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Ball Games

Branball or brennball: catch the ball
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Catching - Running - Dodging – Passing on to - Playing along

Like in the last week presented program for June / July “Lawn Games” (without a ball) you can include a ball in lawn games. They are also called Ball Games, in the category Group Programs for Outside, easy to play on the lawn or a mowed meadow. However, some of the games listed below can also be carried out without any playfield.

Dodgeball
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What are the benefits, what is so special about ball games? Why are so many children and young people alike so enthusiastic about one or the other ball game? I think several characteristics become effective. Kids can demonstrate several skills while they can acquire additional skills at the same time. That makes ball games attractive and educationally valuable.

Here are just a few keywords which commonly are mentioned with ball games: Speed, skill, agility, responsiveness, ball technique, ball control, team spirit, working together (cooperation and communication), tactics, gross- and fine-motor skills.

Besides the well-known team- and field games there are skill games for station games, or ball relay games as well. With the examples below, you can easily fill 2 – 3 hours of your group session; all games involve a ball. If you really want the easy way out and indeed have no whatsoever ideas, you still can play football with the kids every time. However, if that happens not to be a football club, kids will get bored soon.

So, I just hope that the following examples are exciting enough to organise a varied ball games evening.

Field Games

Football: you can play that from 3 kids up – all play against the goal

Football - soccer
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Soccer
Soccer
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Volleyball: particularly popular is beach volleyball
Dodgeball: to really have fun with this game, 5 – 8 kids are necessary for each team. Agility, responsiveness, tactics, teamwork, throwing and catching are important skills with this game.
Kickball: for this game speed, throwing and catching are high in demand.
Ball in the air: one child throws the ball in the air and calls out a name. This respective child catches the ball and says: “Stop.” Until the kid actually says “stop” the other child (which threw the ball) can run as far as possible. The player with the ball now goes 3 big steps toward the player in the middles and tries to kick him off with the ball. This middle player is not allowed to run away but may dodge the ball by moving his body.

Ball in the air
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Rugby: A Rugby ball or an old football has to be carried into the opponent’s goal. This is a wild wrestling and running game, depending on the rules and their interpretation.

Skill Games

Balancing on a rope: 2 ropes are stretched out next to each other. The objective is to roll the ball back and forth. How many times can each candidate do this?
Catching the ball with a bowel: from a 2-3 meters distance, a ball is thrown to a teammate. The objective is to catch the ball with a bowel

Ball target throwing
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Skills with a ball
Ball skills: neck, feet, knees
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Ball skills: neck, feet, knees
Throwing: a classic game for every summer Olympics is the long throw
Target throwing with open arms: from a 3-4-meter distance one player throws the ball to a teammate, whose objective it is to catch the ball with open arms.
Catching: from a 10-meter distance balls are thrown and have to be caught. However, the objective is that the ball is not allowed to touch the ground. Good throwers and catchers are in demand here.
Kicking off: the objective is to kick off other players with the ball or, like the can shooting, kicking off objects from a certain distance.

long range shot
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Long shot: Who can shoot the farthest "tee"? For this task, you need a tape measure to measure the distance from the starting line to where the ball hits the ground.

Relay Race Games

Transporting a ball on a teaspoon - the famous egg run only with the ball
Pushing a ball with your head – can also be played as a wheelbarrow race

With a cloth catapulting, catching and laying down - balls (water-filled balloons are possible too) are catapulted from team to team. The objective is to catch the ball with a stretched-out towel and then place the ball into a container. Of course, the balls are not allowed to fall to the ground.

Jammed in-between: a relay race for two. The objective is to jam a ball between them (a balloon will do as well) and run this way. The smaller the ball the harder the game becomes. If the ball falls to the ground, the team has to go back to the starting point.
Lifting over and crawling below. The ball is passed on from child to child over the head. As soon as the ball comes to the last person, the kids spread their legs, and the last person has to crawl between the legs of his teammates to the front (with the ball). Then the process starts all over again. Which team can finish this relay game first?

Other suitable lawn games:

These and other ideas are in the category lawn and ball games: Various classic ball games on the lawn
Lawn Relay Racing Games
or games with tyres & inner tubes: Games with inner tubes – car tyres – rings
or: The Earth Ball game