Cooperative Games: 40 Group and Trust Games for Physical Education

In the cooperative games and trust games in this collection for physical education, cooperation is more important than competition. The group can balance together on a box, cross a field of lava, or untie a Gordian knot; in pairs, one person guides the other through an obstacle course while blindfolded. Each task can only be accomplished through communication, joint planning, and trust within the group. Many of the games are suitable for primary school children and are also ideal for youth work and adults.

What is included

• Game descriptions for each game, including duration, required equipment, instructions, variations, and an illustration
• Table of contents with color-coded system for a quick overview of the games
• Foreword with a brief introduction to cooperative games

Tips for using the material

• Finding the right game: The color boxes make it easy to see whether a game requires no equipment, little space, or can only be played together.
• Other locations: Some games require very little space and can also be played in the classroom or outdoors on a meadow.
• Variations: The tasks can be modified, for example by playing without speaking, with eyes closed, or using balloons instead of balls.
• As a competition: Games that can also be played competitively can be played with several groups, for example to see which group crosses the field of lava the fastest.
• Step by step: The trust games can be gradually increased in difficulty, for example by first lifting a person only to hip height or starting the group with a smaller ladder.

These skills are promoted

• Communication through communication within the group, and in many variations without words
• Trust when dropping, catching, and carrying others
• Joint problem-solving when the group develops a strategy for a task
• Balance and body tension when balancing and falling with outstretched limbs

More group tasks are offered by the task cards for the Atom game, the Sport Escape "To the Finish Line as a Team", and the Acrobatics Cards.