Many skating instructors and coaches are on the lookout for innovative game ideas for ice skating. In the article below, we give you 10 innovatory ice skating game ideas. Use these to make skating lessons a lot of fun!
We all love a sport, and we look for different ways to get better at it. The same holds true for the sport of ice skating. Children who are learning how to ice skate, are bound to find the mundane lessons boring. To help them learn better, coaches look for different ways through which they can make teaching a lot of fun. After all, it is very important that you enjoy what you do! Children will learn how to ice skate better, with the help of these games. Then again, we have adults who have indoor skate rinks. The ice skating game ideas mentioned below will be useful for them too.
Ice Skating Games for Kids and Adults
1. Fire on Ice
Every child knows how to play 'Fire on the mountain', isn't it? That is exactly how we're going to play this game. You will need music for the game. After the music starts, children start skating around the rink. As soon as the music stops, the coach shouts out a number, say, 'five'. Then, children need to form groups of five members each. There will be a few children who failed to form a proper group. For example, if there are 20 children, and you ask them to form groups of 3, there will be two children who won't be able to get into any group. These children have to leave the rink, and the game continues. When only 2 children remain, they are declared winners!
2. Hit One!
Our next pick in the innovative game ideas for ice skating is a game that is simple, yet offers a lot of fun. Everyone starts skating around the rink, as fast as they can. The coach closes his eyes, and throws a small plastic ball inside the rink, but towards the children, and not aimed at the empty ground. The child who gets hit by the ball first, leaves the rink. He then comes out and try to hit those in the rink, by closing his eyes and throwing the ball - just as the coach did. This continues till only five children are left, who are declared as the winners. You need to hit the ball as fast as you can. This will ensure that the children don't move out of the way of the ball.
3. Mark the Design
Buy some waterproof markers and draw a design on the rink. You can draw any design of your choice, but make sure the children can trace it, by skating on it. Ask each child to trace this design, and time all the children individually. When everyone is done, find out who traced the design the fastest. Declared that child as the winner of this game. However, if a child traces the design lousily, mark him/her negatively.
4. Ice Baseball
Who doesn't love baseball? We all do, don't we? It is fun to combine one sport with another, and then try to play them both simultaneously. This is our next game. Make two teams and start a game of baseball on the rink. Yes, you will need to change the rules considerably. The penalties will also have to be redrafted. In fact, you can come up with a new game altogether, and surprise the children. The team that wins, gets a prize! If you don't have enough players, to make two big teams, you can play a game of cricket. Here, every child gets a chance to bat, and the child that scores the most number of runs, wins!!
5. Skate and Pass
This game is going to be a tad chaotic, so make sure you have someone to help you look after all the children. You will need music for this game. When the music starts, the children have to start skating in all possible directions, and at considerable speed. Pass them a ball, which they in turn, will pass among themselves. The recipient of the ball has to pass it on as soon as he can, to anyone who comes in front of him. He can hold the ball for more than three seconds. He have to call out the kid's name, and only then can he pass on the ball. The other kid has to receive the ball once his name is called. The child who has the ball when the music is stopped, needs to leave the game. The last three are declared winners.
6. Find the Fruits
This is a fun game, and the kids will surely enjoy playing it! Divide all the children into two groups (A and B) of equal numbers. Make group A stand in a line on one end of the rink. Keep a basket full of fruits on the other end. Each member of Group A will have 5 chits, each bearing the name of a fruit. This means, each chit will have a different fruit name. Group B members will stand near the basket of fruits when the game starts. After the whistle is blown, Group B members will race towards the Group A members, collect a chit, see the name of the fruit, go back to the basket, and get the fruit back to the member they took the chit from. At the same time, they will take another chit and head back to the basket. Once they finish all the chits, the game ends. Exchange the teams and play again. The group that completes the task faster, wins!
7. Mix 'em All
Now here is another interesting ice skating game idea for you to consider. In this game, you need to divide all the children in Group A and B again. Group A will be equipped to play
Bandy whereas Group B will be equipped to play
Ringette. There will be goal posts on both ends. There will be 10 balls and 10 rings. One team will play Bandy and hit goals with balls, while the other will do the same with rings. The only difference will be in the number of balls and rings, as usually we play these games with only one ball, or one ring. The team that scores its 10 goals at the earliest, wins! If you want to play for a longer time, play five rounds. The group that wins most rounds, wins!
8. Hold an Arm
This is an ice skating game idea for both, kids and adults. Divide the children and form two groups, A and B. Group A will have one member less than Group B. Group A has to stand in a straight line, in the center of the rink. Group B has to wait in a corner of their choice, but together. The children standing in the line, have to keep one hand on the waist, and the other lying straight on the side. However, what you need to keep in mind here, is the alternate hand system. If the first child has his right hand on his waist, then the next one in the line has to hold his waist with the left hand. Once the music starts, the children in the corner will start skating around this line, in a circle. You cannot slow down, or wait in one place till the music is playing. Once the music stops, each member of the group B tries to grab the free hand of the group A member closest to them. They aren't allowed to move behind, they have to move ahead in search of a free hand. The child who doesn't get a hand to grab, needs to leave the game. The game continues on the principles of the 'musical chairs' till there is a winner. You can play this game twice, with the teams exchanging roles. If you don't have music, the coach can say 'start' and 'stop'.
9. Synchronize the Figures
Tired of searching for figure skating games? Read about this game which is specially designed for figure skating fans. Here is one that would certainly interest you! This game can be played at three levels; the basic, the intermediate, and the advance. In the basic form, ask all the children to form groups of three, or pairs of two (if the number of children is less). They need to stand next to each other and hold arms. When the whistle is blown, they need to start skating towards the end of the rink. This will help improve their synchronization skills. The pair/group to reach first, without making mistakes, wins! In the intermediate level, the same groups need to circle the rink, instead of skating straight towards the end. They will be judged on time and efficiency. In the advanced level, the same pairs/groups will need to skate straight, then diagonally, then in a circle. They have to hold arms throughout, till they complete all the figures. Again, they will be judged on the time they required, and the efficiency they displayed.
10. Blind Man's Walk
Divide all the children in pairs. In each pair, one child becomes the volunteer, and the other becomes a guide. Rest of the children have to randomly stand on the rink. Suppose there are two ends to the rink; point A, and point B. The volunteer stands at point A, and the guide stands at point B. The volunteer is then blindfolded by the coach. Once he is blindfolded, all the children shift a little and change the way they were standing. Now, with the help of instructions from the guide, the volunteer has to cross the rink from point A, and reach point B. There will be a new round for each pair, and the children will shift their places, and form new formations for every round. Each pair will be judged on the time they took. Every time the volunteer touches another child by mistake, a penalty of five seconds will be added to his score. The idea is to reach the other end, by following instructions given out by the guide, and that too, by not bumping into any of the child on the way. The pair that takes less time to complete the task wins.
These were some of the most innovative game ideas for ice skating. It is also a good idea to ask the children to come up with more game ideas. So, along with all the ice skating tips and techniques, make these games a mandatory part of your lessons. Every sport workout should have a fun element to it; to make it more interesting, to bring change in the mundane, and to learn it in a way that even learning becomes fun. These games won't only help you while teaching, but also during winter camps and usual get-togethers.
