Jianzi: The Feather Shuttlecock You Kick

We try jianzi, a feather shuttlecock that people in China kick to keep in the air. With little ones we drop it from the hand and tap it with the inside of the foot, working on eye-foot coordination and balancing on one leg.

How to play

1. The teacher shows a jianzi and explains that in China people play it in parks and schoolyards, sometimes in a circle, tapping it with their feet. Watch it fall: it always lands feathers up! (2 min).
2. Each child with a shuttlecock: toss it up with your hand and catch it; then drop it and watch it land (2 min).
3. Drop it from your hand and tap it upward with the inside of your foot, then catch it again (3 min).
4. In pairs: one gently tosses it by hand toward the other's feet, and the partner tries to tap it back with a foot (3 min).
5. Finish in a circle: one child tosses it into the middle and anyone can tap it with a foot while we all count the group's taps (2 min).

Rules

• Touch the shuttlecock with your foot or hand, never your head.
• Tap gently with the inside of your foot.
• If it falls, pick it up and try again.
• We count everyone's taps together, not just one person's.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: hit the shuttlecock with a hand or a cardboard paddle from the wheelchair.
• Less coordination: tie the shuttlecock to a string the teacher holds so it doesn't fly off and is easier to hit.
• Visual impairment: use brightly colored feathers and call "now!" right when to tap.

Learning goals

• Hit an object with the inside of the foot.
• Keep balance on one foot while tapping.
• Learn about a traditional game from China.

Equipment for a class of 25

• Feather shuttlecocks: 25

Teacher tip

You can make them with a large washer wrapped in felt and craft feathers; make sure the base is big enough not to be a choking hazard. Give lots of toss-and-catch practice first.

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