Source: Education World 2003

The activities in this article are whole-class activities that could be part of a fun field day.

For additional field day activities, see this week's lessons that offer field day ideas for individual students or small-group/team relays.

Balloonathon. Provide each class with a length of string or yarn 50 feet long. (Younger students might use a shorter strand.) Tie together the two loose ends of the yarn, and arrange it on the ground to form a large circle. Arrange students evenly inside the circle and provide each class with a balloon. Explain to students that they must hit or tap their balloon to keep it aloft as long as possible. The team's time ends when the balloon touches the ground or any part of a player's body touches the ground outside the circle. You might give students a couple of practice rounds to help them learn how to control the balloon before the official class-vs.-class competition begins. All classes might do this activity at the same time or, if there are multiple classrooms at each grade level, you might do one grade level competition at a time.

Beanbag Horseshoes. Set up a game area as you would to play horseshoes; instead of setting up stakes, however, lay two Hula Hoops on the ground about 15 to 25 feet apart. (The distance can vary by grade level.) Arrange students into two groups and station each group behind one of the hoops. One at a time, students in one group toss a beanbag toward the hoop at the opposite end of the playing area. Students earn 2 points for each beanbag that lands in the hoop, and 1 point for each beanbag touches the hoop but is not completely inside it. Tally that group's score, then let the other team play. If the teams are two different classes from the same grade, the team with the highest score wins. If the teams are from the same class, add their points together to get a class total.

Hoop Monster. At the beginning of this game, one student holds a Hula Hoop and stands in the middle of an area roughly the size of a basketball court. The other students line up at one end of the court. At a signal, students attempt to walk, run, or otherwise move to the other end of the court. As students move across the court, the "Hoop Monster" tries to catch them by gently snaring them in the hoop. Each student who is caught is given a hoop and named an "Assistant Hoop Monster." When all the students who are not caught reach the other side, another signal is given and students try to move back across the court. Students move back and forth across the court in that manner until all are caught by the Hoop Monsters. How long does it take to capture all the students? (For a variation on this game, and for more hoop games, see the Five Things To Do With a Hoop Web Page from Ayden Elementary School in Pitt County, North Carolina.)

Kids vs. Teachers Volleyball. Make a volleyball -- or basketball -- team comprised of the oldest students in your school. That student team will play a game against a team of teachers. (If your school is a primary school, the teacher team might have to play sitting down or on their knees!) To make the game more interesting, students will love it if you turn the volleyball match into a game of Water Balloon Volleyball.

Musical Hoops. This all-class activity is played like musical chairs; the only difference is that students walk around hoops arranged on the ground instead of around chairs. As the game begins, there should be one less hoop than there are students. Students march around the hoops as the music plays. When the music stops, each student must find an empty hoop to jump into. (If two students ended up in the same hoop, the student who touched a foot in the hoop first is awarded the position in the hoop and the other student is eliminated.) The hoop-less student sits off to the side as another hoop is removed and the music starts again…

Ring-On-The-String. Use the string or yarn from the Balloonathon activity above for this activity. Put a ring (a shower curtain ring will work well) on the string, tie the ends of the string or yarn together, and arrange the string into a circle. Students see how quickly they can pass the ring around the circle. Young students might pass the ring around the circle twice; older students might go for five cycles. The fastest team at each grade level is declared the winner. (See additional activities at Unusual Relay Races from funandgames.org.)

Teacher Sled Race. This activity requires a cheap plastic sled. A teacher sits on a sled with a rope attached to it. Students pull the teacher a specified distance. (The distance will vary depending upon grade.) How long does it take each team of students to pull the teacher to the finish line? Announce each team's time at the award ceremony. (See additional whole-class activities at Field Day from Susan's Physical Education Site.)

Water Balloon Volleyball. Add a little excitement to volleyball games by playing with water balloons instead of volleyballs! The rules are the same and the game is the same -- it's just wetter!

Make the game even more interesting. Instead of using their hands, have students hold onto a large sheet. When the balloon comes over the net, students catch it in the sheet and then flip the sheet to send the balloon back over the net.