Gym Games for the Young

Children love to get the chance to play games, and gym class can be a source of endless entertainment for them. As long as the games are safe and hold the children's attention, there should never be a boredom problem in a gym class again. These simple but fun games are perfect for playing in gym class.

  1. Toilet Tag

    • Toilet tag is a great game to play with young children, because toddlers find the toilet humor of the game quite entertaining. Toilet tag is similar to regular tag. One person is designated "it" and chases the other players. Once a player is tagged, he has to mime being a toilet, with his arm out like a flush handle and kneeling down on one knee. Players who have been tagged are not allowed to move until another player flushes them. Play continues until everyone is frozen. The last player to be tagged is "it" for the next game.

    Doctor Dodgeball

    • Doctor dodgeball is a variation of classic dodgeball, with the same basic setup. Children are divided into two even teams and sent to opposite walls of the gym, with a row of foam balls in the middle. Each team chooses a doctor, but keeps it a secret from the other team. Once the game starts, the children run to the middle to grab the balls and start throwing them at each other. If a player is hit below the head, she sits down. If a player who is down is touched by the doctor, she can get back up and continue playing. If the doctor is hit, however, she cannot get back up. The game ends when an entire team is sitting down.

    Flag Tag

    • Flag tag is ideally played on a soccer field, with the team's bases inside the soccer nets. Each player has a belt with two flags on it. Each team has one color, so it is easy to distinguish between allies and opponents on the field. Players have an extra container of flags in their bases. Players grab the flags from opponent's belts in order to score points. The team that captures all of their opponent's flags first wins. Set up clear boundaries so that players do not go running all over the place, and implement safety rules, as pushing or holding can be dangerous.