, and interests of participants and maximize the fun, inclusion, participation, and success of everyone.
- To elevate participant voice and choice, periodically pause the activity and share the variations with participants. Ask them to determine how they would like to change the activity to maximize the fun, inclusion, meaningful participation, and success for everyone. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.
Equipment
- 1 floor marker per participant (e.g., pylon, rubber/vinyl spot, beanbag, piece of floor/painter’s tape)
- 1 object per group to mark the sending line (e.g., cone, pylon, floor marker, skipping rope, floor chalk)
- 1 stick per group (e.g., twig, wooden craft stick, dowel rod)
Safety
- Inspect the equipment and activity area to identify and remove hazards. Check that the activity surface provides sufficient traction.
- Establish the boundaries for the designated playing area at a safe distance from walls and obstacles. Share the boundaries with participants.
- Review the safety rules and activity instructions with participants prior to the activity.
- Instruct participants to be aware of their surroundings, including the locations of other participants during play.
How to Play
- Divide participants into small groups (e.g., 2 – 4). Note that the game can be set up for parallel play.
- Each group has a stick (e.g., twig, wooden craft stick, dowel rod).
- Each participant has a floor marker (e.g., pylon, rubber/vinyl spot, beanbag, piece of floor/painter’s tape) to mark their distance.
- Groups establish their sending line within their designated playing area.
- Participants begin at their sending line and take turns sliding their stick along the floor/ground by placing the stick on the floor/ground and pushing it forward.
- Participants mark the distance they slide their stick using their floor marker.
- Once all participants have had a turn, they retrieve their floor markers and play again, trying to slide their stick farther than they did during the previous round.
- After a period of play, provide participants with some or all of the variations. Ask them to decide how they might change the game to enhance their fun, challenge, and success. Encourage participants to add any variations of their own.
- Consider having groups share their variations and select another variation to try with their group.
Video: Visual Depiction of the Activity Instructions
Pause for Learning
Throughout the activity, ask open-ended questions to help participants refine their movement skills, strategies, and tactical solutions. Examples include:
- What are the various ways you position your body to help you slide your stick the farthest distance?
- How does being the first participant to slide your stick across the floor/ground impact how you play?
- How could you play this game with a different object?
- What might you change about your body position or the force you use to send/slide your stick?
- Which games or sports have you played or know about that use similar rules and strategies to the ones used in this game?
Variations
- Use 3 slides for each turn and mark the farthest distance.
- Have a variety of objects that participants can choose to slide (e.g., beanbags, flying discs, plastic hockey pucks).
- Add a target for participants to practise aim and accuracy.
