Choosing Sports Teams Fairly Makes For Fun Outdoor Games

Playing an outdoor game should be fun and exciting for everyone involved. If you allow kids to choose their own teams, you may have to deal with some hurt feelings-kids are not the most diplomatic of creatures, and someone will always be chosen last. To avoid hurt feelings-and to make sure that teams are evenly matched, consider the following methods:

• If the children are all around the same age, then use a random team assignment. Use small items of similar shapes, but different colors to select teams. You can use marbles, poker chips, checkers, or any other small, colorful item. Add enough of two contrasting colors to a hat or bowl, and have players select without looking. Players choosing a "white" marble are on one team-and players choosing a "black" marble are on the other team.

• If you are doing a planned event, make team lists in advance, and assign the children to teams. You can sort them into teams, making sure that abilities are evenly matched, and also separate any potentially troublesome pairs at the same time. When you are ready to play, just read off the team lists, and get started.

• If the kids playing are of different ages and abilities, you will need to balance the teams out-a team of 5 year olds is not going to last long against a team of 10 year olds. Have the kids line up by age or height, and then assign the first student in line to "Team A", and the second to "Team B", and continue alternating until all of the children have been assigned a team.

• If you do choose to allow the kids to form their own teams by choosing one team member at a time, make a rule that the last children chosen are automatically the "captains" for the next game. Alternatively, if you are working with a group of children you are familiar with, select the children who are usually picked "last" to be the team captains.

Once teams are selected, you can help kids remember "which" team they are on by supplying colorful jerseys, t-shirts, or armbands if needed. If you are doing an all day or all week program like a summer camp, you can assign teams for the duration of the event-most children will remember what team they are on after the first few games are completed.

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