Sprint Games: 30+ Games, Relays & Races for PE Class

This collection brings together sprint games, sprint relays, and races for physical education from primary school through upper secondary school. At the signal, players sprint off, chase each other into the safe zone, or bring clothespins to the clothespin monster. In many games, a short thinking or luck-based task is added to the sprint, such as rolling dice, calculating, bingo, or a game of cities, countries, and rivers.

What is included in the material

• Game descriptions for every game, including procedure, duration, required materials, and variations
• Setup graphics showing the formation and setup of each game, additionally collected in a separate graphic presentation
• Templates for individual games: bingo and dice bingo templates, number chips and number cards, memory and flashcards, picture cards for Shark Attack, a cities, countries, and rivers template, and a dice relay template
• Table of contents with all games at a glance
• Foreword on the objectives and use of the games

Tips for using the material

• After warming up: Due to the high intensity, the games should only be played after a thorough warm-up, with sufficient breaks between rounds.
• Different game formats: Depending on the game, learners can compete in relays in teams, race each other in head-to-head duels, or try to escape a group of taggers.
• Variations: Every game can be modified, for example with obstacles on the track, different starting positions such as lying on the stomach or back, or different starting signals.
• Time the games: In some games, the time can be timed so that teams or individuals can try to improve in the next round.
• Adapt to the hall and group: Some games can be adapted to the hall and group size, for example Shark Attack with only two groups of sea animals for a smaller hall, or the treasure raid with a larger or smaller police team.
• Also suitable for clubs: The games can also be used in club training.

These skills are promoted

• Reaction speed by starting on verbal cues, colors, whistles, or a coin toss
• Start and acceleration from different starting positions such as crouching, standing, or low starts
• Self-assessment in the risk sprint, where learners decide which cone they can reach in the given time
• Memory in the memory run and the memo sprint, where learners memorize fields or pairs of cards

Organizational notes

The games are short, easy to set up, and can be played in the sports hall or outdoors. Many require no equipment at all, while the others usually only need cones, balls, hoops, gym benches, or mats.

You can find more ideas in the sister collection of relay games, in sprinting at stations, and in the practical handbook for sprinting.