Teddy Keepers
Everyone guards their own teddy with their hands while rolling balls at everyone else's.
A disc with a teddy on it for every child, spread out; guard your own teddy and roll your ball at the others.
Set up
- Spread the discs around the area, one per child.
- Put a teddy (or cone) on each disc.
- Every child stands by their teddy holding a ball.
8 to 12 children; 20 m by 20 m.
How to play
- Each child guards their own teddy.
- On Go, children roll their ball gently along the ground at other children's teddies.
- Keepers stop rolled balls with their hands and pick them up.
- A saved ball is rolled straight back out.
- If your teddy is knocked over, stand it up and keep going.
- After 60 seconds, everyone moves to a new teddy.
Keeping everyone moving
Every child attacks and defends at the same time. Nobody is ever out.
Make it easier
- Make the area bigger.
- Allow stopping the ball with the feet too.
Make it harder
- Roll with the other hand.
- Guard two teddies.
Three things to say
- Hands behind the ball.
- Get your body behind it.
- Look up before you roll.
Words that work: "Brave hands!", "Great keeping, go again!", "Well done for helping your friend's teddy!"
Colts habit
Lift each other by standing a friend's teddy back up.
Both feet
Roll with left and right hands.
Heads up
Find a teddy nobody is guarding.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2020 to 2021
- Sitting or kneeling keepers, big soft balls.
- 2018 to 2019
- Stand up, size 3 balls.
- 2016 to 2017
- Not recommended. Use Spider Keepers.
A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.
Safety: Rolled balls only. Soft balls for the youngest.
Keeping score: Each child counts their own saves this round against their last round.