Sorting Teams - Activity Instructions

Tune In

Play a couple of rounds of ‘Keepy Uppy’ by blowing up a balloon and having children tap the balloon into the air in an attempt to keep it off the ground for as long as possible.

Each round will have a different group of children based on different sorting methods.

For example:

Round one: boys
Round two: girls
Round three: people with long hair
Round four: people with brown hair
Round five: people with hair colour other than brown
Round six: people taller than a certain height
Round seven: people shorter than a certain height

The sorting can be done based on a number of factors and children can be called upon to share their ideas on how the group could be sorted.

At the end have a whole group game of ‘Keepy Uppy’ in which the whole group is invited to join in and participate as a team.

Find Out

At the completion of a few rounds of ‘Keepy Uppy’ have a discussion about the impact the sorting had on the game and the individuals involved.

How did you feel when you were not involved in the game just because you looked a certain way?
How do you think Peggy felt when she was told she couldn’t play football?”
Which teams did really well at ‘Keepy Uppy’?
Why do you think those teams did really well?
How did Peggy, William and Charlie’s team go at football?
Why did they end up doing really well?”

Focus on self-efficacy here and the belief they had in themselves and trusting their body’s ability.

Take Action

Prepare the activity by printing and cutting the elves from the template and attaching them to wooden blocks. Place the wooden blocks on a small table with two different-coloured mats to represent two different teams.

Allow the children to sort the Elves' blocks any way they choose. As they sort the blocks, they may make decisions based on the elves' appearance, clothes, height, emotions, or gender. Prompt a discussion around whether or not the way they have been sorted would impact the ability of the team.

Which team do you think would win? Why?
What does each of these players have inside them that could help them to win?

Sorting Teams

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Summary

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