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.
SNOWBALL ISLAND – Winter PE Game
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 Instant PE Game Binder for a quick, easy, and super fun, go-to activity that students will request again and again, all winter long!
SNOWBALL ISLAND
Snowball Island is also included in my 3 Resource WINTER PE GAME BUNDLE. You can check that out RIGHT HERE.
Hi there, it’s so great to meet you! I’m Mrs. T. (Love 2 Teach and Learn) or you can call me Jen – a Michigan mom, wife, new grandma (aka “Jemma”) and K-12 PE teacher who has also taught Kindergarten, 3rd, and 6th grades.
I love teaching PE class because I get to spend time telling silly jokes and exercising while laughing with my students.
READY, SET – LET’S PLAY!
Snowball Island 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
- *OPTIONAL – Large Soft Playground or Bouncy Ball (Magic Snowball)
EASY GAME SET-UP
FIRST, place the 4 exercise mats in a square formation (see diagram below).
NEXT, 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.
THEN, Divide the rest of the students up as evenly as you can.
FINALLY, send them to stand on the 4 outside mats – safe islands.
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 or mats.
The game begins with fun 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, or two, (you decide) snowballs 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 SNOWBALL ISLAND, join the Snowball King/Queen, and become a snowball thrower with them.
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 Snowball King or Queen.
When you play again, that student should start as the new Snowball King or Queen in the middle.
FUN EXTRA 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.
These are the snowballs that I get from Amazon.
- TIP #4: I recently started sending the Snowball King/Queen to the middle with a giant soft ball, calling it the “Magic snowball” and allowing them to throw that instead of the fake snowballs. It works especially well with the younger grades and helps them to get someone to “Snowball Island” to help them a bit quicker.
- TIP #5: I also like to play a version where if a student catches a snowball while they are running to a “safe Island” they get to free one person from Snowball Island and get them back in the game.
This Winter PE Game really is “SNOW” much fun!
Snowball Island is Ideal for Kindergarten PE through fifth grade physical education students.
It’s such a great overhand throwing 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 SNOWBALL ATTACK, as well as my K-5 ICE SKATING TAG game. You’re students will absolutely love these winter PE activities too.
So, why not blast some “clean” and upbeat PE music and bring the excitement of SNOWBALL ISLAND to your gymnasium TODAY!
Don’t Forget! 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.
Mrs. T’s K-5 PE GAMES “Always Growing” BUNDLE
And if you want the absolute BIGGEST BANG FOR YOUR BUCK, SNOWBALL ISLAND, is also included in my “ALWAYS GROWING K-5 PE Game GROWING BUNDLE too!
You can snag my Physical Education HUGE GROWING BUNDLE Right Here!
Hey – Thanks so much for stopping by today. I really appreciate it and I hope that you have a TRULY BLESSED And BEAUTIFUL Day!
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!
