Flying Fish Fan Race

A relay race in which each child moves a paper fish across the floor by fanning it with a folded sheet of newspaper, without touching it. Students practice arm–object coordination, adjusting force, moving on their knees, and patience.

How to play

1. Tape 5 lanes 5 m (16 ft) long with a cone at the end. Make 5 teams of 5 behind the start; each team gets an 8-in tissue-paper fish and each student a newspaper sheet folded in four (2 min).
2. Demonstrate: kneeling behind the fish, flap the newspaper up and down close to the floor so the air pushes the tail. Free practice (2 min).
3. Relay 1: fan the fish to the cone, pick it up, and run back to hand it to the next teammate, who sets it at the start (4 min).
4. Relay 2: the fish goes around the cone and is fanned back to the start (3 min). Partner relay: two teammates fan one fish together, one on each side (3 min).
5. Wrap-up: which fan motion moved the fish farthest (1 min).

Rules

• Don't touch the fish while fanning; if you do, it goes back one step.
• Stay in your own lane.
• Fan on your knees and only run on the way back with the fish in hand.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: play on a long table, fanning from a chair, at half distance.
• Visual impairment: a fish that contrasts with the floor and a partner who calls out drift.
• Fitness: more work bear crawling back; less by fanning while standing.

Learning goals

• Adjust arm force and speed to move a light object.
• Coordinate their own movement with the fish's.
• Follow rules and take turns within the team.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Paper fish: 5
• Newspaper sheets: 25
• Cones: 5
• Roll of masking tape: 1

Teacher tip

Fish made of tissue or parchment paper work much better than copy paper. Set lanes with their backs to doors and windows to avoid drafts.

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