Kick or throw the ball ALONG THE GROUND at their Castles — knock one flat, that's a point. If a ball comes to your half, you can stop it, but you CAN'T run with it and you can't kick it or throw it from there. Throw it to someone standing on your kick line and they kick it or throw it. Nobody crosses the middle. 3..2..1..GO
Objective:
• Knock down all of the other team’s standing cones (castles) by kicking or throwing foam balls along the ground from behind your own kick line.
• First team to flatten all enemy cones (castles) wins — or the team with the most cones down after 3 minutes.
Set-up:
Area: about 30 yards long by 20 yards wide, grass or blacktop.
Mark a CENTRE LINE across the middle with 4 cones lying flat. Neither team may cross it.
Each team gets a BACK LINE at their end: stand 4/5 cones upright in a row along it, about 3 big steps apart. These are the targets.
Mark each team’s KICK LINE with 3 flat cones, about 6 big steps back from the centre line on their own side. All kicks must be taken from behind it.
Give each team ONE foam ball to start; add a second and third ball once they know the game (3 balls total keeps everyone moving).
How to Play:
Players kick or throw the foam balls from behind their own kick line, ALONG THE GROUND, at the other team’s row of standing cones.
Any cone knocked flat stays flat and counts as 1 point — do not stand it back up.
If a ball comes into your half you may stop it with hands or feet, but you may NOT run with it and you may NOT kick it/throw it from where you stopped it.
To get that ball back into play you must THROW it to a teammate who is standing behind your kick line — that teammate is the one who kicks it.
Only kicks/throws taken from behind the kick line count. First team to flatten all five of the other team’s cones wins the round; stand the cones up and play again.
Progressions / Variations
Power Up: The coach puts a dome on one cone in each row. If that cone is knocked down, the team that kicked the ball may take that cone to their side, giving them an extra cone.
Change Up: Swap or include soccer balls. Soccer balls can only be kicked on the ground. They roll lower, faster and truer, so kickers must strike with control instead of power — and the cones go down with a very satisfying clatter.
The Game Encourages
Kicking and throwing control and accuracy — the ground rule means power alone never wins; placement does.
Throwing accuracy to a moving teammate, and catching a low ball cleanly under time pressure.
Teamwork and communication — no player can retrieve, transport and score alone; every point needs at least two kids.
Decision-making and strategy — which cone to target, when to defend, who to throw to.
Inclusion — the throw-to-a-teammate rule means the strongest kicker cannot dominate, and every player touches the ball.
SEL / PBIS alignment: builds Relationship Skills and Responsible Decision-Making (CASEL). Reinforces PBIS Be Safe (kicks stay on the ground, nobody crosses the centre line), Be Respectful (throw to teammates who have not had a turn) and Be Responsible (retrieve loose balls and keep the game moving).
Equipment
Foam balls — 3 (start with 1, add more as the class learns the game)
Cones & Domes — about 16 (10 standing targets, 4 flat for the centre line, plus kick-line markers)
Soccer balls — 3