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Hot LAVA RIVER RUN: K-2 (Balance Agility Leaping) PE Game

Unleash the excitement of the LAVA RIVER RUN in your elementary PE classes! This super fun, high-energy gym activity is perfect for getting your Kindergarten, First Grade and Second grade PE students moving, laughing, and learning.

Hot Lava River Run

Students will have an absolute BLAST as they use the gym floor to navigate through an imaginary ‘lava river’ by hopping from one ‘safe spot’ to the next, avoiding the ‘hot lava’ all around them.

This game gives students plenty of opportunities to work together as a team while they improve their balance, agility, hopping, leaping and counting (math) skills.

LAVA RIVER RUN

FULL LESSON PLAN PDF

Hot Lava River Run - Team Balance, Agility, Leaping PE Game

READY, SET – LET’S PLAY!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

Hot Lava River Run - Equipment

To play this Hot Lava River Run game you are going to need just a few pieces of equipment including:

  • Several POLY SPOTS – about 50-75 (I like to use mostly yellow, red, and orange hot spots)
  • Different Colored BUCKETS – One for each team
  • Large Bucket filled with PLASTIC GOLD COINS
  • Kids ready to have SO MUCH FUN!

EASY GAME SET-UP

Divide the class into equal teams (2-4 students per team works best). Have students line up behind the gym end line with their teams. Assign each team a color and then give each team a bucket that matches their team color.

Spread the PolySpots out in a path – the length of the gym floor. Then, place the bucket with the gold or colored plastic coins on the opposite end line.

Hot Lava River Run

HOW TO PLAY – Hot Lava River Run

Explain to the students that the gym floor is the “LAVA RIVER” and the POLY SPOTS are the only “SAFE SPOTS.” When the game begins the first student in line should leap from spot to spot without touching the gym floor (falling into the lava river).

Explain to the students that the OBJECT OF THE LAVA RIVER RUN game is to make it safely across to the bucket with the gold coins without losing their balance and “falling into the lava river.”

The students get “one life” or “one mess-up” each time they cross, meaning if they fall off of the poly spot and touch the gym floor one time they can keep going, however, if they fall into the “lava river” twice during one trip down the river they must go back to the start and begin again.

Once they have successfully made it across, the student grabs one coin from the bucket and then runs it back and drops the coin into their team’s bucket. The next person in line now gets to leap through the lava river. Play until there are no coins left in the bucket.

Finally, have the students work together with their team to count up their collected coins.

Kindergarten PE Games
Hot Lava River Run Team Game

GAME TEACHING TIPS

  • TIP #1: I like to make a rule where once a student makes it to the coin bucket they CAN NOT run back through the lava river to drop off their coin. Instead, students should run along the far ends of the gym (that way nobody runs into each other and all students are moving in the same direction).
  • TIP #2: A fun song to play during this game is: THE FLOOR IS LAVA by NIVIRO
  • TIP #3: You can find the gold coins at almost any party store. If you don’t have coins, you can use Unifix Cubes which are actually much easier to count at the end.

So, why not blast some “clean” and upbeat PE music and bring the excitement of LAVA RIVER RUN to your gymnasium TODAY!

GREAT NEWS! You can snag your very own PDF of this awesome LAVA RIVER RUN PE Game RIGHT HERE! It’s also a very easy lesson plan to leave for a substitute teacher. Just print off, gather the equipment and you’re good to go. So much FUN!

Thanks for stopping by today. I really appreciate it and I hope that you have a TRULY BLESSED And BEAUTIFUL Day!

11 Elementary PE Games Super Bundle

Be sure to check out my other unique and fun PE Gym Resources and Games in my Love 2 Teach and Learn TPT store RIGHT HERE!

Love 2 Teach and Learn
Mrs. T.


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