5 Card Pickup

  1. Readiness Games

  • Any Size

  • Grades 1-2

  • Cones

  • Less Than 10 minutes

Development Goal

To develop interpersonal skills

Before You Start

  • Gather a standard deck of playing cards, two soft, throwable objects (small bean bag, koosh ball, crumpled piece of paper, etc.), and a makeshift tabletop basketball hoop 
  • Arrange the makeshift tabletop basketball hoop at the front or a focal point of the classroom
  • Divide students into two teams and assign a playing order within each team
  • Scatter 10 individual playing cards at different spots throughout the classroom in locations that students could make a basket in the hoop.

Set Up

Can be played outside, in a gym or in a classroom.

How to Play

  • Have both teams line up in front of the play space. 
  • Each team selects one of the scattered playing cards as a starting point
  • Player one from each team attempts to shoot a basket by throwing the small throwable object into the makeshift tabletop basketball hoop while standing at their chosen card
  • If successful, player one will pick up the card they were standing at and player two (the next player in line) will repeat the process by choosing their own card from which to attempt a shot
  • If player one misses their shot, player two will attempt it from the same location. If player two is unsuccessful, continue through the team playing order until someone on the team has successfully made the shot and picked up the card
  • First team to successfully complete all five shots and pick up the respective playing cards wins

Variations

Play multiple rounds of the game, keeping time for each one so that the students can try to get a faster time. Have the students calculate how many seconds slower or faster they are each round.