Four Square Progressions For K-5

Hello PE Nation!

Today we bring back four square and show how we teach it from kindergarten through the upper grades without losing kids to confusion, long lines, or constant arguments. I share the exact progressions, key rules, and the creative “extra games” students love once they know the basics. 
• why four square belongs in the PE curriculum and transfers to recess and home play 
• kindergarten setup using numbers plus bounce and catch skill building 
• first grade progression with sending over lines and quick re-entry rotation 
• second grade rotations with square one to four progression and safe play rules 
• third grade shift to underhand tapping plus inside lines out and outside lines in 
• simple conflict resolution for line calls using group vote or replay 
• fourth and fifth grade reinforcement and letting advanced players compete safely 
• popular student chosen variations like Cherry Bomb, Pac Man, Shoe Shine and School Bus 

Let's play!

Dave

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Transcript

Kindergarten Skills With Bounce And Catch

First Grade Progression And Simple Rotation

Second Grade Rotations And Starting Variations

Third Grade Rules Lines And Conflict Fixes

Fourth And Fifth Grade Real Play

Student Made Foursquare Mini Games

Tip Of The Day And Next Unit Links

Closing Thanks And Where To Find More

SPEAKER_00 0:11

Hello and welcome to the Super Sides Wednesday podcast. My name is Dave, and today I want to talk about Foursquare. Yes, Foursquare, the favorite from our childhoods. And hopefully everybody listening still can remember all the fun things you did as a child and some of the fun games. And Foursquare is no exception. And I think it's a great thing to keep in the curriculum. So without further ado, here we go. All right, welcome in everybody. You can hear my dog in the background, so I apologize. She's kind of being a little annoying right now. I do want to apologize also for um, it's been a little bit um for podcasts. I don't want to keep saying this every time I put on an episode, but uh just had a lot more things going on recently and haven't put out as much content. So again, I apologize. I'm looking forward to this summer getting more podcasts out, uh, maybe do a little more writing. I kind of been cutting back on some things and um just I picked up another kind of side job and uh coaching my daughter in flag football has taken up a lot of time. So uh again, apologies. But I want to put out something fun and something that um we just finished, um, a four-square kind of progression with K through five and how I run the units and what I do with each grade level because they're it's different. You can't teach kindergarten foursquare or really anything like you do fourth or fifth grade. And so I want to make sure I uh explain this to you and how we do it, and I think it's been a really uh big hit, which leads to other games as well. So let's make this a boomer. Let's just talk about how we do it with each grade level. So here we go. All right, so as we start discussing this, um, I want to just say that Foursquare I think is a great thing. I know there's some things, there's some old school games that I just I'm like, no, listen, we're not doing that. We're not doing uh Red Rover or um you know shirts versus skins and things like that. But um, you know, I I definitely think Foursquare has a place in the curriculum. And I definitely think that, you know, teaching children games that they can play at recess, they can play at home. You know, I've told them uh most of my classes recently that, you know, during COVID, we would go outside, me, my wife, and my two kids, and we played a lot of Foursquare. It was fun. And it was like, well, you know, it'd be nice to have more people, and you know, but everybody's kind of at the time, just a weird time, right? Uh everybody's kind of like eyeing each other up, like, should I go near that person? Should I not? I don't know. But it was a way for us to get outside and have fun and move around. And uh my son's very competitive, and he always is one of those kids that's like, I wasn't out, it didn't hit the line, I don't know. Um, so watch for those kids because my son's one of them. So, anyways, with kindergarten, all I really did was um we have these pre-painted four-square courts, and I just put four children in a box and they each got a number, and they had to practice bouncing and catching and trying to get it to each other and count their total number of catches, and then I'd say, okay, switch numbers. So they, if they were number four, they'd just whatever, find another box and they'd kind of move around. So we did that a few times, and I really didn't do much more than that. Now you can do other things like you can add hoops and just kind of do like a hoop ball thing. Um, I've done that in the past for this time because I only had two weeks, I only had like did it one time with each class. We really just worked on that um because we're just we're kind of running out of time, and I want to make sure I get in some things that I just couldn't cover in the beginning of the year because of the heat, because of the rain, because things just happen. So I know that get it got a little uh not boring after a while, but it got a little repetitive after a while. So I kind of split the class into two games. It was again for kindergarten, it was just uh the bounce and catch game and working on those skills, of course, talking about the the cues, talking about how we catch, how we throw, how we you know do a little like a bounce pass. And then I played a different game with them because it's a long class, it's like a 15-minute class we have. And so I went and played Man Overboard with them, which is a different episode I put out not too long ago. Um if you want to check that out, just an extra game because it got a little bit monotonous um and the kids were like, oh, let's go, let's do something else. But I want to make sure they get those skills in. And so, kindergarten, we really kind of took it easy and just did those basic, basic things and worked on that. So that is kindergarten. All right, on to first grade. So with first grade, we started kind of like kindergarten, we're just bouncing and catching, and they're trying to, you know, just bounce to another square over the line. We start talking about that where you you want to get over the line and into another square, and the other person has to catch it. So uh we did that a little bit, and then I progressed to okay, I I kind of combined a couple a few courts where now you have uh instead of four students per you know group or you know, four square court, there's more like five or six. And so if somebody didn't catch it, uh that kind of thing, they they they just went to the um the court that got them out or that got out. So I didn't do the real progress the real rotation. Actually I did with a couple of classes that I think were getting it, but for the most part, if number three got out, the person waiting would just go number three. And they would just kind of pass around, pass around and work on that. And we worked on put uh sending the ball away from each other, like the you know, not not just sending it right to them, actually trying to hit the corners or go make them move around more. And then we still played for um man overboard. So they still got a taste of both games for the most most part, but I want to add a rotation piece in. And you know, there are times when um, especially the younger boys and girls, they get really upset um if they get out in a game. And so I want to make sure the lines are not long, and we have that discussion where if you're out, you're only out for 30 seconds, a minute, and you're right back in the game. And it's it's just one of those things you have to talk about. So make sure students understand that they get right back in the game. There's no you know, elimination where they're just sitting out doing nothing. It's it's a game, you rotate, and everybody gets a chance. And of course, number four serves. I I do start telling them that in first grade where number four has the ball, they start with the ball, they they get everything going. So that is first grade. All right, second grade is where the magic starts, the magic happens, where I don't do regular where they kind of tap it back and forth. I do a bounce, I do a catching, a throwing catching. So they do uh the regular rotation. So I teach them the rotations where they you come in at number one, you're trying to get to number four. And I know other people do it differently, by the way. I've had even students say, Oh, my old school uh number four always had to start by passing it to number two, or they do you know, kings and queens and aces, and I don't know, and you want to be the king court or queen court or whatever. I don't we I don't know. You can do whatever you want. We have, I mean, we have it actually numbered one through four. So I tell the students that number four always serves, and you know, uh you're trying to make it to number four if you can, but you're not targeting, they always say, Oh, they're targeting me. Uh no, they're trying to get you out. It's part of the game. But I do the regular rotations, they come in on number one, and then if like number two gets out, one goes to two, and you still come in on number one. So that's when I start the the kind of the real way, or mostly real way in second grade with the rotations, with um, again, it's throwing and catching. So it's still bouncing and catching. If they don't catch it on the well after one bounce, they're out. I tell them they can't slam it over somebody's head, though. That's not that's not fair, and that's not then you're out if you do that. And again, I apologize for my dog. She's a sweet dog, but she drives me insane when I do podcasts. I don't know what it is. So sorry about the extra noise. And okay, so number two, so second grade. I also tell them, okay, we we play this way for about half the class period. And then the second half, I do start teaching them the extra games. And I figured, um, why don't I teach you the extra games or I'll talk about the extra games in the final segment of this podcast? Because I don't want to talk about all of them right here, and then uh we all go on to different grade levels. But uh extra games. We'll talk about those, like I said, later. Uh, but I do teach them that just some of the some of the extra games, and they can go on the second half of the class or the last like 10 or 15 minutes. They can play those extra games if they want. And actually, the students teach me games all the time. So, and they make up games, they're very creative. And even like a second grader just taught me a game I didn't know, or she made it up, I'm not sure. And it was really cool. A lot of students liked it, even the older students. So that is second grade. All right, third grade is when I teach the real way, and some students struggle with this, and if they do, I uh create a different court or two that can go back to kind of the second grade way where they bounce and catch. But this is where they have to tap it underhand. It's gotta be underhand. Okay, and then I teach them, and I actually teach this in second grade where the inside lines are out, outside lines are in. We'll talk about perimeter. Oh, I know perimeter. Okay, well that that that those lines are in. The outside of the box is in, it's good. The inside is out, though. If you hit the inside line, you're out. And I teach them, if they're not sure, there's different ways to resolve the conflicts. And that this goes for like, well, uh we really worry about it in kindergarten because they don't this game doesn't involve the lines in first grade. Really starting second grade and higher. If there's a conflict of who's out, oh did hit the line, did not hit the line, um, you know, whatever. There's two ways I tell them they can resolve the conflict. And it's not rock, paper, scissors. And I I know rock, paper, scissors uh like helps in a lot of conflicts. It doesn't really help in this one because it's not like uh you just kind of I don't know, it's not it's not like that. It's it doesn't help. So the two that I use are vote on it as a group, you know, Coach Kearney's out. Who who thinks Coach Carney hit the line? Raise your hand. And if they if it's a consensus or pretty close, I'm out. And no, there shouldn't be any problems. Um I'm not being targeted. It's just they're telling me I I hit the line inside line or whatever, or I didn't make it into the, you know, outside my box um to somebody else's line, you know, I'm out. And if they can't come up with a consensus, they replay it. And I told them that's what we did all the time when I was a kid. Oh, just replay it. You know, but there's no reason to fight over this, to argue, to be upset, to cry. It just replay it. Okay. Now you do have to watch that a little bit because the kid who gets out is always saying they want to replay it, right? I mean, not always, but a lot of times. So uh, but I always teach that, especially second grade and higher. Um, again, I I teach uh other ways, of course, in kindergarten first, but this game for kindergarten first doesn't really involve the inside lines and things like that. So that's not really a problem. And so with third grade, I do again teach the regular way. Like I said, underhand, everything's underhand. If you're if it's overhand, you're out. And then I tell them again, play my way for half the class, and then we can play the extra games, which again we'll go over in a little bit. That really is uh the same for fourth grade. I don't have to go into all this fourth and fifth. You know, play the real way. I teach them the real way, underhand, inside lines are out, outside lines are in, the rotations, how to resolve conflicts, everything like that. And you'd be surprised at how like the older kids, they're really good, by the way. And they uh they enjoy Foursquare. Even though, you know, some of the, I don't know, the the more athletic boys or girls, I'd say boys especially, that kind of like, oh man, I just want to play football or or whatever. And that's fine too. But I love football, but or soccer or whatever. They like Foursquare. I'm not saying every kid likes Foursquare, but for the most part, it's a I mean it's a great game. Again, it's it's all inclusive. It's one of those games that anybody can play, and you know, we have a good time with it. Now, this year, because of the uh we just finished up our chook ball tournament. I didn't do four square with fifth grade, but uh they know how to play it. We will we will review it before the end of the school year. And uh, like I said, third and fourth, man, some of these kids are really good. The fourth graders were just smoking me. Some of these guys, these kids, when they play the extra games, especially, they're really, really good. And so now let's go uh let's go through that some of the extra special games that the children love. And let me know if there's more, by the way. I I'm sure I'm missing some, but let's go over some special extra games uh that the kids really enjoy. So here we go. All right, here they are. Now, like I said, they play my way for the first half of class because I want to teach them the real way, and then they can do it their way, which um I tell them the the server number four gets to make the games. It's funny because sometimes they'll take like a couple minutes deciding on we're playing this, this, this, this, this, and then the server gets out. It's like, well, you just spent all this time doing this. You you probably should agree as a group, but and I tell them that. But uh, you know, sometimes the server stays for a while. And like I said, this is when it gets pretty competitive. Um, they but they have a lot of fun. I haven't seen a lot of like big problems here. So, first, they can do overhand if they want, and that's gonna get up to the server, or they can say regular, regular way, or they can do overhand. Now, it's a lot of extra games. The favorite one, of course, and I'm sure you probably have this if you know this, is Cherry Bomb. It is when they, or you can call it something different, whatever you want to call it. Cherry Bomb is when they um the server or someone else just calls Cherry Bomb, they slam it in somebody's uh court, and they the group counts down from 10, and they have to bring up, they have to run it back and get back in their court by 10, by the by zero, um, 10 seconds. Um, there's other ways to play it, and there's other variations as far as you can make it where uh or they have to slam it in the court or in their court, I don't know, in somebody else's court, they make up different rules, um, things like that. So that is cherry bomb. They love that one. Um, there's Pac-Man, which I really like, where because they played Pac-Man as as younger students. Um, we you know, we play as K K through about one or two, where they have to walk on lines and there's taggers. And so if the server calls Pac-Man, they take the ball with them and they all have to walk on the the line, the inside line or the inside or outside lines, the four-square court. And if they tag, they get tagged by the server, they're out. Um, they yeah, they like that one. Um, there's shoe shine, which they really like as well. If it hits somebody's foot, they all yell, or somebody yells shoeshine, and they put their foot in the middle of the court, and the last person in is out. Now, a game like that, which a second grader taught me, which I was referring to, is called School Bus. Now, I don't know if she made that up or she got that somewhere, I have no idea. But because our courts are number one through four, uh the server can uh can just call out like school bus four, and then everybody has to get in the box number four, um, you know, and then the last person's out, or whatever number they call, school bus one, two, or three. It's kind of like shoe shine, but it's something you just call at any time. Um, there's also I they don't use this a lot, but I've a couple years ago I uh someone or some of the kids taught me Penny Drop, which they just kind of like drop it from a really low height, like just drop it in somebody's core, and they gotta pick it up uh within the second bounce, which is kind of tough. There's popcorn, which is um reminds me of the 6'7 thing. 6'7, they just can popcorn back and forth, and then they finally throw it in somebody's box. Um, there's uh rainbow, which is kind of like that. We're just throwing back and forth, like in a rainbow kind of arc to each other, and then somebody just catches it and throws it in somebody's box. There's a lot of things. I'm trying to try to think of more. Oh, there's like a treetop. Um, it's kind of like I think that's the one. Now I'm drawing blanks here because there's so many things they they taught me. Um, because there's treetop, and there's another one that's like that, where you it's kind of like cherry bomb, but they have to like you have to like throw it up in the air, catch it, and then throw it down and slam it. Um, you know, there's just all sorts of different games that the students play and make up. And I just really um I enjoy listening to them and and that you know, them being very creative with the games. There's a game that somebody made up along with the f the Pac-Man, where after they I do Pac-Man or a different game, um, the server calls squares and they have to go back to Square as fast as possible. Um, just things like that. That again, very creative. Um, there's different, uh I'm sure I'm missing some games, but those are some of the extra ones the students just really enjoy. And I just want to make sure I kind of put that out there because it's, you know, this is it's fun. Four square is fun, foursquare, you know, should be played, and they should know how to do it, uh, I guess the real way and even the extra creative ways. And so, yeah, that's foursquare. And let's give you a cowbell tip of the day. Here we go. All right, so your tip of the day is to make sure you incorporate foursquare or modified versions of foursquare into your curriculum. Um, I guess you don't have to. I'm just saying it's it's a great idea. And it's good for the children, it's good for recess, it's good for you know at-home uh pandemics, I guess. Hopefully not. And, you know, there's progressions as well. So I didn't say this earlier, but this is gonna lead me to striker ball. And I know a lot of you know I play that, but if if you don't, it's uh I set up cones and then they have to kind of whack at a ball. And if it goes between your two cones, you're out, but then there's a rotation there as well. So it's it's kind of like it builds on the four square uh rotations, progressions, and you add add to it. And so it just goes along really well with the uh like the net wall unit where you're you're going over a wall, over a net, um, or against a wall. Sorry, over not over a wall, but um over a line, over a net, uh, against a wall, and it just adds to that unit overall. And from there, I don't have a lot of time left in the school year, but then we're I'm gonna do a little bit of pickleball, maybe volleyball if we have time, and it just keeps progressing. So definitely get that going at your school. And uh yeah, enjoy Foursquare, and that is your cowbell tip of the day. Thank you everyone for tuning in today. I really do appreciate it. As always, go to SupersizeFiz Ed.com for more information, or check out some of the links in the show notes for different episodes, different uh ideas, different things. You could check out like my medium and substack with different articles on all sorts of PE topics. So check those out, check out my book, and check out all things, supersizefized.com. And with that, PE Nation, have a great day, week, weekend, whenever you're listening to this, and let's keep pushing our profession forward.