Over-and-Under Ball Train

In short trains of four or five cars, kids pass a ball hand to hand over their heads and under their legs. Children practice handing off and receiving, body awareness, and teamwork in small groups.

How to play

1. Make trains of 4 or 5 kids in a line, one behind the other, facing the same cone. The first child is the engine and holds the ball (1 min).
2. Demonstrate with one train: the engine passes the ball over the head to the child behind, who takes it with two hands, all the way to the last car (1 min).
3. When the ball reaches the end, the last car walks it to the front and becomes the new engine: "Choo-choo, new engine!" (3 min).
4. Switch: now the ball travels under the legs, through the tunnel (2 min).
5. Mix it up: one over, the next one under. The teacher chants: "Over, under, over…" (2 min).
6. Finish: the train sits on the floor and passes the ball to the side, very slowly, until it gets back to the first engine (1 min).

Rules

• Hand the ball over; don't throw it.
• Turn a little to see who you're passing to.
• If it drops, the child who let go picks it up.
• Walk, don't run, to the front of the train.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the train sits and passes to the side; a child in a wheelchair can be the station that receives at the end.
• Shy kids: place them in the middle of the train between friends they know.
• Skill levels: confident kids use a small ball; kids who need support use a big, light ball.

Learning goals

• Hand off and receive a ball.
• Tell over, under, and beside using the body.
• Work in a small group following an order.

Equipment for a class of 25

• soft balls: 5
• cones: 5

Teacher tip

Short trains prevent long waits. If a child drifts off, make them the conductor who calls "New engine!"

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