Paddle Golf: Push the Balls Back to the Bucket

Equipment cleanup turned into a calm game: students roll balls with their paddles, golf-style, into buckets lying on their sides. It brings the intensity down and leaves the schoolyard tidy.

How to play

1. Balls are spread out and each group of five has a bucket on its side in a corner (1 min).
2. Each student rolls a ball toward their group's bucket with the paddle, counting strokes and keeping it on the ground (3 min).
3. Second round: the group adds up its strokes and tries to lower the total with more accurate taps (3 min).
4. Stand the buckets up and drop the last ball in with a soft paddle tap (1 min).

Rules

• Walk, don't run: this is a cool-down.
• The ball rolls, never flies.
• If two balls collide, each player continues from where theirs stopped.

Variations

Adaptations

• Students with low vision: the bucket has a bell or a partner claps beside it.
• Wheelchair users: push the ball with a long-handled paddle or a stick.
• Tired or injured students: act as the group scorekeeper.

Learning goals

• Bring heart rate down actively.
• Control power with very soft taps.
• Help put the equipment away.

Equipment for a class of 25

• beach paddles: 30
• tennis balls: 30
• buckets: 6

Teacher tip

Lay the buckets with the opening facing the middle of the yard so balls roll in easily. Five minutes of this saves you from chasing balls at the end of class.

More activities like this

More cool-downs for Middle School