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Volunteering at Scouts is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing to help us reach more young people

Volunteering is changing at Scouts. Read more

Discover what this means

Homemade hockey

Go one-on-one or team up in this quick game of hockey, featuring wicked whackers!
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Two chairs
  • One foam ball or puck
  • Newspapers
  • Strong tape

Before you begin

  • Make hockey sticks (‘whackers’) by rolling up the newspapers into cylinder shapes and taping them together. Try to shape them like hockey sticks by bending one end to be the blade (the side that strikes the ball or puck) and leaving the other end (the handle) straight. Each game will need six whackers.
  • Set out the pitch. In the playing area, have a chair at either end as goals and three whackers on each chair. Leave space at either end for players not involved to wait their turn.

Run the activity

  1. Split the group into two teams. Have each team stand at different ends of the playing area.
  2. Have each player give themselves a number, based on the number of people in their team. For example, if there’s six people in each team, they should each number themselves one to six.
  3. Outline the rules of the game. When their number is called, a player from both teams should take a whacker from the opposing team’s chair, attempt to get control of the ball or puck in the centre of the pitch and whack it with their whacker under the chair on their side of the field.
  1. Run the game. Place the foam ball or puck in the centre of the pitch and call a number. Players should get their whackers and try to score in their goal. When a goal is scored, whackers should be returned to the chairs and the ball or puck returned to the centre of the pitch. Continue in this way.
  2. When everyone understands the rules, begin to call out more than one number at a time. Those players should collect their whackers as before and work as a team to try and score against the other team.
  3. Set a limit of goals for each team to reach (eg 10) or a time limit, which when reached means that the team with the most goals wins. 

Reflection

Playing hockey with rolled up newspapers was probably a bit different to using a wooden stick. Did you need a few whacks of the ball to get your technique right? Was there a particular whacker you went for, or were they all the same? How important was it to react quickly and get to the ball or puck first?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Active games

The game area should be free of hazards. Explain the rules of the game clearly and have a clear way to communicate that the game must stop when needed. Take a look at our guidance on running active games safely.

Contact games and activities

Make sure everyone understands what contact is acceptable, and monitor contact throughout the activity.

You could play Whackers on a larger scale with three or four teams and goals, for a greater challenge. You could also try playing with a soft ball and use hands to whack your goals!

Goals can be made larger or smaller and can be moved.

You could play the game in pairs, with two people entering the pitch together at the same time, so they can support one another.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers Teamwork Challenge Award
Cubs Teamwork Challenge Award
Scouts Teamwork Challenge Award

Arrange a Whackers tournament on camp or with other groups in your area.

Once everyone understands the rules, have a young leader or young person run this game.