With Great Games for Big Activity Balls, you can
choose from a variety of games to use in school, recreation, or fitness settings—or anywhere you work with youths or adults;
use the easy-to-read game format to quickly get on with the games; and
get your group involved in having fun while being active.
Authors Todd Strong and Bernie DeKoven believe that, when it comes to games and activities, the bigger the ball, the bigger the fun! In Great Games for Big Activity Balls, they present 73 games for big activity balls, with more than 70 variations of physical activities and games that have two common themes: fun and physical activity.
This book is ideal for anyone who works with kids, including physical educators, recreation and youth leaders, and fitness professionals. But the fun is not restricted by age, because these games are for people of all ages and all abilities in a variety of settings. And because of its easy-to-read and easy-to-use format, you can pick up Great Games for Big Activity Balls, and quickly get on with your first game!
The authors include games you can use in the gym, outdoors, or for special events, with a focus on getting everyone involved and having fun. Variety is an ingredient of fun, so they offer games in seven distinct areas:
1. Cooperative games that are designed only for play with big balls
2. Adaptations of several sports, including baseball, soccer, and basketball
3. Modified traditional playground games
4. Wild and wacky track and field adaptations
5. Guinness Book of World Record games, where you can set world records, or at least have a blast trying
6. Giant carnival games that spin off of carnival games and rides
7. Water games that are sure to make a big splash with your group
The authors pack plenty of fun in this book. But they also include all you need to know in order to safely use and care for your big activity balls, and they provide
guidelines on leading the games and knowing what to look for (and where to look) when purchasing big activity balls. They also offer numerous illustrations and photos, showing you not only how portions of the games are played but how much fun the players are having—just to whet your appetite for getting out there and playing the games with your own group!
Big activity balls are spectacular, attract people, and just look like fun for all ages. Big Activity Ball Games, offers fresh, often downright hilarious ways to promote physical activity.
Part I. Learning About Big and Activity Balls
Chapter 1. Big Activity Ball Games: Huge Benefits, Huge Fun
Chapter 2. The Nuts and Bolts of Using a Big Activity Ball
Part II. Learning the Games
Chapter 3. Big Cooperative Games: Activities Designed for Big Play
Chapter 4. Super Sports: Traditional Games Played in a Big Way
Chapter 5. Humongous Playground Games: Large-Scale Versions of Favorite Childhood Activities
Chapter 6. Big Athletic Games: Large Track-and-Field Events
Chapter 7. Ginormous World-Record Challenges: Using Your Big Activity Ball to Earn a Place in History
Chapter 8. Very Big Midways: Giant Carnival Games
Chapter 9. Making a Big Splash: Playing Water Games With a Big Activity Ball
About the Authors
Todd Strong, MSc, MEd, is an instructor for Surrey College in British Columbia, where he teaches courses in play, activity planning, and child development. As program director and lead trainer for the New Games Foundation, he has traveled throughout North America conducting play sessions and workshops and collecting and trying out hundreds of games in a variety of settings with many types of playgroups.
Strong was the lead author for Parachute Games With DVD, published by Human Kinetics, and he has also authored several instructional books on object-manipulation activities and on juggling (he is a columnist for Juggle magazine). He enjoys juggling, music, and bicycling in his spare time.
Bernie DeKoven, MA, has been active for 40 years in bringing innovation to recreation. He is the author of multiple books, including Junkyard Sports (Human Kinetics, 2005), which demonstrates innovative practices in creative play. He codirected the New Games Foundation, where he and others created numerous games to be played with an earth ball—a six-foot-diameter ball. DeKoven has a lifetime membership in the Association for Study and Play. In 2006 he received the Iffny-Reynolds Award for outstanding work in the field of fun. His work blends with his play: He spends his leisure time inventing new games, modifying old games, and teaching people how to have more fun.