"Bumper Cars"
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Before playing "bumper cars," all participants must be able to do a dip and be able to move forward on the ice. In a dip, the skater skates forward on two feet and squats down as far as possible.
To play, have the skaters skate as fast as they can in a small area. Then, tell the children to "sit in their cars." (That is when they should squat down into a dip position.)
Mimic turning a steering wheel with your hands and arms. Tell the children to begin to drive. Make beeping and honking sounds.
Curve to the left or right. As you approach another skater almost head on, curve quickly out of the way. Pretend to shriek and scream as you get near a skater. Don't really knock anyone over!
Shoot the Duck Game
Photo by JO ANN Schneider Farris
To do a shoot-the-duck, first glide forward on two feet. Next, bend both knees and bend down so you are almost sitting on the ice. Move as fast as you can. Then, while gliding on two feet, kick one foot forward and keep gliding on the other foot.
Now, get some friends together and play the shoot-the-duck game. Here's how to play:
Get a few skaters to skate as fast as possible around an ice rink. Then, someone should shout, "Shoot-the-Duck!" After that, everyone squats down and should then do a shoot-the-duck on one foot. The skater that holds the shoot-the-duck position on one foot for the longest time wins.
Falling is great fun when playing the shoot-the-duck game. Remember, no cheating!
Cut the Cake
- Have skaters hold hands in a circle.
- Choose one child to go in the middle. Have the child hold his or her hands together which will be the "knife."
- Teach the children this chant: '"Name" "Name" cut the cake! Make the pieces nice and straight!'
- Tell the child to find a place to "cut" and then encourage the child to "cut" between two children on the circle who are holding hands.
- Have the "cutter" hold up his or her "knife" and then have the two children that have been cut race in different directions on the circle. Whoever touches the knife first wins. Repeat.
Note: The Cut-the-Cake game was played during the last five minutes of most ice skating classes at Ice Capades Chalets in the 1980s.
The Spinning Game
The skaters stand in a circle on the ice. One skater goes in the center and spins. The skaters say the following chant as the skater spins:- "Spin, (name of skater), Spin. Stop on the person and that person's in!"
"Falling Is Fun!"
- Have the children shout, "Falling is fun!"
- Have the children shout, "We all fall down!"
- Then fall down on purpose.
- Let the kids crawl on the ice like a "doggie" and then get up.
"Ring Around the Snowpile"
"Ring Around the Snowpile" is an ice skating version of "Ring Around the Rosy." The skaters should hold hands in a circle and move if possible while saying the following rhyme:- "Ring around the snowpile, a pocket full of snowflakes...snowflakes, snowflakes...we all fall down!"
Red Light Green Light
Red Light Green Light is a great way to help new ice skaters master stopping. Green light means "Go," and Red light means "Stop." The person in charge can insist that the skaters do a complete snowplow stop. The skaters should be encouraged to "freeze" and not move on the ice at all. Falling down instead of stopping should also be discouraged. The skater that reaches a final line or rail first wins!The Hokey Pokey
The traditional Hokey Pokey song and game is extra fun on the ice. Instead of putting "your right foot in," a skater can put his or her "right skate in!" Whoever leads this game should be prepared to sing the Hokey Pokey with the skaters. Asking for help with the singing should be encouraged. Whatever, the skater "puts in" should be included in the lyrics below:
Put your right skate in,
Put your right skate out,
Put your right skate in
And you shake it all about
You do the Hokey Pokey and you turn yourself around
That's what it's all about!
This game involves learning how to do a small jump on the ice and also turning (spinning) around on two feet. Putting "your whole self in" means that skaters could possibly skate forward and backward by doing forward swizzles "in" and backward swizzles "out."
Duck, Duck, Goose
When playing this game, the skaters should stand in a circle on the ice. (The skaters should not sit down like in the traditional Duck, Duck, Goose game since the ice is too wet and cold for that.)One skater is “It.”
The skater who is "It" skates around the circle and taps every person on the head, calling out “Duck” as he taps.
Then, a random skater is picked. Instead of saying, "Duck," when he taps that skater, he shouts "Goose!"
The skater who is "Goose" then chases the skater who did the tapping around the circle. If "It" gets back into the spot where he tapped "Goose," he is safe. Now the person who was "Goose" becomes "It" and the game repeats.
If anyone is unsuccessful in making it back to the open spot in the circle and is caught by "Goose" he goes to the middle of the circle and can't get out until someone else doesn't make it back in time.
