Basic 6 · Physical Education · Locomotive Skills

Creating a Cooperative Movement Game

In this topic you will develop a cooperative game that combines locomotor skills and object manipulation.

By the end of these notes you should be able to:

Explain cooperative games
Combine locomotor and manipulative skills in a game
Design, play and improve a group game

What you already know

Locomotor and manipulative skills (Basic 5)

Copy everything that has a blue line on its left into your notebook. The other parts are for reading.

Strand: Motor Skill And Movement Patterns
Sub-strand: Locomotive Skills
Indicator: B6.1.1.1.1 – Develop a cooperative movement game that uses locomotor skills object manipulation

Introduction

In most games, one team wins and the other loses. In cooperative games, everyone works together towards a shared goal. These games build teamwork, communication and fair play.

1. Skills in Games

Skills to combine

Locomotor skills	Manipulative (object) skills
walking, running, skipping	throwing and catching
hopping, jumping, leaping	kicking and dribbling
sliding, galloping	rolling, striking, bouncing

2. What Makes a Game Cooperative?

Everyone works towards the same goal.
No one is left out; all members take part.
Players must communicate and help each other.
Success depends on teamwork, not individual stars.

3. Designing a Cooperative Game

Game design plan

Element	Example: "Pass the River"
goal	move all balls across a "river" (marked area) in 3 minutes
players	groups of 6
equipment	4 balls, cones, chalk lines
rules	players must skip across; each ball must be passed at least 3 times; no one may hold a ball for more than 3 seconds
skills used	skipping, throwing, catching
safety	play on soft ground; keep 1 metre apart when running

Pupils passing balls while skipping across a marked area — Figure 1: A cooperative game Draw your game area with lines and cones.Illustration: Sirbus

4. Playing and Improving

Explain the rules clearly to all players.
Play the game once.
Discuss what worked and what was difficult.
Change one rule to make it more challenging or fairer.
Play again and compare results.

Good cooperative games are simple to learn, safe, keep everyone active and need communication. When designing, think about players of different abilities so that everyone can take part.

Traditional Ghanaian games such as ampe, pilolo and chaskele can also be adapted into cooperative games. For example, in a cooperative version of ampe, the whole group tries to reach a target number of matched jumps together instead of competing against one another.

New words

cooperative game: A game in which players work together towards a shared goal.
locomotor skill: A movement that takes you from one place to another.
manipulative skill: A skill that involves controlling an object.
teamwork: Working well together.
communication: Sharing information with others.
fair play: Playing honestly and respecting others.

Summary

Cooperative games have a shared goal and involve everyone.
They combine locomotor and object skills.
A game plan includes goal, players, equipment, rules, skills and safety.
Play, discuss and improve the game.

Class activity: Design a Game

Design a cooperative game using one locomotor and one manipulative skill.
Write its rules on a card.
Teach and play it with another group.

You need: Locally made ball, Plastic-bottle cones, Rope

Exercises

Answer in your exercise book first, then check your answers.

1. In a cooperative game, players…
- A. work together
- B. play alone
- C. fight
- D. leave others out
Show answer
Answer: work togetherShared goal.
2. Which is a manipulative skill?
- A. Catching
- B. Skipping
- C. Hopping
- D. Walking
Show answer
Answer: CatchingControlling an object.
3. Why change a rule after playing?
- A. To make the game fairer or more challenging
- B. To stop playing
- C. To leave people out
- D. To cheat
Show answer
Answer: To make the game fairer or more challengingImprovement.
4. Cooperative games build teamwork.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: TruePlayers help each other.
5. Only the best players should touch the ball in a cooperative game.
- A. True
- B. False
Show answer
Answer: FalseEveryone should take part.
6. Playing honestly and respecting others is fair ______.
Show answer
Answer: playSportsmanship.
7. List four elements of a game design plan.
Show answer
Answer: Goal, players, equipment, rules (or skills, safety).Any four.
8. How can a game be designed so that pupils of different abilities can join?
Show answer
Answer: Use simple rules, allow different roles, and require everyone to touch the ball.Inclusion.

Homework

Teach your cooperative game to friends or family and record how it went.