Egg and Spoon Relay
A classic field-day race where students carry a ball on a spoon without dropping it. It builds balance, posture control while moving and patience, mixing speed with precision.
How to play
- Set up 5 lanes 35 ft long with a start cone and a turn cone. Make 5 teams of 5 in a line behind the start. Each team has a spoon and a ping-pong ball.
- Practice (3 min): each student walks with the ball on the spoon, first with the hand close to the body and then with the arm extended.
- Relay: on the signal, the first player speed-walks to the turn cone, goes around it and returns to hand the spoon and ball to the next player, without touching the ball.
- If the ball falls, the player stops, picks it up, puts it back on the spoon and continues from the same spot.
- Play 4 relays of about 2 minutes, changing the way of moving: walking, sideways, with the non-dominant hand or around obstacles.
- Scoring: 2 points to the first team and 1 point to every team that finishes with no drops.
Rules
- No touching the ball with your hand while moving.
- If the ball falls you must stop and pick it up: speed-walk, don't run.
- Hand off behind the start line.
- Safety: look ahead, not just at the spoon, to avoid crashing into other lanes.
Variations
Easier
Use a large serving spoon or a crumpled paper ball, which rolls less.
Standard
Regular spoon, ping-pong ball and a 35 ft course.
Harder
Add obstacles: step through a hoop, weave around cones or step up and down a low step.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student does the course in a wheelchair with the spoon attached to the armrest or using a small tray.
- Autism: show a drawing of the course and let the student practice alone before the team relay.
- Lower balance skills: allow holding the spoon with both hands.
Learning goals
- Balance an object while moving.
- Control your speed so you don't lose the ball.
- Enjoy a traditional field-day game and value the whole team's effort.
Equipment for a class of 25
- spoons: 25
- ping-pong balls: 10
- cones: 10
Teacher tip
Reward finishing with no drops as much as finishing first, so students learn to manage their speed. On windy days, swap ping-pong balls for paper balls or tennis balls.
PatioLab has "Egg and Spoon Relay" and 1299 more activities ready to drag into your lesson and run from your phone in the gym.
More activities like this
More main activities for Elementary
3v3 Mini-Volleyball with Set Passes
Small-sided 3v3 mini-volleyball on small courts, with a bonus for building the play with a set.
4v3 Soccer Counterattack Game
Four attackers try to score on a goal guarded by three defenders, who counterattack toward two small cone goals if they win the ball.
Accuracy Circuit with Cloth Targets
Accuracy stations with cloth targets on the floor and on the wall, where students toss bean bags and score points by ring.
Adapted Beach Handball
An adapted beach handball game with a soft ball: no dribbling, three steps with the ball, and double points for spectacular goals such as jump or spin shots.
Adapted Gaelic Football
A school version of Irish Gaelic football that blends hands and feet: players may run with the ball, hand-pass it with a fist, and kick for goal.
Adapted Speedball
Speedball is an American invasion game that blends soccer and team handball: a ball on the ground is played with the feet, and a ball lifted by the foot into the hands…