Beat Our Own Trip Record

During a song, the whole class makes there-and-back trips carrying beanbags from one basket to another, and at the end we count how many beanbags made the trip. We repeat it three times to beat the group record, not anyone's personal score, practicing endurance, a shared goal and handling the feelings of trying again.

How to play

1. Put a full basket of beanbags on one side and an empty one about 25 feet away, with five short lines behind cones (2 min).
2. The teacher explains: “Each trip is one beanbag; the more we move together, the bigger our record” (1 min).
3. First song: each child carries a beanbag, comes back and high-fives the next child; afterward we count the beanbags together and record them with chalk tally marks on the ground (4 min).
4. Talk briefly: “How can we move more?” (go right away, don't stop to watch, cheer each other on) (2 min).
5. Second and third songs of the same length; we count and compare the tallies with our previous record (4 min).
6. Celebrate our best record with a made-up class cheer, and if we didn't beat it, we say “Next time!” (2 min).

Rules

• I carry one beanbag each trip.
• I high-five so my friend can go.
• The record belongs to the whole class.
• If we don't beat it, we try another day and don't get upset.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the child has a shorter path and their trips count the same.
• Autism: explain beforehand that there will be three tries and the result may go up or down.
• Hearing impairment: signal the end of the song visually and count tallies by pointing to them.

Learning goals

• Keep up effort for several minutes.
• Set and compare a group goal.
• Stay calm when we don't beat a result.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Beanbags: 25
• Baskets: 2
• Cones: 10
• Chalk: 1
• Music

Teacher tip

Pick a 90-second song and always use the same one. The big mistake is comparing lines: always count the beanbags together in the basket, never by line.

More activities like this

More main activities for Elementary