Paralympic Sports Day Stations for Elementary Kids
Students set up and lead three Paralympic sport stations (goalball, boccia, and sitting volleyball) for a sports day with elementary kids, and rehearse them on each other. They practice event organization, kid-friendly explanations, and raising the profile of adapted sports.
How to play
- Set up three stations with cones: goalball on a 30 x 20 ft court, boccia with a floor target, and sitting volleyball with a low net about 3 ft high. Form three 3-person coaching teams, one per station (3 min).
- Each coaching team takes 3 minutes to plan a 40-second explanation, one safety rule, and a mini challenge for kids.
- Everyone else splits into three groups who play the role of elementary kids and rotate stations every 6 minutes (18 min), with the coaches leading.
- Goalball is 3-on-3 blindfolded, rolling the ball; boccia is taking turns throwing; sitting volleyball is 3-on-3 without lifting your hips off the floor.
- Wrap-up (4 min): each station shares one fact about its Paralympic sport and the coaches get one improvement from each group.
Rules
- Goalball needs total silence from onlookers so the bell ball can be heard.
- Safety: blindfolds come off after each play and no one dives headfirst at the ball.
- In sitting volleyball, lifting off the floor to hit gives the point to the other team.
- Coaches explain in the words a 9-year-old would use.
Variations
Easier
Only two 9-minute stations, with explanations on cards the teacher prepared.
Standard
Three Paralympic stations led by coaching teams.
Harder
Add a fourth station of guided running with a short tether, with an athlete and a guide.
Adaptations
- Limited mobility: takes full part in boccia and sitting volleyball and can serve as an expert coach.
- Autism or sensory sensitivity: starts at the boccia station, which is calmer and more predictable.
- Lower fitness: in goalball rotates into the center position, which moves less.
Learning goals
- Organize adapted sports stations for younger students.
- Explain the basic rules of Paralympic sports in simple terms.
- Recognize Paralympic sport as elite-level sport.
Equipment for a class of 25
- goalball: 1
- boccia sets: 2
- blindfolds: 6
- volleyballs: 2
- low net: 1
- cones: 24
Teacher tip
No goalball? Put a bell in a mesh bag with a foam ball. Ask a local adaptive sports group whether an athlete can visit.
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