Optional Opening Game

In today’s video, Gears is having difficulty maintaining balance in his life. These game activities introduce the concept of striving for balance in all we do.

The activities can be done in any order. Choose and repeat as many activities as time allows.

Cup Balance

Give the first player the cup and turn it upside down. Place the ball on top. The player must carefully walk across the room while balancing the ball on the bottom of the cup. Players can only use one hand (or two hands if necessary) to hold the cup and cannot touch the ball as they walk. If the ball falls from the cup, the player puts the ball back on the cup and continues from that point. Repeat until all children have taken a turn.

Optional: Call out different ways to travel as the children balance the ball on the cup: walk backward or sideways, tiptoe, shuffle, etc.

Walk the Line

Place an 8–10 ft. tape line on the floor. Have children take turns “balancing” as they walk on the line, one foot in front of the other, without stepping off the line.

Optional: Instead of the tape line, place a 2” x 4” board on the floor and use it as a “balance beam” for the children to walk on.

Balloon Balance

Place a balloon on the back of a player’s hand and slowly count the seconds aloud to see how long he/she can balance it before it falls to the ground. The player’s other hand cannot touch the balloon.

Domino Stack

Distribute stacks of about thirty dominoes per group of 5–6 children. Players in each group alternate turns, carefully stacking dominoes to make a tower as high as they can go.

Conclusion: Good job doing all the balancing activities! It isn’t always easy to keep things balanced, is it? Which activity did you like the most, or which one was the hardest for you? Children respond.