Floor is Lava Islands
Dribble between discs, then hug the ball and jump from disc to disc when the coach waves the red bib.
At a glance
- Up to 12 players, each with a ball, in a 15 m square of flat discs a stride apart (the islands). The coach holds a red bib.
- Players dribble between the discs. When the coach waves the red bib, the lava is rising: pick up your ball and hug it.
- Jump from disc to disc, landing on two feet, and stick each landing for a count of two. Touch the floor: three frog jumps on the spot.
- Drop the bib: the lava has cooled. Put the ball down and dribble again.
- Progress 1: Hop from disc to disc instead, landing and sticking on one foot.
- Progress 2: Keep hopping, with only one player on a disc at a time: look ahead and pick a free island.
If it's not working: Put the islands closer together.
- players
- Ccoach
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The coach waves the red bib: the lava is rising. Children pick up their ball, hug it to their tummy and jump from island to island, landing on two feet and sticking each landing for a count of two. A few of the islands and four of the children are shown; in real life the discs are about a child stride apart.
Full details: set up, how to play, tips and age tweaks
Set up
- Mark a square with 4 cones.
- Scatter the flat discs inside as islands, each about one child-stride apart.
- Give each child a ball.
8 to 12 children, a square about 15 m by 15 m.
How to play
- Children dribble around the square. The grass is cool ground.
- When you wave the red bib, the lava is rising. Children pick up their ball, hold it to their tummy and jump from island to island with two-footed landings. They stick each landing for a count of two.
- Drop the bib: the lava has cooled. Put the ball down and dribble again.
- Anyone who touches the lava does three frog jumps on the spot and carries straight on.
- Group challenge: how many stuck landings can the whole group make in one lava round?
Keeping everyone moving
Islands are never taken away, so there are always more than enough. Touching lava means a skill, not out.
Make it easier
- Put the islands closer together.
- Allow stepping instead of jumping, or one foot on the ground.
Make it harder, step by step
- Hop from disc to disc instead, landing and sticking on one foot.
- Keep hopping, and allow only one player on each island at a time, so players look ahead and pick a free disc.
Three things to say
- Bend the knees to land softly.
- Arms help balance.
- Look ahead for the next island.
Words that work: "Brave jump to a far island!", "Super soft landing, like a cat.", "Great idea to wait so your friend could land."
Colts habit
Bravery, choosing a harder island.
Both feet
Hop rounds alternate left leg and right leg.
Heads up
The signal is a waved bib, not a shout, so eyes up.
For your birth year
Pick a birth year to show the tweak for that group.
- 2019
- Two-footed jumps and hops, islands slightly further apart.
- 2020 to 2021
- Very close islands, stepping allowed, lots of stories about volcanoes.
A young leader can run this one, with an adult coach beside them.
Safety: Flat discs only, because cones and hoops roll or slip underfoot. Do not play when the discs are wet and slippery. Keep islands inside the square, away from goals and posts.
Keeping score: Each child quietly counts their own stuck landings and tries to beat it next round. Nobody reports them out loud.