Rackets

Ralleyball

Layout as many tumbling mats as you can across the gym floor. Have students setup the inside crease of the mat to create a low net for each pair of students to hit across. Students are to rally across this mat net using pickleball paddles and badminton birdies as many times as they can. If their birdie flies into another groups area they must leave it until the other group finished their rally. Switch partners often to allow students a chance to learn to work with others in their class. Keep track of high rally scores for the school/grade level/class.

Clean up the Backyard

Students hit hockey or pickleball/bandminton balls across to the other teams side. Try to get more items on the other teams side.

Oscar the Grouch with rackets

(See Throwing Oscar the Grouch)

Birdie in the Box

Create two teams and place two mats on end in the middle of the gym.  (setup just like Oscar the Grouch).  Have one team away from the box.  They are trying to get birdies into the box by hitting them over the defense and into the box.  The defensive team is placed around the box and is trying to defend the box without touching it.  As the offensive team hits it toward the box the defensive team hits the birdies away.  This game will be best if there is an defensive zone that the offense can't go into.  Play for a few minutes and count the number of birdies in the box.  Then switch jobs.  You could setup two games to be played at the same time.  

Badminton Battleship

Setup a set of nets going length-wise across the gym. Split the class into two teams with one on each side of the net. Setup three or four unfolded mats on each side of the net. Students are to use badminton rackets to hit birdies across the net using a badminton swing (underhand or overhand hitting ok). The object is to land the birdies on the other teams mats. I called these mats the ships and the idea was to get enough birdies on each mat to sink it. For younger classes I started with small numbers to sink a ship (2 or 3 birdies). For older groups I would go up to 6 or 7. Students are allowed to guard each ship and knock away any birdies flying toward a ship, but they cannot be touching a ship at any time. Students can only pickup birdies off the gym floor. All birdies on a ship must stay there until the ship has sunk. I usually throw a deck ring on a sunken ship so everyone knows that it is already out of the game. If a student hits or drops a birdie on their own ship they are allowed to pick it up and continue using it. To spread the kids out, I have also played this with kids assigned to a particular ship. When their ships is sunk then they can move over to help another team guard their ship.

Pickleball Battleship

Setup 4 teams with rackets and lots of nerfy small balls. I use lollipop paddles for the younger students. Make 4 squares with cones in the gym and give each team a square to work in. Set up a rubber poly dot with one bowling pin, a tub with two bowling pins, and a folded mat with 3 bowling pins. Goal is to knock off the bowling pins with the nerf ball. If they knock one down they get to go grab it and add it to their ships. Defense of the ships is allowed.

4 Square badminton

Setup 4 square and a team in each square. Set out a mat (I unfolded mine to make a square). Students are to hit the birdies onto the mat. If a team gets 5 birdies on their mat they are moved down to the bottom square. Goal is to get to the top square and stay there. Defense is fine as long as the team stays off the mat.

Badminton Zoo

Setup four squares using multiple mats. Place an opened mat in each square. Dump out your badminton birdies and have each student with a racket. Place 4 rubber animals on each mat. Students are to hit the birdies over the nets to try to land them on the other teams zoo. If they land it in the zoo, then they get to move across and take an animal. Goal is to get as many animals for their zoo as possible.

Continuous Pinball with Pickleball

Setup a court split in half with cones.  Give each side 3 bowling pins to start.  Dump out all of your softy balls and have lolli pop paddles or pickleball paddles for the kids.  Students are to hit the balls to hit a part of the other teams' basketball hoop.  If they hit it, then they get to grab a new pin from our tubs to add to their collection.  The other option is for students to hit the other teams' pins.  If they knock over a pin then they get to go and take it from that team and add it to their collection.  We don't allow any guarding of the pins that teams have earned.  

Buckets

This is a game for Ping Pong.  Setup four different sized tubs on the end of the ping pong tables.  Students are trying to hit their ping pong ball into the tub.  Students will try to get a ball in each of the four sized tubs (red tubs, large tin cans, milk crates, and stack cupping cups).  Students can work one any level at any time.  

Team Buckets

Same thing as buckets except place a set of cups on each side of the table.  Students will work with a partner and will attempt to get as many balls into the cups as possible.  Or you could take a cup away for every make and try to be the team with the least number of cups on the table.  

Principal's Office

This is a one-on-lots game for pickleball or badminton.  One student is the principal on one side of the net.  The other students are trying to become the principal on the other side of the net.  They line up in a single file line.  The principal starts with the serve and hits it over.  The first person in line then hits it back to the principal and moves out of the way and to the end of the line.  The principal attempts to return the hit.  This keeps going until someone makes a mistake.  If it's the principal, then the student who hit the birdie last becomes the principal.  If it's someone in line then they step out of the game and wait for another rounds or go to another game to try again. 

Champion Ball

This is a one-on-one game for pickleball or badminton.  One student starts as the champion and they get to serve.  The challenger tries to return the serve of the champion and make them make a mistake.  If the server makes a mistake then the champion get to serve.  The goal is to get two serves in a row.  Whoever gets those two serves in a row becomes the next champion.  

Hit the Things

This is good for pickleball or badminton hitting practice.  Give the students items in the gym to hit.  For instance, 3 posters, 4 bluejays, and 5 different doors.  Kids go out and find those items and try to hit them. 

No Relay Relay with Badminton

This is a great one for every grade level and the first day of badminton.  Setup a hula hoop on one side of the gym and a corresponding frisbee filled with birdies on another.  Put students in a single file line at the frisbee.  First student in line will hit the birdie as close as they can from the frisbee.  The next person hits from wherever the birdie stops.  The goal is to get closer and closer until the birdie makes it into the hula hoop.  Once done they start a new birdie.  The hard part is not getting it across the gym.  The hard part is getting the birdie to stay in the hula hoop (it likes to take strange bounces).