Modified Basketball
Introduce the skills and game of basketball with this modified version. Great to encourage the development of multiple fundamental movement skills. Requires a hard surface.
Set up
Use the local basketball court, or a flat, hard ground in your yard. Use a small basketball ring, or someone standing in a hoop as the goal. Separate children into two teams (or adult v child).
How to play
Step 1:
- One team starts with the ball
Step 2:
- If the ball is dropped or intercepted, the other team can steal it and dribble back to the mid line, before trying to score a goal
Step 3:
- Teams try to score a goal, either by dribbling down to the goal and shooting into a ring or passing it to someone standing in their goal hoop
- Continue playing, mixing up teams or rules as desired
Variations
Make it easier
- Allow a 2 handed bounce and catch
- Introduce a no stealing rule
Make it harder
- Introduce dribbling if this suits your group
- Children only have a maximum of 20 seconds to dribble to the goal
Activity information
Age: Year 1, Year 2, Year 3, Year 4, Year 5, Year 6
Participants: 2
+
Equipment: Basketballs, Basketball goals
Duration: 10 minutes
Skill focus
Explore these skills for teaching tips
Skill teaching
This version of basketball focuses on catching, so you must remind children of the teaching cues for this;
- Eyes on the ball
- Soft fingers
- Butterfly hands: thumbs together and fingers pointing up for balls being caught above the waist
- Wriggly worms: fingers pointing down for balls being caught below the waist
- Move hands to the ball
Physical literacy tips
- Change it up to have all children on the same team, so they must work together
- Every child must catch the ball once before they are able to score a goal
