SNOWBALL ISLAND: Winter K-5 Elementary (Overhand Throwing) PE Game

Discover the excitement of SNOWBALL ISLAND, a truly awesome winter-themed Kindergarten through Fifth Grade PE game. This whole class game focuses on overhand throwing accuracy, while practicing evasion techniques, and improving cardiovascular fitness.

Students will love the winter theme as they attempt to evade safe “snowballs” being thrown by their classmates standing on SNOWBALL ISLAND.

A MUST-HAVE for your PE teacher toolkit. Simply print and keep in your PE binder for a quick, easy, and super fun, go-to activity that students will request again and again, all winter long!

SNOWBALL ISLAND

FULL LESSON PLAN PDF

READY, SET – LET’S PLAY!

EQUIPMENT NEEDED

To play this winter PE game you are going to need a few pieces of equipment including:

4-5 Medium-Sized EXERCISE MATS
MUSIC
Bucket of FAKE INDOOR SNOWBALLS or PAPER WADS or Basket of SMALL, SOFT BALLS

EASY GAME SET-UP

First, place the 4 exercise mats in a square formation (see diagram below). If you have a circle in the middle of your gym, send one student to the middle (SNOWBALL ISLAND) with the bucket of snowballs.

If you don’t have a circle in the middle of your gym, you’ll need to lay down a 5th exercise mat in the middle to act as your SNOWBALL ISLAND. Divide the rest of the students up and send them to stand on the 4 outside mats.

Snowball Island - Game Set-Up PE winter Game

HOW TO PLAY – Snowball Island

Explain to the class that the student in the middle is the SNOWBALL KING OR QUEEN standing on SNOWBALL ISLAND with all of the snowballs. The rest of the students should be evenly spread out on the 4 “safe” islands.

The game begins with music. When the teacher starts the music, all students on the “safe islands” must run (in a counter-clockwise direction) to the next safe island and stop there.

The OBJECT is to make it to the next mat (safe island) without getting hit by a snowball.

The “Snowball King or Queen” overhand throws one snowball as the students are running to the safe islands, trying to hit someone. The teacher pauses the music after about 5-10 seconds. If a runner gets hit with a snowball before they reach the next safe island, they must head to SNOW ISLAND, join the Snow King/Queen, and become a snowball thrower.

When the snowball throwers in the middle are ready, start the music up again and have students run to the next safe island. The game continues until there is only one student/runner left. They win the game and are declared the new Snow King or Queen.

When you play again, that student should start as the new Snow King or Queen in the middle.

GAME TEACHING TIPS

TIP #1: It’s really fun to play the song FROSTY THE SNOWMAN with this game.
TIP #2: To keep the game moving right along, I make a rule where if a student is caught between safe zones and the music stops they automatically must go to the middle and become a snowball thrower. This helps eliminate the students who like to hang out on the “safe zone mats” for just a little too long.
TIP #3: The fake snowballs work the best (order from Amazon) for this game. But, if you don’t have indoor snowballs you can easily just use small, soft balls (Gator Skin Balls work great). You can also use paper wads but, honestly, they don’t work nearly as well as the balls or snowballs.

Snowball Island is Ideal for Kindergarten PE through fifth grade physical education students. It’s such a great whole-class activity that keeps everyone running, throwing, dodging, and most importantly, laughing and having a ball.

And if you loved this winter game, be sure to check out my K-5 ICE SKATING TAG game. You’re students will absolutely love this (sliding) winter PE activity too.

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

GREAT NEWS! You can snag your very own PDF of this awesome SNOWBALL ISLAND WHOLE CLASS 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!