Number of Players: 2 or more.
Where Game Is Played: Indoors/Outdoors
Who Can Play: First grade and above
An indoor/outdoor game that will keep players involved for as long as the interest holds up. Two players compete against each other in this game with one being the batter and the other the pitcher. If you have more players, each would have an opponent. If you have three people, one can act as scorekeeper.
Two people begin the game by deciding who goes first. This could be 1) the oldest, 2) the tallest, 3) youngest, 4) shortest or however you want to determine this. Each player puts one hand behind their back. At a GO signal, they bring one hand in front of them while holding out from 0 fingers to 5 fingers. No strategy is to be discussed prior to revealing their hands. A designated scorekeeper totals the number of fingers from both players. To add more creativity to this game, have bases set up to make it more realistic with something to designate on base players. Even numbers help the batter; odd numbers help the pitcher. A designated scorekeeper, keeps track of who is at bat, outs, innings, and score. Follow these rules:
- Determine the number of innings you wish to play.
- All runners must be forced to the next base.
- Runners may not advance on an out.
- On a double play, the batter plus the runner on the nearest base to home is out.
- A double or triple play with the bases empty means only one out.
- A triple play with one person on base means two outs.
EVEN
0 fingers – walk
2 fingers = single
4 fingers = single
6 fingers = double
8 fingers = triple
10 fingers = home run
ODD
1 finger = out
3 fingers = out
5 fingers = out
7 fingers = double play
9 fingers = triple play
You could even get more creative with this by dreaming up other additions to this game. For example:
- You could turn this into a league.
- You could have playoffs.
- Or, you could dream of additional things to keep the interest up.
- The best part is allowing the players to have fun without competition becoming a spoiler.
Devotion: Where A Winner and a Loser Wins!
In Philippians 2;3 it says “3 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” We can focus on one individual during their competition/sports and easily observe how they handle their competitive nature. How they respond says something about those that play a role in these individuals competitive endeavors and how they have been taught/conditioned to respond when success occurs or if failure takes place. Articles, Books, Podcasts and who knows what else has been created to dissect this phenomenon. As we gradually share with our young athletes, our children, and others, we need to be careful what we are communicating to them through verbal and non-verbal means. If we as adults live out Philippians 2:3, those we are responsible for will have a better chance of responding in that way as well. My advice: Live out what you want seen in them. Encourage through the good and bad times. Find the positives in their experience and share that with them. Ask them how they felt while playing. Enjoy these experiences and help these young athletes enjoy these experiences as they don’t last very long. As John Wooden once said, “Focus on running the race rather than winning it.”
