Member Submitted Resource: Canoe Games

Introduction

This resource was created by Wendy Lahey and Emily Smith, Paddle Canada Instructor Trainers living and working in the Northwest Territories. The resource emerged from a Professional Development Course (PDC) that they designed and facilitated together.

The purpose of this resource is to share some of their learnings from creating and facilitating the PDC with other instructors and instructor trainers. The resource contains a variety of on- and off-water canoe games, making the connection between the games and canoe skills development.

It also provides instructor trainers with some tools to explore the importance of risky play and play based learning in canoe instruction.

Shore Based Games

These games are played off the water and can be adapted based on the equipment that you have available.

Throw Bag Name Game

Materials Needed

Several throw-bags.

How to Play

Before the game begins, introduce players to a throw-bag and demonstrate how to use it and repack it. Be sure to tell players to toss the throw-bag underhand, not overhand.

Gather players in a circle. To start the game, make eye contact and say the name of another player and then toss the throw-bag to them.

Continue to toss the throw-bag across the circle in this way. As players grow more comfortable with the game, you can introduce more throw-bags.

Safety Considerations

It’s important to tell players to make eye contact with the person they are tossing the throw bag to, to avoid hitting anyone in the face.

There is a risk of tangled rope. Make sure that throw bags are closed and not deployed during the game. Remove and repack any deployed throw bags.

Adaptations

You can also play this game with a bailer or sponge. Instead of demonstrating how to use a throw- bag, you can talk about the importance of having a bailing device in your canoe.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Throw bag practice, communication, Transport Canada regulations.

Tarp Name Game

Materials Needed

Tarp

How to Play

Choose two people to hold the tarp and divide the rest of your group into two teams.

Hold the tarp between the two teams, making sure that they can’t see each other.

Ask each team to silently choose one person to sit right in front of the tarp, facing the other team.

Once the players are in place, drop the tarp. The first person to correctly name the person on the other side of the tarp wins!

Put the tarp back in place and continue to play in this way. To try and stump the other team, you can prompt one team to send multiple people to sit in front of the tarp, the person could lay down or you could simply choose nobody for one side!

Safety Considerations

None.

Adaptations

If you don’t have a tarp, this game can be played with teams facing opposite directions. Then, they can select a person to turn around to face the other team and guess their opponent’s name.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Teamwork, communication.

Add-on Paddle Moves Game

Materials Needed

A paddle for each player

How to Play

Gather players in a circle, holding their paddles. If necessary, demonstrate a proper paddling grip.

Choose a player to start. They will act out a paddle move.

The next player in the circle will act out the previous players move, and then add a paddle move to the sequence.

Continue around the circle in this way, with each player acting out the previous paddle moves and then adding a move to the sequence.

The game is over when every player has had a chance to participate.

Safety Considerations

Make sure you space out your circle so that players have enough room to moving their paddles without hitting each other.

Adaptations

Depending on the skill level and number of players, participants can use real canoeing strokes, or you can incorporate silly or made-up paddle moves as well.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

How to hold a paddle, strokes.

Portage Relay

Materials Needed

2 Life jackets
4 Paddles
2 Throw ropes
2 Bailers
Canoe (optional)

How to Play

Divide players into equal teams and make two equal piles of equipment at the starting point of the portage. Select an end point for your portage and make sure everyone knows where it is.

When you say go, one member of each team can carry an item to the end point of the portage. Then, they can run back to the start of the portage and tag the next team member to continue the relay.

The game finishes when one team gets all their items to the end of the portage.

Safety Considerations

If using canoes, ensure participants know how to do the appropriate lift/carry for their skills and strength level. If using tandem lifts/carries, allow two team members to move the canoe.

Look out for tripping hazards in game area.

Adaptations

Incorporate whatever items you have on hand into this game. You can use more or less items depending on how long you want the relay to last. You could add items like painters, daypacks, water bottles, etc.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Transport Canada Regulations, personal preparation, lift and carries.

Knot or Not

Materials Needed

A piece of long rope.

How to Play

Out of sight of the players, tie a loose knot in a length of rope and place it on the ground. Pile the remaining rope over and around the knot.

Gather the players in a circle around the rope and ask them to decide if it is a knot or not.

The players cannot touch the rope, but they can ask you to pull on the rope a little bit in one or two stages.

The goal is to make a decision as a group if there is a knot or not. The goal is to make their decision as quickly as possible. After pulling the rope a little bit, does the group want to change their mind? The group must come to a consensus each time.

Safety Considerations

Be sure to teach players how to care for their rope, use it safely, and store it properly to prevent entanglement.

Adaptations

You can set a penalty for asking for pulls on the rope. For every pull, you add one minute to the total time.

You can remove the goal of coming to a decision as quickly as possible and just give the group as much time as they need to come to a consensus. Then pull the rope a little bit and see if the group wants to change their mind.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Basic knots, communication and teamwork.

Knot Race

Materials Needed

A small length of rope for each player.

How to Play

Teach players how to tie a knot (for example, bowline, butterfly, figure eight, etc.).

Be sure to teach players how to care for their rope, use it safely, and store it properly.

Once the players know how to tie the knot, have a competition to see who can tie the knot the fastest!

Safety Considerations

Be sure to teach players how to care for their rope, use it safely, and store it properly to prevent entanglement.

Adaptations

You can also have players race themselves. Use a timer to see how long it takes them to tie the knot the first time. Challenge them to set a new personal best by reduce the time that it takes them to tie the knot.

Challenge the player to tie the knot blindfolded.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Basic knots

The Paddle Game

Materials Needed

One paddle for each player

How to Play

Gather players in a circle, holding their paddles by the grip with the tip on the ground. If necessary, review the parts of the paddle. Reminder players to treat their paddles with care. Choose one person to be the game’s caller.

Explain the three game commands – left, right and spin. When left is called, the player must let go of their paddle, step to the left and grab the paddle to the left of them. When right is called, they must let go of their paddle, step to the right and grab the paddle to the right of them. When spin is called, they must let go of their paddle, spin around in a circle, and then grab their paddle before it falls to the ground.

If a player’s paddle falls to the ground, they are out. They must pick up their paddle and step back from the circle. The remaining players can make the circle smaller.

Safety Considerations

Make sure to leave enough time between commands for players to clear fallen paddles and adjust the circle as necessary.

This game is best played on a flat surface. Avoid tripping hazards like rocks and roots.

Adaptations

To involve the players who are ‘out’, get them to take turns calling the game.

You can also be creative and add new commands to the game!

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Paddle terminology, paddle care.

On Water Games

These games are played on the water and assume that all players are in a canoe and have the required safety equipment.

Blindfolded Paddle

Materials Needed

1 Blindfold (scarves, buffs, etc.) for each canoe.

How to Play

Use buoys or landmarks to create a course for your paddlers. Explain the course to all the paddlers. Then ask the stern paddlers to put on their blindfolds.

The stern paddlers must complete the course with their blindfolds on. The bow paddlers will guide them with verbal cues. The bow paddler can do forward strokes for momentum, but they can’t do any steering strokes.

Safety Considerations

Have one non-blindfolded canoe to watch for collisions and provided assistance if needed.

Adaptations

You can send all the canoes out at once and make this a race, or you can space out the start time of each canoe to make this a partner challenge.

To make this harder, you can instruct bow paddlers to only use ‘left’ and ‘right’ or to only use names of paddling strokes.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Communication, strokes, manoeuvres (wide turns, forward paddling, left and right turns, etc.).

Check Yourself!

Materials Needed

None.

How to Play

Introduce paddlers to the check stroke.

Instruct paddlers to follow the lead boat, and listen for the command, ‘check!’ When you yell check, the paddlers must use their check stroke to bring their canoe to a stop as quickly as possible.

Once all the canoes have come to a stop, say, “go!” to get them moving again.

Do this as many times as you want, or until you reach your destination.

Safety Considerations

Ensure paddlers are aware of the proper technique for a check stroke to avoid injury.

Adaptations

You can play this game without the verbal commands. Instead, paddlers must watch the lead boat and stop when it stops.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Momentum and check stroke.

Capture the Flag

Materials Needed

1 pool noodle per canoe

How to Play

Give each canoe a pool noodle and instruct them to place it behind their stern seat, sticking out the back of the canoe.

Identify the play area using buoys or existing landmarks. During the game, players must stay in this area.

When the game starts, players try to grab the pool noodles from the back of the other canoes without losing their own.

If a player successfully gets a pool noodle, they must add it to the back of their canoe.

At the end of the designated time, the canoe with the most pool noodles is the winner.

Safety Considerations

To avoid ramming, players are not allowed to touch their opponents’ canoe. If they run into a canoe while trying to grab a pool noodle, they must stop, give them back their pool noodle, and give them a 5 second head start.

Adaptations

You can give each canoe several pool noodles, and if they run out of noodles, they are out.

If you don’t have pool noodles, you can try playing this game with spare paddles.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Momentum, check stroke, manoeuvers (for example, forward paddling, reverse paddling, pivots, etc.).

Musical Canoes

Materials Needed

A music player.

How to Play

Use buoys or existing landmark to identify a play area.

Start the game by having players paddle around in the play area while the music plays.

When the music stops, the players must make a raft as quickly as possible.

You can play this cooperatively or competitively. If playing cooperatively, the goal is for players to raft up more quickly each time. If playing competitively, the last player to join the raft is eliminated.

Safety Considerations

Reminder players to keep their fingers on the inside of the canoes to avoid pinching.

Tell players to use their paddle stroke to raft up, rather than leaning out over the water or grabbing their neighbour’s paddle.

Adaptations

If you don’t have music, you could sing or you could have players paddling around and then cue them to raft up by yelling ‘raft up’.

You can also select a canoe to start the raft.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Rafting up, manoeuvers (for example, side slip, docking turns, forward and reverse paddling).

Don’t Spill It!

Materials Needed

A small bucket.

How to Play

Give each canoe a small bucket and instruct them to fill it with water and place in on their thwart.

Use buoys or existing landmarks to identify a paddling course.

Paddlers must complete the course without spilling their bucket of water.

The canoe with the most water in their bucket by the end of the game wins.

Safety Considerations

Make sure paddlers are prepared to get wet and have dry clothes available if necessary.

Adaptations

This game can be played competitively as a race, or cooperatively as a partner challenge.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Canoe trim, paddling in cadence and balance.

Canoe Tag

Materials Needed

Small floating item (extra throw rope, ball, etc.)

How to Play

Identify the game play area. Players cannot leave this area once the game begins.

Choose one canoe to be ‘it’ to start. They will start with the ball.

When the game beings, they can tag another canoe by throwing the ball at another canoe. If the ball lands in the canoe, this canoe is now ‘it’ and the game continues. If they miss, they must retrieve the ball from the water and try again.

Safety Considerations

Choose a soft item to throw, so that if it accidentally hits a paddler it will not injure them.

Adaptations

This game can be played during a paddling trip throughout the day. The goal is to avoid ending up with the ball in your canoe at the end of the day. Paddlers can be creative and try and sneak the ball into opponent’s canoes throughout the day.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Manoeuvers (for example, forward paddling, reverse paddling, side slips, left and right turns, etc.)

Follow the Leader

Materials Needed

None.

How to Play

Choose one canoe to be the leader.

The other canoes will follow the leader on a paddle, copying any maneuvers they make.

Maneuvers can include sideslips, pivots, forward paddling, reverse paddling, switching bow and stern seat etc.

Safety Considerations

Leave space between canoes to avoid running into one another.

Adaptations

You can rotate the role of leaders between canoes at regular time intervals.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Manoeuvers (sideslips, pivots, forward paddling, reverse paddling, etc.), communication

Upside-down Paddle Race

Materials Needed

None.

How to Play

Use buoys or existing landmarks to identify a racecourse.

For this race, paddler must use their paddle upside down – holding on to the tip of the paddle and putting the grip in the water.

Safety Considerations

Leave space beside canoes. It may be more difficult to steer, and collisions may be more likely.

Adaptations

After the race, talk to players about what worked and what didn’t work. Play again, seeing if better technique allows you to paddle faster.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Stroke phases, forward stroke and j-stroke.

Backwards/Forwards

Materials Needed

None.

How to Play

Choose a racecourse, identifying a starting/ending point, and a middle point.

Players must paddle backwards from the starting point to the middle point, and then forwards for the rest of the way.

The race starts when you say, ‘go!’. The first person to return to the starting/ending point wins.

Safety Considerations

Remind players to look where they are going when they are paddling backwards, and to actively avoid collisions.

Adaptations

This game can be played competitively as a race, or cooperatively with canoes following each other in a line through the course.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Forward and reserve paddling.

Tipping Games

These games all involve tipping your canoe and spending time in the water. Make sure paddlers are prepared to do this safely before you play these games. You also want to make sure that you play these games in water that is deep enough to tip safely.

Loose Hips Save Ships

Materials Needed

None.

How to Play

Start by rafting up. Once all the canoes have joined the raft, instruct the paddlers on the left-hand side of the raft to make their way across the raft and sit in the canoe on the right-hand side of the raft.

Keep removing canoes from the left-hand side of the raft and adding people to the canoe on the right-hand side of the raft.

See how many people you can get into the canoe on the right before it flips or sinks.

Safety Considerations

Make sure that the paddlers are holding on to the raft properly, especially when players are moving from one side of the raft to the other. Keep fingers inside canoe to avoid pinching.

Play in a safe, contained area where abandoned canoes will not float or blow away. You can also have a person in the water holding on to the abandoned canoes.

Adaptations

To make this harder, you can have the left-hand canoe flip and the paddlers be rescued by the raft.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Rafting up, rafting rescues, assisting swimmers into rescuers canoe and balance.

Sink or Swim

Materials Needed

None

How to Play

This game is played with a partner in a tandem canoe. To set up for the game, the bow paddler turns around and sits backwards on their seat, facing the stern paddler.

To play, partners take turns bracing. On their turn, they must let the canoe scoop a bit of water before righting it with a brace.

The game ends when paddlers flip, or they fill their canoe with water and sink.

Safety Considerations

Make sure paddlers know proper bracing technique to avoid injury.

Adaptations

Make this a race by playing with several canoes and seeing who can sink their canoe first.

To complete the game, paddlers must sink their canoe and then perform a self rescue.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

High and low braces, canoe trim, balance and self rescues.

Bailer Race

Materials Needed

2 bailers per canoe

How to Play

Identify a paddling course and place four people in each canoe – two paddlers and two bailers.

The bailers sit in the middle of the canoe and each get one bailer. Their job is to use the bailers to try and sink the canoe before the paddlers reach the end of the course.

The paddlers must try and complete the course, without slipping, before the bailers sink their canoe!

Safety Considerations

Make sure players are prepared to get wet and have dry clothes available.

Players should know how to self-rescue.

Adaptations

You can adjust the number of paddlers and bailers depending on the size of your canoe and your group.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Emptying a swamped canoe, braces, canoe trim, balance, and self-rescues.

Rescue Race

Materials Needed

none

How to Play

Teach paddlers how to complete a canoe over canoe rescue.

Divide your group into teams of two canoes – one rescue boat and one tipping boat.

Yell, ‘go’ to begin the race. The first team to complete the rescue wins!

Safety Considerations

Leave space between groups to avoid collisions.

Have an instructor boat observing the game and ready to help if needed, for example if a paddler gets stuck under a canoe.

Adaptations

This game can be played with other kinds of rescues, like self-rescues or parallel rescues.

Rescue the boat with or without paddlers.

Embedded Canoeing Skills

Communication and canoeing rescues.

Making Connections to the Importance of Play

The following section helps instructor trainers communicate the importance of play, the benefits of play and specifically the importance of risky play.

Materials Needed

3 ropes.

Bridge In (a way to hook the participants)

Ask participants why we do the work we do as Paddle Canada Instructors.

As the facilitator, notice how many people mention that it is fun, it connects them to the land and nature, it’s an opportunity to play.

Share the UN Convention on the Rights of the child. Is there one here that resonates for you? Share your thoughts with a partner, then ask the partners to share one or two key ideas with the rest of the group.

Resource (child friendly version)

The Convention of the Rights of a Child (pdf)

Pre-Assessment (what do the participants already know)

Ask participants how they incorporate play into their instruction? What works best for them? What are the benefits? Do you consider leaving time for unstructured self-directed play in your setting?

Benefits of play, specifically unstructured child/youth-led play include:

improves musculoskeletal fitness, cardiovascular health and gross motor skills,
positive self-concept and self esteem
decrease in anxiety and depressive symptoms
improves social competence, emotional intelligence and empathy
promotes cognitive skill development (ex. staying on task)
improved ability to manage risk safely

Resources

Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. (2014) Forest and nature school in Canada: A head, heart, hands approach to outdoor learning. Ottawa: au.

Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA). Children’s Unstructured Play Position Statement. March 2019.

As the facilitator, make connections to the different types of play that you are hearing. Make special note of risky play. Types of play may include:

Cooperative play
Independent play
Observation play
Construction play
Parallel play
Socio-dramatic play
Creative play
Games with rules
Risky play

Resources

BC Ministry of Education (2019). Play today handbook. Vancouver: Province of BC.

Child and Nature Alliance of Canada. (2014) Forest and nature school in Canada: A head, heart, hands approach to outdoor learning. Ottawa: au.

Objective (Share the following objective of this activity):

Participants will be able to discuss the benefits of play and more specifically, risky play in a nature setting.

Activity: Risky Play

Lay out three circles (one inside the other) using rope on the ground. The inner circle is the comfort zone (where you feel comfortable and safe), the next circle is the learning/growth zone (where it’s a bit scary but learning can happen), the next circle is the panic zone (you are frozen with fear, no learning happens here). Ask participants to stand in the zone that best represents how they feel participating in the following activities and then ask they feel leading some of the activities.

Example: Facilitator reads “rock climbing outdoors” or “paddling a Class I rapid”. Participants will stand in the circle that represents the level of risk they feel they are taking (are they in their comfort zone, growth zone or panic zone)? What about facilitating kids cliff jumping or gunwhale bobbing?

Here are other examples of risky play you could read:

cliff jumping into the lake
road biking down a hill without brakes
whittling with kids at a camp
having a firepit at a camp with kids
hiking along a cliff with no fence
canoeing for the day alone

Ask participants, “what are some different types of risky play?”

6 Types of risky play are used in this activity:

play at speed
play at height
play with tools
sense of disappearing or getting lost
rough and tumble play
dangerous elements (rapids, weather, frozen lake).

Risky play is play that is thrilling and exciting where there is a possibility of physical injury but participants can recognize the risk and assess it using their own experience and abilities. It is usually outside. The challenge can help the participant overcome their fear.

Resource

Brussoni M, Gibbons R, Gray C, Takuro I, Sandseter EBH, Bienenstock A, et al. What is the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children? A systematic review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2014;12(6):6423–54.

Risk vs hazard

A hazard is something that needs to be removed from the play setting because it’s not obvious to the participant and is a source of danger (ice on the ground around a firepit). The potential for injury is hidden and no learning will come from it. A risk is something that can be managed and assessed by the participant safely with support and guidance (paddling a rapid that is appropriate to a participant’s ability).

How tolerant of risk are you?

In our activity with the circles, notice how some participants are more tolerant of different types of risky play while others are more averse. We have to meet our participants where they are at. Notice how our level of risk tolerance can sometimes be unfairly imposed on our participants?

Share the Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play from Participaction 2018.

“Access to active play in nature and outdoors—with its risks—is essential for healthy child development. We recommend increasing children’s opportunities for self-directed play outdoors in all settings—at home, at school, in child care, the community and nature.”

Resource

Tremblay MS, Gray C, Babcock S, Barnes J, Bradstreet CC, Carr D, et al. (2015). Position Statement on Active Outdoor Play. Ottawa:ParticipACTION.

Share some benefits of risky play:

risky play is needed for normal development (both physical and mental),
it is a rehearsal for real life risk (when watchful parents aren’t looking),
children are more fearful without those experiences, and
as age increases, risk taking increases, experience managing risk increases, judgement improves, the perception of risk decreases, an accurate sense of risk improves and general fear decreases

Resource

Sandsetter, E. and Kennair, L. Children’s risky play from an evolutionary perspective: the anti-phobic effects of thrilling experiences. Evolutionary Psychology. 2011; 9(2).

Conclusion

Reflect on the group’s discussions on the benefits of taking risks, challenging ourselves outside of

our comfort zone so that we are in our learning/growth zone. How can you support some unstructured, child/youth led play in your programming? How can/do you support risky play?

Self-directed play is effective when it is freely chosen, when the process is valued over the product, when participants are free to stop playing and when participants have repeated visits to the same nature space.