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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

Kit dash

Work as a team to create a sports relay then race to the finish against the clock.
Plan a session with this activity

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You’ll need

  • Assorted sports equipment

Before you begin

  • Gather different pieces of sports equipment you have available such as bats, balls, rackets, cones, goals, ropes, stumps or hoops.

Create your challenge

  1. Split everyone into small groups of three – five people and have each group choose a piece of sports equipment from your selection which comes from a sport with well-known rules.
  2. Groups should be given up to ten minutes to design and create a short sports challenge (which will be part of a relay race) using their piece of equipment based around a rule from the sport their piece of equipment is used in. Support your groups to consider any individual needs or disabilities so that everyone can take part in the sports challenges.

For example, if using a rugby ball the challenge could be based around the that you can only throw backwards and could involve throwing the ball through a hoop placed behind you.

  1. Groups should also come up with one warm up move to be done before their challenge. The chosen move could be a stretch or short activity, but should use a body part that they will use in their challenge.

Consider having a list of common rules associated with your sports equipment and warm up moves which groups can use to come up with ideas. Simple rules for lots of different sports can be found here and easy warm-ups can be found here.

Pre-match briefing

  1. Decide on the order each group’s piece of equipment will feature in a relay race.
  2. The groups should now take turns in order to lead the whole group in their chosen warm-up activity until all of the warm-ups have been completed.
  3. In order, each group should introduce their piece of equipment, explain the rule they have chosen and demonstrate how to complete their challenge.
  4. Once all of the challenges have been explained, each group will line up ready to tackle each challenge as part of a relay race.

Kit dash

  1. In their groups, everyone takes turns completing the relay race, completing the challenges one after the other before racing back and tagging the next team member to take on the course.

If any challenge needs manning (for example, to return a ball, reset a stump or hold a hoop) a member of the group which designed that challenge should do this, or another volunteer if that group is competing.

  1. After each group has completed the course, victory should be awarded to the fastest team.

Reflection

Break it down with body parts. Ask players to identify a body part that they feel represents their performance in the team game. Someone might choose 'eyes', as they were very observant and checked what the rest of their team were doing to know how they could best help. Another person might choose 'legs', as they did lots of running around and carried the team through. Allow everyone a short amount of time to think of their body part and then ask each person to point to the part of themselves they feel illustrates how they played.

In small groups, or as a whole section, encourage everyone to explain which body part they have chosen and why. Consider repeating this reflection after different physical games, to help everyone check in on their strengths and what they'd like to improve upon.

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.

The individual activities can be made more complex or more simple by each team. The group leader can also advise each group if they feel that their designed activity is too difficult or too simple.

Try to only select sports equipment that everyone in your group will be able to use. For example a wheelchair user may not be able to comfortably kick a football but may be able to swing a bat or throw a basketball.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Scouts Physical Recreation Activity Badge

Support your young people to take up other regular sports by signposting them to clubs and opportunities in your area - make sure to do this in discussion with their parents/carers. Any Scouts who follow sport but don't take part regularly could also look into the Sports Enthusiast badge.

This activity by design encourages team members to guide the activity themselves. To further this team members should be encouraged to research and discover the rules surrounding their sport by themselves. Group members may already play different sports, if so they can be given the chance to advise others on the rules of their sport.