Next Game

3 Ball Football
Sent in by: Geordy, Ellen & Susie of Winston-Salem, NC

A game of collisions and decisions

This game is for 2 players and should be played outside or in an open area.

To set up the game, you need three balls of the same size, like soccer balls-one for each player and one for the goal. Mark your balls with a permanent marker so you can tell them apart during the game. Also, you need something to mark a goal at one end of the playing field. You could use two trees or two piles of coats or two big soda bottles, anything you can see clearly from anywhere on the field.

To play, place the goal ball at the end of the field opposite the goal. The longer you make the playing field, the harder the game will be. So, you might want to start with the ball closer to the goal and move it back in each round to make it more challenging. When Geordy, Ellen & Susie played, their field was about 30 feet long.

Take turns kicking your balls into the goal ball to send it into the goal. (No hands, just like soccer.) Your next turn starts where your ball lands after your opponent's turn (even if it gets knocked out of the way by your opponent).

The first player to make a goal with the goal ball wins the round.

The winner of each round gets to add an obstacle to the field to make the game more challenging. Obstacles are things that a ball might bounce off of, or that would slow a ball down if it rolled across it. You can use coats, liter soda bottles, other balls, or anything else you can think of.

The loser of each round gets to go first in the next round.

Whoever makes the most goals out of seven rounds, wins the game.

Try playing on different surfaces, like grass, asphalt, a gym floor, or sand. Do you notice if the balls roll at different speeds on different surfaces?

Geordy, Ellen and Susie had a different version of the game that's easier to play. You can touch your ball three times (feet only) during your turn before your ball hits the goal ball, but you can't touch your ball after it hits the goal ball. Try both versions or make up your own.

When you're done playing outside, head inside and try our online version of this game called 3 Puck Chuck.