The passage of time can be confusing for young students. Concepts of time in everyday settings are not too difficult to understand (day, week, month, etc.). However, when we start getting to years and how they are read, the students may notice letters like B.C. or B.C.E or A.D. or C.E. These letters signify a significant change in what part of the time we are talking about and can be easily confused. Likewise, the concept of a year zero and how time is counted from that point in opposite directions can be hard to understand unless it is visualized with a timeline. This game's counting on a timeline (back in time and towards the future) will help reinforce these concepts.

One of the significant strengths of this game is its customizability. Fun facts and trivia can be derived from a particular set of people, continents, or cultures. The physical activity used to score points in this game can be any sport skill. This game would make introducing a new sports skill effortless to do in a non-competitive manner that still is fun and engaging. For example, suppose the teacher can plan team sports activities beforehand. In that case, this game can be used to practice the individual sport skill components to provide quality repetitions.

This timeline race game provides a concrete example of how modern timelines are read and implemented. In addition, it's very customizable for the teacher to provide additional information on a subject and practice sport-specific skills.

Materials: 

·      A large play area

·      Two to six small goals (optional)

·      Depending on the sport, various equipment can be used for shooting, passing, and catching.

o   Hockey sticks with tennis balls, dodge balls, or plastic hockey pucks

o   Baseballs (or tennis balls) and mitts for catching

o   Soccer balls to kick in the net

o   The options are only limited to your inventory and imagination

·      As many rubber disc dots as possible

o   If possible, have two distinct colors for B.C. and A.D.

§  For example:

·      Red is B.C. or B.C.E.

·      Blue is A.D. or C.E.

·      Two sports cones

Minimum Amount of Students Needed: This game could be played with as few as two players but can easily accommodate many more.

Age: Lower Elementary