Human Ludo with a Giant Die
Life-size Ludo where the students are the pieces: each team rolls a giant die and decides which teammate moves around a track of flat disc cones, capturing or staying safe. It builds group decision-making and a variety of locomotor skills.
How to play
- Set up a track of 28 flat disc cones (6 ft apart) with a home hoop in each corner, a lane of 4 discs per team to a center finish hoop, and 4 safe spaces marked with a cone.
- Four teams of 6 in colored pinnies: four pieces and two strategists who roll the die. Pieces start at home (3 min to explain).
- In turn, the strategist rolls and the team has 10 seconds to pick which piece moves. A 5 gets you out of home; a 6 rolls again.
- The piece counts out its spaces using the skill the teacher calls: run, slide, lunge, or hop.
- Landing on an opponent outside a safe space captures them: they jog home and the capturing team moves another piece 10 spaces.
- Every three turns, strategists and pieces swap. First team with all four pieces at the finish wins, or the one furthest along after 20 minutes.
Rules
- The whole team makes the decision, but only the strategist calls it out.
- Captures are no-contact: step on the space and call out the opponent's color.
- Pieces that are waiting stay on their disc or in their hoop so they do not cross paths with moving players.
Variations
Easier
Use a 20-space track, leave home on a 5 or 6, and only run between spaces.
Standard
A 28-space track with mixed locomotor skills and the capture-and-move-10 rule.
Harder
Play with two dice and let the team split the points between two pieces.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: the student is a permanent strategist or moves half a space per point by wheelchair.
- Hearing impairment: the teacher shows the locomotor skill on a sign, and the roll is shown with fingers.
- Fitness level: students who want more challenge add an exercise on each space, such as a squat.
Learning goals
- Decide as a group which move helps the team most.
- Vary locomotor patterns with control and rhythm.
- Accept being captured, or capture others, without trash talk.
Equipment for a class of 25
- giant die: 1
- flat disc cones: 44
- hoops: 5
- colored pinnies: 24
- cones: 4
Teacher tip
Captured pieces jog home; never use exercise as punishment. If the game drags, have all teams roll at once and move in color order.
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