3 Easy and Fun Elementary Underhand Throwing PE Games
Discover 3 easy Elementary Underhand Throwing PE Games. Your students will love playing MONEY DOTS, HUNGRY HUNGRY MONSTERS, and BULLSEYE BAGS so much they’ll be begging to play over and over again.
I like to play these games with my PE students as a culmination to my underhand throwing unit after teaching the basic skills of underhand throwing and catching. It also works as a great underhand throwing skill assessment tool and activity.
3 UNDERHAND THROWING PE GAMES
Now, let’s jump in and have some serious fun with these 3 underhand throwing PE games because PE class should be about laughing and learning. First up we have…MONEY DOTS.
MONEY DOTS
This engaging, over-the-top fun, throwing game focuses on basic underhand throwing skills and it also incorporates other key skills including: addition, money counting, teamwork, classroom community and sportsmanship.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
For this game you will need:
- 3-4 HULA HOOPS – different colors
- BEAN BAGS – one for each student in the class
- 20-25 POLY SPOTS
- MONOPOLY or PLAY MONEY of different denominations
GAME SET-UP
Tape Monopoly or fake money to one side of the Poly Spots. Spread Poly Spots on the floor (Money-Side Down) in the middle of the playing area. Divide the students into 3-4 equal teams, giving each student a bean bag and each team a hula hoop. Assign each team one of the four lines to stand behind.
GAME DIRECTIONS – How to Play
Standing behind their team’s line, students practice their underhand throw, using the Poly Spots as their targets. If a student’s bean bag lands anywhere on one of the Poly Spots, they get to run out and grab the Dot, bring it back, and place it in their team’s hula hoop.
The game continues until all of the Poly Spots have been picked up and placed into the hula hoops. Then have the students work together as a team to count up the total amount of money collected. The team with the highest amount is declared the winner.
GAME TIPS
- TIP #1: Depending on the grade/skill level, place the Poly Spots closer or further away from the lines. I also like to strategically place the spots with the highest dollar amounts out the furthest or on smaller Poly Spots.
- TIP #2: For younger students, feel free to use smaller money amounts or you can simply use cards with points (1, 2, 3, etc.) instead of money.
- TIP #3: If you have Beanie Babies, they work great in this game in place of the bean bags and the kids absolutely LOVE THEM! I usually scoop a bunch of them up for super cheap at garage sales in the summer.
HUNGRY, HUNGRY, MONSTERS
Get your elementary pe students smiling and moving with this super fun ‘Hungry Hungry Monsters’ gym game! This easy-to-set-up, high-energy activity is perfect for getting your kids active, engaged, and working on their underhand throwing and catching skills.
Students get to pretend to be hungry monsters waiting to be fed (thrown to) by their classmates. Besides practicing throwing and catching skills, this game offers opportunities for imaginative play, teamwork, hand-eye coordination, and friendly and fun competition.
Additionally, it is the perfect game for teachers to easily assess their students’ throwing and catching skills.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
You will need the following equipment to play this awesome game.
- 4-6 HULA HOOPS – all different colors
- Large bucket filled with SMALL PLASTIC (SOFT) BALLS
- Kids ready to have TONS OF FUN!
GAME SET-UP
Spread the different colored hula hoops out all over the gym. Then, depending on your class size, choose 4-6 students to be the “Hungry Monsters.” The “monsters” should each stand inside their MONSTER HOUSE (colored hula hoop). Place a large bucket filled with the small, soft, balls in the middle of the gym.
GAME DIRECTIONS – How to Play
Explain that the students standing inside of the hula hoops are the friendly, but VERY HUNGRY MONSTERS. However, the hungry monsters only eat one thing – GUMBALLS (small colored balls).
At the start of the game, the teacher dumps the GUMBALLS out onto the gym floor. The remaining students are going to be FEEDING the hungry monsters. They should find a monster that they want to feed, stand in front of them and ask: “ARE YOU HUNGRY?” This is a signal to let the monster get ready for the catch.
When the monster responds “YES” they underhand throw the ball to the monster inside the hula hoop. If the monster catches it, they get to keep it inside of their hula hoop. If they miss the catch, they don’t get to put it into their house (hula hoop).
After playing for a few minutes (about 2), end the round and have all the monsters count up how many GUMBALLS they caught and collected. Then, switch monsters and play as many rounds needed so that everybody gets a chance to be a monster.
GAME TIPS
- TIP #1: It’s fun to have students choose their own special monster name when it’s their turn.
- TIP #2: I also love to play this game with “FOOD SQUISHIES.” This kids love it too.
- TIP #3: This is the perfect game to walk around with your clipboard while the kids are playing and easily assess your students on both “THROWING” and “CATCHING” skills.
BULLSEYE BAGS
The last of the underhand throwing pe games is BULLSEYE BAGS.
This engaging, throwing game, similar to corn hole, focuses on key underhand throwing skills and it also incorporates other student skills including: addition, scorekeeping, classroom community and sportsmanship.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
For this game you will need:
- HULA HOOPS (You’ll need 1 hula hoop per student)
- BEAN BAGS (You’ll need 3 bags per partner group)
- POLY SPOTS – 1 Poly Spot per hula hoop
- SCORECARDS are optional but make the game more challenging and engaging. You can get the full PDF of this lesson plan, color diagrams and scorecards RIGHT HERE.
GAME SET-UP
First, have students get into partner groups. Give each partner group 2 hula hoops, 2 Poly Spots, a Scorecard/Marker (optional) and 3 Bean Bags each.
Have students line up across from each other with a hula hoop with a poly spot in the middle of each hoop next to each student. Place the scorecard/marker on the floor in the middle of the partner group.
GAME DIRECTIONS – How to Play
Partner 1 throws the 3 bean bags using an underhand throw, aiming for the Poly Spot/Bullseye in the center of the hula hoop across from them. If a bean bag lands anywhere on the center PolySpot it is considered a bullseye and worth 3 points.
If their bean bag lands anywhere inside or resting on the hoop it is worth 1 point and zero points if it doesn’t land anywhere in or on the hula hoop. Partner 1 should immediately record his or her score on the scorecard.
Then Partner 2 does the same thing and takes his/her turn. Play continues until one player reaches 21 points and wins the game.
GAME TIPS
- TIP #1: Depending on the grade/skill level, you can easily place the hula hoops closer or further away from each other.
- TIP #2: I often use this as a practice activity & have the kids play by themselves.
- TIP #3: If you can place the hula hoops against a wall, it helps keep them from slipping as much. If not, a piece of clear packaging tape across 2 opposite sides of the hoop, taped to the gym floor, works awesome too.
- TIP #4: I usually put the scorecards in a sleeve protector and use dry erase markers so that I can reuse the scorecards over and over again.
Get ready to level up your PE curriculum with these 3 Underhand Throwing PE Games. With these three underhand throwing pe games, you’ll have the perfect toolkit to make physical education fun and engaging for your little learners.
So, gather your students, lace up those sneakers, and let the underhand throwing fun begin!
GOOD NEWS! You can snag all 3 of these easy-to-print underhand throwing games + colorful learning target statements RIGHT HERE in my (K-5) UNDERHAND THROWING 4 Piece Gym PE BUNDLE.
Have a FABULOUS Day filled with plenty of FUN and FITNESS! See you soon!
Be sure to check out my other unique and fun PE Resources and Games in my Love 2 Teach and Learn TPT store RIGHT HERE!
