Spinning Top Ring Game: Bump Out the Caps

A traditional spinning top game: bottle caps are placed inside a chalk ring, and each player throws their top so that, as it spins, it bumps the caps out of the circle. Students work on coordinating the string throw, accuracy, and patience with mistakes.

How to play

1. Groups of 4 with one top per player. Each group chalks a 3 ft ring and places 6 bottle caps inside (2 min).
2. Throwing review: wind the string from the tip, hold the top tip-up, and throw it downward, pulling the string at the last moment (4 min of free practice).
3. Taking turns, each player throws their top into the ring. Caps the spinning top knocks out are theirs; if it doesn't spin or lands outside, nothing counts (10 min).
4. When the ring is empty, set out 6 more caps. Students who can't get a spin can try a low throw or get help from a partner (included in the time above).
5. Final challenge: anyone who gets a spin tries to scoop the top into their palm while it keeps spinning (4 min).
6. Count caps and wind the strings up for storage (2 min).

Rules

• Throw toward the ground, never forward or toward classmates.
• Players waiting their turn stand one step back from the ring, behind the thrower.
• Safety: never wrap the string around fingers, and check that top tips aren't sharp.

Variations

Adaptations

• Limited mobility: the student throws seated with a finger-spin top on a table with the ring drawn on it.
• Visual impairment: the ring is outlined with a raised rope, and large caps that rattle when they move are used.
• Lower skill: a partner winds the string and guides the student's hand on the first throws.

Learning goals

• Coordinate the top throw with the pull of the string.
• Aim the top at a specific part of the ring.
• Keep at it while learning a traditional skill.

Equipment for a class of 25

• spinning tops with string: 25
• bottle caps: 40
• chalk: 7

Teacher tip

In the first ten minutes hardly anyone gets a spin, and that's normal, so celebrate every try. Keep spare strings handy; they get lost and break often.

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