St Barnabas Trust KS1 Dodgeball Festival

Get ready to duck, dip, dive, and dodge! Our Key Stage 1 Dodgeball Festival is specifically designed for our youngest learners. Dodgeball is a fantastic way to develop lightning-fast reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and most importantly, team spirit. This festival is all about energy and excitement. To keep the action fast and the environment comfortable, all our events will take place indoors in high-quality sports halls.

Competition Format: “Have a Go!”

For Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2), the goal is for every child to feel confident, safe, and have a blast. Before the big games start, children will rotate through fun activity stations led by our sports leaders such as:

• Target Practice: Learning how to throw accurately with soft, foam balls.
• The Great Escape: Fun drills focused on jumping, ducking, and moving quickly to avoid being “tagged.”
• Catching Courage: Building the confidence to catch a flying ball to bring a teammate back into the game!

Friendly Games

Once the skills are warmed up, the “matches” begin! These games are all about participation but begin to include a competitive element:

• Structured Fixtures: Schools will face off in a series of timed matches to see who can keep the most players on the court.
• Team Standing: We track wins and draws to encourage children to work together and play for their school team.
• Soft-Ball Safety: We use specialized, “no-sting” foam balls designed for small hands.
• The Honesty Policy: We place a huge emphasis on sportsmanship – encouraging children to put their hand up and head to the sideline with a smile if they get hit.

Why Dodgeball?

Dodgeball is one of the most inclusive sports we offer. It doesn’t matter how tall or fast a child is; everyone has a role to play! It builds social skills, teaches children how to follow rules, and provides a massive workout without them even realising they are exercising.