Step One

Equipment: How to Make Balloon Racquets for Your Physical Education Classes

Dick Moss

Here's how to make inexpensive balloon racquets using coat hangers, old panty hose, and some masking or athletic tape. It takes only a few minutes to produce each racquet.

Construction Instructions

Step Two

Pull the bottom of the coat hanger until it forms a diamond shape.
Using your hand or some pliers, straighten the hook.
Pull one leg of the panty hose over the racquet until the tip of the toes are tight against the tip of the racquet. This will form a nice bouncy surface.
Wrap the rest of the panty hose (i.e. the other leg) around the handle of the hanger.
Wrap the handle with tape and voila - you have a racquet your students can use to bounce balloons either to themselves or to partners.

How to Make a Rebound Racquet
You can easily turn your coat hanger racquet into

Step Three

a balloon rebounder.

Blow up a balloon until it is three quarters full of air.
Tie it off and tie a short length of yarn, string or ribbon around the bottom of the balloon.
Tie the other end of the yarn to the handle of the racket. Or make a little hole in the top of the racket and fasten the yarn there.

Children can then hit the balloon - when it reaches the end of the yarn they should jerk it back so the balloon returns for another hit.

Step Four

Finished Racquet

References

1. Guy Bailey, The Ultimate Homeschool Physical Education Game Book,
Educators Press, 2013.

2. Marianne Torbert, "Growing as One Plays With a Balloon," Teaching Elementary Physical Education, November 2006.

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