Let's Do This! Cross The Swamp

DANNY Hey, I'm Danny and welcome to Let's Do This, where we will get active together.

This activity is called cross the swamp. This activity is great for developing your balance, teamwork and timing.

You will need at least two players and three flat mats or hoops.

You can even play and a bigger group.

I'm going to need a helping hand with this one, so I've got Hannah to help show us what to do.

HANNAH Hello.

DANNY Step one.

Player one lays out three flat mats or hoops an equal distance apart.

Imagine these are stepping stones, and the ground is a swamp.

Step two.

Each player should stand on a different stepping stone, leaving the first stepping stone empty.

Step three.

The person at the back of the line picks up the empty steeping stone and passes it forward until it gets to the front.

Step four.

The person at the front lays down the stepping stone, everyone jumps forward one stepping stone.

Be careful not to fall in the swamp.

Step five.

Repeat the activity until you've moved all the way across the swamp.

Or travel back with another player leading the way.

Now let's do this!

Good teamwork.

There you go.

Yeah, that was a big jump.

Oh, these are big, big jumps.

There we go.

NARRATOR Too tough?

DANNY Finding it a bit hard?

To make it easier, place the stepping stones closer together so you don't have to travel so far.

Or try stepping across them instead of jumping.

Anything to keep you out of that swamp.

Give it a go.

NARRATOR Go up a notch?

DANNY Want to develop your skills even more?

You can place a stepping stones further apart making the distance you need to jump a bit further.

You can try hopping on one leg instead of jumping.

This is great for improving your balance.

But be careful when jumping that further distance.

Great effort.

Now you give it a try.

NARRATOR Danny’s challenge

DANNY How quickly can you and your team cross the swamp?

Ask someone to time you and record your score on a whiteboard or pen and paper.

Then play again to see if you can beat that time.

NARRATOR Final thoughts

DANNY Fantastic effort. I love this activity and it really helps you improve your balance and your teamwork.

Can you think of any other games where balance is important?

Let’s do this!