Gymnastics: Balloon Relay Race

Dick Moss, Editor

Balloon Relay Race

Here's a contest that allows your students to practice basic skills while having a ton of fun.

Setup

Divide your class into small teams and line them up along the edge of a large area of floor or panel mats. Make a start and finish line (10-20 feet apart) using pylons. Each team gets an inflated balloon.

How to Play

The first student on each team taps the balloon up in the air, then performs a gymnastic skill specified by the teacher. This could include log rolls, somersaults, stag jumps or cartwheels. The skill must be completed while the balloon is in the air. The students then catch the balloon, tap it back up and complete the skill again. This continues until they reach the end line. They then run the balloon back to their team and give it to the next player in line.

The first team to finish wins the game.

Reference: Patty Hacker, Eric Malmberg and Jim Nance, Gymnastics Fun and Games, Human Kinetics Publishers, 1996.