Camp/gym games that can be played by youth with disabilities?

March 1, 2006 4:21 PM

Camp/gym games that can be played by youth with disabilities? (with bonus game already inside the box!)

What are some good games that can be played by 15-30 kids aged 13-30 with mental and mixed physical handicaps (from in wheelchairs to fully mobile)?

Can you suggest a favourite game from your own experience as a camp counsellor/camper that can be adapted for this kind of group? It's impossible to accommodate everyone and their abilities but some games can come pretty close and still be fun.

In case you've never worked with youth with disabilities, here is an example of a game I adapted and play at the camp where I work.

Ultimate Frisbee is almost impossible to play with a group like this. Kids in a wheelchair or with otherwise limited mobility have a hard time catching a frisbee because of their limited mobility and many of them cannot throw a frisbee any great distance or with any accuracy (neither can I for that matter).

So at the camp where I work, instead of Ultimate Frisbee, we play Ultimate Hoola. The rules are the same as Ultimate Frisbee, except the game is played with a Hoola hoop. Anyone can throw a Hoola hoop, and anyone can catch one, all you have to do is get an arm inside it (or your whole body, wheelchair included). Completely immobile kids can even be included, as staff can pass to them and easily 'ring toss' the Hoola hoop onto them (doesn't sound as fun as it is!). You'd be amazed at how into the game the kids get, most sports that involve passing and catching can be very frustrating for them to play.

posted by The Wig to sports, hobbies, & recreation (3 comments total)

Are you familiar with New Games? These made up most of the 'sports' program at the crunchy Quaker camp where I worked. They're usually silly, often cooperative in some way, and admit endless variations. If you can get past the 70s vibe (or enjoy it), a lot of the games work extremely well and are fun.
posted by Miko at 5:20 PM on March 1, 2006

Ah yes, I also meant to add a secondary question asking for useful online resources!
posted by The Wig at 5:28 PM on March 1, 2006

Project Adventure has lots of publications with games that can be easily adapted. My favorite book of theirs is Silver Bullets, but if I were still working in the teambuilding field, I would have bought myself Quicksilver or Backpocket Adventure by now.

The original New Games book is out of print and hard to find, but amazon's "Customers also bought" referrals would be a great place to start.

The folks at Outdoor Explorations might have some suggestions, too, even though they're more expedition-based. You could try giving them a call - they might have a little in-house manual.

Off the top of my head, a few games that might work are:
Sharks and Minnows - 'minnows' start at one end of play field, when 'shark' says GO, everyone tries to cross the field to the safe line on the other side without getting tagged by the 'shark'. If you get tagged, you have to sit and you cannot move, but as other minnows run by on subsequent passes, you can reach out and try to tag them.

Fox and Squirrel - Everyone stands (or sits) in a circle, except for the 'fox', who's in the middle. The 'squirrel' is a ball that gets passed and tossed around the circle to try to avoid the fox, whose goal it is to tag the ball. If the ball travels outside of the circle (bad throw, etc.), then the last person who touched it has to be the new fox.

People-to-people - this is a mix of Simon says and twister. Like Simon says, you need a Caller. The game starts by calling "People to people!" and everyone has to get a new partner. Whoever is left over without a partner is the Caller. The Caller then calls two body parts that have to connect, for instance, "hand to elbow!" and each pair has to touch a hand to the partner's elbow. "Knee to knee!" now there's a hand to elbow AND a knee to knee! crazy! Finally, the Caller yells "people to people!" and gets a partner while everyone else finds a new partner. Obviously, it helps to set the (appropriateness) tone for this game by having a counselor be the caller the first few times.

Captain's Coming - again, like Simon says, with a pirate theme. The four corners of the room are the Bow (front), Stern (back), Port (left) and Starboard (right). Caller yells "Bow!" and everyone runs to the bow. Caller yells "Captain's Coming!" and everyone has to freeze where they are and salute a hand to the forehead. until Caller says "At Ease". If Caller says something before saying At Ease, whoever does that other thing is out, like when you don't say Simon. Out people can either just sit out or can be 'sharks' who circle the field and heckle other players when they're at attention. When players are used to these initial basic commands, introduce others like "Swab the deck!" where everyone has to pretend to mop. If you incorporate sharks, then the Caller can call "shark attack!" and the sharks all get to choose one player to take out of the game and have join them on the outskirts.
posted by Sprout the Vulgarian at 5:45 PM on March 1, 2006