Got to teach PE at my sons school for the first time today this year. He started kindergarten last fall and I volunteer to teach PE every few times a month. This time we played “magical chairs” similar to musical chairs but with a twist. Usually in musical chairs you remove a chair and someone is “out” if they are unable to find a chair in time. In magical chairs you move on to the next round of challenges (one less chair) only if everyone was able to find a space to sit. That means instead of pushing each other off the chair, the goal is to make space for everyone to fit on the chair. It’s competitive play through collaboration and teamwork.

Even though the students knew the rules, it was interesting to see some of the students push one another to find their own space to sit on. Interestingly, when there was 1 or 2 chairs left, we were in groups of 4 or 5, they began to embrace the idea of sharing a seat even more. As the chairs began to disappear they began to share their laps and help one another find a space to sit or use their arms to hold one another on top of their lap.

We also did some calisthenics using the chair as a platform to jump, elevate, and move. We used the backrest of two chairs to balance our selves off the ground. We used the seat to spring from one side to another of the chair. We also did some planks and modified holds to stay off the ground.

I really enjoyed this activity of magical chairs. In the many places, competition exist but there is usually an element of team work involved. I hope to instill some sense of collaboration and teamwork through the mini PE lessons we have.