Chase the Tail 🧣 🎾 🥎

Please click here for YouTube link for Chase the tail

🎯 Purpose: Improve balance, colour recognition, Category: Finishing Game 2-5minutes

Equipment Needed: Colourful scarves (tails)

How to Play

Each child wears a tail (colourful scarf) tucked into their waistband, trousers, or the back of their shirt like a cape. Once everyone is ready, children run around the space while a parent or carer chases them, trying to grab the tail. Once caught, the roles swap—kids become the chasers and try to grab their parents' tails!

☀️ Coach Tips

✅ Only parents or carers should attach the scarf "tails" to children.

✅ Make sure tails are tucked in securely but not too tight.

✅ Encourage lots of running, laughter and swapping roles.

✅ Reinforce taking turns and fair play.

🪶 Feathers (Simplify)

Children can start by simply running with tails and not be chased. Parents jog slowly or walk for younger children.

🔁 Progression (Challenge)

Add multiple parents and tails.

Reduce number of tails so multiple children are chasing same children

Have one tail and catcher has to wear

Coconut Shy🎾 🎯 🥥 🥎

Please click here for YouTube link for Coconut Shy tutorial

🎯 Focus: Throwing accuracy, technique to develop serving, and fun competition 

🧰 Set-Up

Set up a tennis net or cone barrier across the middle of the space 

Place tennis balls on top of hitting tees or cones (hitting tees work better) along the other side of the net/barrier — these are the “coconuts”

🏹 How to Play

Ask the kids “have they ever been to a summer fete?...Seen a coconut shy? “

Children stand behind a line or designated throw zone. The aim is to knock the coconuts (balls) off the tees

Correct Technique

Sideways stance; ball or beanbag behind the ear to allow elbow to bend. Encourage to use entire body to rotate up and outwards. Serving development: Explain to children and Parents how good throwing technique is important for later serving development. If you are able demonstrate first a serve and then a throw to show the similarities

Coaches or assistants recycle beanbags and move around the group, checking technique and providing praise or small corrections. Move to foam balls when run out of beanbags

🔁 Progressions

🎯 Move the throw line further back to increase difficulty

🪁 Add a challenge round — 3 throws each, how many can you hit?

🔄 Kids pair up and count each other’s hits (scorekeeping)

🪶 Feathers – Younger Children

✅ Let younger kids move closer to the net/barrier or even remove barrier entirely

☀️ Coach Tips

·       Keep the pace lively – have spare beanbags ready

·       Use visual and verbal cues: “Let’s knock those coconuts down!”

·       Clap and cheer when a child gets one – even close throws should be praised

·       Try to impart correct technique (sideways and behind ear) but don’t over-correct – focus on fun and effort

Tennis Fishing 🎣 🎾 🥎

🎯 Purpose: Improve balance, colour recognition, coordination, and control — with fun, fishing-themed play!

🧠 Set-Up ⏸️ Coach scatters different colour round cones (fish) across the room ("the pond") 

🟠 At one end of the space, place matching coloured traffic cones (these are the “collection buckets”)

🥎 Each child holds a racket (fishing rod)

🎣 How to Play

🧒 Children start at one end of the room

🎾 They walk into the “pond” and use their racket to pick up one round cone (fish)

🏃 They carry it back balanced on their racket

🌈 Match the colour of the round cone and “hang it” on the matching coloured traffic cone

🔁 Repeat — one fish at a time!

🔁 Progressions

🍓 Beanbags: Add these for older or confident players — trickier to balance!

🎾 Tennis Balls: Even more challenging — kids must move slowly and with control. Hold on heart (V shape throat) of racket if kids are struggling.

🌀 Coloured tubs near cones or at the side for beanbags and balls to be “caught” inside

🪶 Feathers – Younger Tots

✅ Allow walking only — no running

🖐️ Assist them in picking up and balancing

👨‍👩‍👧 Let parents carry the racket and child places the item

☀️ Coach Tips

Use a storytelling theme: "Let’s go fishing in the sea!" or "Catch the rainbow fish!"

🗣️ Narrate with humour: "Oh no, that one's wriggly!" / "You caught a golden fish!"

💛 Praise effort, not just success

📣 Encourage children to cheer each other on as they return with their fish.

Warm-Up🔥 🎾 🥎

Please click here for YouTube link for warmup tutorial

🧠 Purpose

To activate children’s bodies, improve balance and coordination, and get them engaged and smiling before the session begins!

📍 Set-Up

🟠 Use one colour of round cones in a large circle in the middle of the space

🎶 Optional: play fun music to get energy levels up

✅ No rackets or balls at the start — just bodies, cones, and imagination

🚶 How to Begin

🎯 Start with basic warm-up movements inside the circle:

o   ✨ Star jumps

o   🦵 One-leg balance

o   🤸 Gentle stretches

🌀 Children then move around the cone circle in different ways:

o   🚶 Walk

o   💂 March

o   🏃 Jog

o   🔙 Backwards

o   🦀 Crab walk IMPORTANT!

o   🐎 Horse gallops

🧊 Coach shouts “Freeze!” intermittently — kids stop and hold a pose or balance!

🧱 Obstacle Challenge Build-Up

Coaches begin to add progressively challenging obstacles to the circle as warm-up continues:

🔁 Movement Obstacles

• 🔶 Cone Lines – jump over two-foot lines

• 🟠 Traffic Cones – higher jumps (🧑‍🤝‍🧑 parents can assist little ones)

• 🐍 Cone Snake – place cones in zigzag to step between (two feet either side)

• 🌀 Slalom – weave through a line of cones

• 🚪 Gate Game – “open and close” gate shapes with legs

🧗 Crawling & Balance Challenges

• 🎯 Pole Crawl – tall cones + poles to crawl under

• 🪜 Ladder Hops – hop through agility ladder

• 🚶Stepping stones (throw down dots)

• 🪵 Walk the Plank – throw-down lines like tightrope

• 🛞 Tyre Run – jump between hoops like a boot camp

🧤 Ball + Balance Add-Ons

• 🪄 Add rackets + beanbags → balance while walking

• 🎾 Coach rolls footballs slowly as moving obstacle

• 🥏 Coach frisbees cones gently toward feet (kids dodge them!)

• 🚫 Use foam balls to fire at footballs in path — kids must avoid!

🐣 Feathers (For Younger Tots)

• 💬 Narrate movements (“Let’s march like soldiers!”)

• 🖐️ Encourage parent/assistant to hold hands for support

• 🪶 Remove difficult jumps/slaloms if too tricky

☀️ Coach Tips

• 🗣️ Give BIG energy and be silly — kids will copy you

• 👀 Adjust pace to suit group — add obstacles gradually

• 💛 Praise effort and bravery, not perfection

• 🎭 Mix imagination (e.g. “Crawl under the dragon’s tail!”)