Bomb and Shield
Each student secretly picks one classmate as their bomb and another as their shield, then keeps moving so the shield always stays between them and the bomb. The whole group swirls nonstop, building spatial awareness, anticipation and focus.
How to play
- Students spread out in a space about 20 × 20 m (65 × 65 ft). Explain that each person silently picks one bomb and one shield and tells no one (1 min).
- On the signal, everyone walks to a spot where their shield is in a straight line between them and their bomb. Since everyone is moving, they must keep adjusting (1 min).
- Round 2 is a jog for 90 seconds. When the teacher claps, everyone freezes and checks whether their shield really blocks the bomb.
- Round 3 flips the roles: now you are the protector and must stay between your shield person and the bomb, as if guarding them (90 s).
- Round 4 uses defensive slides with bent knees, like basketball defense, for 1 minute.
- To finish, students guess who picked them as a bomb, and the class reveals it by raising hands in turn (1 min).
Rules
- Nobody says who they picked until the end.
- No touching, pushing or holding your shield to move them into place.
- Safety: look where you are going and slow down at crossings.
Variations
Easier
Pick only a bomb, and the challenge is to stay more than 5 m away from that person at all times.
Standard
One secret bomb and one secret shield, with walking, jogging, reversed and defensive-slide rounds.
Harder
Each student picks two bombs and must keep the shield between them and whichever bomb is closer.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student plays in a slightly smaller section where everyone walks and can be chosen as a shield, which is a very active role.
- Autism or shy students: the student chooses their two classmates with the teacher before starting and watches the first round from the sideline.
- Lower fitness: the student plays every round at a fast walk without jogging.
Learning goals
- Track the position of several moving classmates at once.
- Anticipate others' movement to adjust your own position.
- Warm up gradually through a game with no eliminations.
Teacher tip
Early on the group tends to bunch up in the middle: freeze the game and ask why it happens so students discover that spreading out helps. It is a great lead-in to invasion games because it makes students look up without a ball.
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