The firing squad, shark and minnows, dribble knockout, dribble line tag, relay race, all – star shootout, red light, green light, musical basketballs, musical dribbles, home run, dribble limbo, buzzer beater, dribble challenge, golf, dribble x’s, dribble dribble, around the world, center court steal, sticky shoes, drop in the basket and basketball freeze dance are some of the enjoyable basketball games for kids besides knock out.

When we say basketball, all that strikes to mind is a team of players, dribbling the ball and shooting the ball through the hoops. Well, it doesn’t always have to be that, there are many other ways of playing with basketball which doesn’t necessarily have to be too competitive.

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21 Fun Basketball Games for Kids

Now if there aren’t enough number of kids to make a team but you do have a basketball and hoop, then you can definitely try these fun basketball games. Moreover, these can be enjoyed by kids of all skill levels.

The firing squad

In this type of basketball game, you can assign pre – determined spots on the court to all the players and now make them all shoot at the same time to make a basket. Eventually, the one who makes the basket wins.

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Shark and Minnows

This is a great game enjoyed by kids of all ages and helps enhance their ball handling and ball control in open court. You will have to assign 1 or 2 players to be the sharks who will stand on one side of the floor between the top of the key and the half court line facing the baseline. Then the rest of the players will be minnows and line up along the baseline facing the sharks. The minnows will each have a ball and the sharks will not.

The objective of the game is the minnows have to dribble the ball from baseline to baseline while the sharks have to try to steal or deflect the ball out from the minnows. The round ends when all the minnows have lost their ball and become a shark for the next round. The last minnow remaining is deemed as the winner. And the last one or two remaining minnows will be the sharks for the next round.

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Dribble knockout

This another fun game enjoyed by kids and also teaches them ball handling and protecting the ball as they continue dribbling. You can start the game by involving all the players to stand inside a designated area of the court and each player would have a basketball. The objective of the game is that each player has to keep dribbling and not have their ball stolen or deflected out while at the same time trying to steal or knock out the other player’s ball.  The players who have lost their balls are done for the rest of the game and eventually the winner is the last player with a live dribble.

Dribble line tag

This game is quite similar to dribble knockout and teaches the kids ball handling. Here, however the kids have to stand on a line in the basketball court, such as the baseline, sideline, 3 – point line, etc. one or two players are the taggers and will not have a basketball while the others will each have a ball. The taggers will try to tag the other players and they have to try to run away from the taggers all the while remaining on the line and dribbling the ball. Anyone who is tagged or steps off the line or loses control of the ball is out. The last person who hasn’t been tagged is deemed as the winner and the last one or two players to be tagged are the starting taggers for the new game.

Relay race

This is a very basic game enjoyed especially by the young kids. Here, you will have to divide the group into teams and each team lines up behind a baseline. Each team has one ball and the first player in that team’s line will dribble the ball as fast as they can  to the opposite baseline and make it back to the baseline. The ball is then handed over to the next player in the team’s line. The first team in which each member races to and back to the baseline wins.

All – star shootout

You will have to set designated spots on the court with cones or spot markers from where the player will have to make the basket. Divide the group into two teams and each team would have a ball. Line them up outside the sideline and each member from each team will have to pick a spot from where they will shoot. If they make the basket then they will rebound the ball, take the cone back to their sideline and pass the ball to the next player in their line who would shoot. If they miss the basket then they rebound the ball and pass it to the next person in line. The first team to shoot the basket from all the spots would win.

Red light, green light

This is a fun game, especially enjoyed by young kids and also helps them work on their ball handling and body control. Assign one player to be the designated judge or the traffic light, who would stand on one baseline without a basketball. The other players would stand on the opposite baseline, each with a basketball. The judge would call out ‘green light’ and face away from the players, while the players have to dribble the ball to the opposite baseline as fast as they can before the judge would call out ‘red light’. The judge would then turn around and when ‘red light’ is called out, all the players have to stop dribbling immediately. The first person to reach the opposite baseline is deemed as the winner who will be the judge for the next game.

Musical basketballs

This is similar to musical chairs where the basketballs are placed in a circle and the kids walk around it while the music plays. Once the music stops, the players each grab a basketball and shoot. When they make the basket, they sit down to show they are finished. The last player standing is out.

Musical dribbles

This is another fun game similar to musical chairs. All the kids have to stand in a circle and give them one basketball. As the music plays, each player would dribble the ball three times and then pass it on to the next player. When the music stops, the player who is holding the ball is out and eventually the last person standing is the winner.

Home run

This is a baseball – inspired game where you will have to divide the group into two even teams: a dribbling team and a shooting team. The dribbling team will have a basketball and line up at one of the baselines while the shooting team has one or two basketballs and line up at the free throw line. The dribbler has to make a ‘home run’ by dribbling the ball around half the court and back to the line while the shooter has to make the basket to out the dribbler. If the dribbler makes a ‘home run’ they score one point otherwise before they could make a ‘home run’ the shooter makes a basket and shouts ‘stop’ the dribbler freezes and next dribbler would start. The game ends when all the dribblers are out and then the team roles are switched. The team with most ‘home runs’ wins.

Dribble limbo

Assign two players to hold a long pole or stick while the rest of the players form a line behind them. Players have to take turns dribbling under the pole. The pole would start at the shoulder height and then move down with each round. The players will have to lower their body every time and if they cannot control the ball then they’re out. The last player who is able to go lowest wins.

Buzzer beater

Divide your group into even teams. Line up the players at a point such as the 3 – point line or half court and set the clock for 10 seconds in which the player has to make the basket. The player with the most baskets wins.

Dribble challenge

Engage your kids in this amazing dribbling challenge which involves you making lines that are curvy or straight and having kids dribble along it while using left and right hands.

Golf

It is a great game for kids where they learn to shoot from spots all around the court. There has to be two or more players and one basketball. One player has to be the first hole which is a pre – determined spot where he or she must shoot. If the player makes the shot at first attempt, then he gets a score of one. If he misses, then they should shoot from where they grabbed the rebound. The score will then be the total number of shots the player would make to make the basket. The lowest score would win.

Dribble X’s

Make your kid stand in one spot and mark some X’s around them. They will have to hit one X each time as they dribble without skipping an X in between.

Dribble dribble

You will have to line up 6 or 7 cones about 2 feet apart. Then the kids will have to dribble through the cones as fast as they can with head up and knees slightly bent.

Around the world

This game would enhance the endurance and accuracy of your kids while playing basketball. First mark with a chalk to prepare pre – determined spots right around the baseline area at the side of the hoop and spots continue in a circular pattern around the hoop.  The kids will have to make shots from every spot in succession, without missing a spot. If they miss they will have to start from that spot in the next turn and keep on going until they make it. The first person to make it wins.

Center court steal

Assign one player to stand on the center court line and all the other players get a ball each which they have to dribble from one end of the court to the other. The center court player should try and steal the ball from the other players as they pass but they should only stay on the line. When they steal the ball, the other player has to join them on the line. The game continues until there is only one player left holding the ball who is the winner.

Sticky shoes

This game is similar to tag where one player is ‘it’ and the others run freely around the court. The ‘it’ tags other players and the tagged person has to stand in one place all the while dribbling the ball in that one spot as if their shoes are stuck to the ground until someone tries to free them.

Drop in the basket

You can play this fun game with several baskets in different spots. Here, each kid is given a basketball and a timer is set where the kid has to shoot as many baskets as possible. The kid with the maximum score wins.

Basketball freeze dance

This is a fun filled basketball – themed game to be enjoyed in parties. It is similar to the popular party game, freeze dance. Here while the music is playing the kids have to dribble and show off their fancy footwork at the same time. As the music stops, kids have to stop dribbling and freeze in place. The last player to stop dribbling is out.

Conclusion

Basketball doesn’t always have to be the typical competitive game, it can be fun and enjoyable too. There are certain games where kids of different age groups and skills can enjoy such as, sharks and minnows, firing squad, dribble knockout, relay race, all around the world, golf, dribble challenge, dribble X’s, home run, dribble limbo, musical basketballs, buzzer beater, all – star shootout, red light and green light, center court steal, basketball freeze dance, musical dribbles, drop in the basket and sticky shoes.

References

https://www.stack.com/a/fun-youth-basketball-games

https://www.activekids.com/basketball/articles/11-fun-basketball-games-for-kids-besides-h-o-r-s-e/slide-10