Initiative Games in Physical Education: A Practical Approach for Teaching Critical Thinking Skills — Part 1

Abstract

As teachers prepare children for the future, the need for developing critical thinking skills in students becomes clearly evident. One way to promote this process is through initiative games. Initiative games are clearly defined problems that a group must find a solution to through cooperation, physical effort and cognitive functioning. The purpose of this article is to provide a series of five initiative games that can be used as a part of any team-building or initiative-game centered unit within a physical education curriculum for upper elementary through high school students. The activities described will appropriately address several SHAPE America National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. Each initiative game presented will include the activity name, a description, rules and conditions, equipment, organizational layout of the problem, and safety considerations.