Get outside and play a bit this year by reusing your task cards (or U-KNOW decks) and Game Show Slides to play this Task Card Hopscotch.
Sometimes it is the game we played as a child paired with a good set of task cards that makes for the best classroom activity.
Not too long ago, we talked about how you can use U-KNOW decks to play the classic card game War, and we used our U-KNOW decks again to learn a card game I played as a child called ‘Spoons’ (we called it ‘Markers’ since we adapted it for classroom use).
Today, we are taking our childhood memories outside for a change with a little game of Task Card Hopscotch.
Task Card Hopscotch Basics
Task Card Hopscotch has many different options and variations, but the basis of the game is as follows…
Step #1 | Pick a Topic and Print Cards
Print off (and maybe consider laminating) a bunch of task cards. Find out how I take care of my cards in this post about making classroom games last longer.
Once you’ve decided what task cards you’ll use, divide the cards up into sets of 40. Then create and print an ‘Answer Sheet’ for each set of 40 cards. Another option is to print only one side of the card and write the answer on the back. Either way, students will need access to the answers.
Step #2 | Set up the Courses
Set up a series of hopscotch courses on the sidewalks outside or use tape to set them up inside the classroom. Students can also do this for you once they learn how! You could also use these hopscotch rugs in the classroom. On each number, place 4 task cards, (If the answers are on the card, make sure the card is lying question up-answer down).
Step #3 | Divide Students
Divide your students into groups of 3 or 4, and assign them to a hopscotch course.
This is a great time to provide some differentiation. You can group students by the topic they need to work on, skill level, or just randomly assign groups. Depending on how many groups you have and how many courses you want to create, your grouping options can be varied and/or goal-oriented.
Step #4 | Game Play
One at a time, students will toss rocks or bean bags onto a spot that has a task card. They will then hop their way to the end and back using the one-foot, two-feet, one-foot, two-feet pattern, but they can’t step on any spots that don’t have any task cards or the ones that their marker landed on.
On their way back (after hopping all the way to 10), the student will stop on the spot just before the one their rock or bean bag landed on and pick up one of the task cards from the spot their marker is sitting on. Then, they will read the card aloud and answer the question.
If they answer the question correctly, they keep the card, and make their way back to the beginning.
Note: It is important that they say their answer out loud, but when they check their answer on the back of the card, they should not say the answer out loud unless they were right. If the answers are on an answer sheet instead of on the card, one student will be in charge of checking the answers.
If the student cannot answer correctly, the card will be placed back on the spot, and the student will finish their turn. They can try to answer it correctly on their next turn, but they don’t want to give away the answer to the other competitors. The student who collects the most cards by the end of the game wins.
Note: In a typical game of hopscotch, the players are trying to make it through all the numbers 1-10, but in our game, students are allowed to jump around and toss their marker at whichever number they want so long as there is still a task card on that number.
Make it Competitive
This game can be collaborative or competitive.
If students are all working together to try to get as many cards as possible before moving on to the next course, you may want to give them some time to strategize before they begin the game.
If students are competing against the others in their group, you may want to cut down on the number of cards per space to make the game harder or give each card a point value (i.e.. 100 pts for the easiest questions and 500 for the hardest questions). This will force the students to play more strategically.
Task Card Hopscotch Variations/Options
- Don’t allow students to hop on the spaces without task cards. Instead, they will work as a team to figure out the best way to throw their markers so as not to cause problems with being able to reach the task cards. This will turn this individual game into a collaborative problem-solving event.
- Place four task cards on each space. Students get to pick which one they pick up when they land on one. This allows groups to play longer, and students can play on the same number multiple times.
- Place four cards of different colors on each spot, make each color worth a different number of points for more strategic play or assign each student a specific color to answer each time they land on a spot.
- Again, place multiple task cards on the spaces, but in this variation, the other participants get to pick which card the person answers. This allows students to challenge each other with harder questions.
Where to Get Cards for this Game
You can get task cards from a number of places. We have an entire task card section in our store, but if you already have a bunch of Fun in 5th Grade resources, we suggest using U-KNOW cards or even printing Game Show slides (which you can learn how to do in this blog post). You can also print out the slides from our digital review activities!
Any of these options or any other task cards would work well with this game as long as you have enough to create a course.
Sometimes the best inspiration comes from taking something old or ‘seasoned’ and giving it a fresh new look. Task Card Hopscotch will not only help your students review skills and concepts (you can use it as test prep!), but you can also use it to help students be more active and spend some quality time outdoors.
Let us know how it goes, and don’t forget to send us some pictures of your students in action!
