Sponsored playathon
How long can you keep the fun going?
Choose a playful activity, set yourself a time challenge and ask people to sponsor you. You can take part on your own, with friends or as part of a team and make your playathon as short, silly or ambitious as you like.
How the activity works
Pick one playful activity and decide how long you want to keep it going.
You could:
- Hula hoop
- Skip
- Dance
- Build with bricks
- Play a favourite game
- Keep a balloon in the air
- Draw or colour
- Complete puzzles
- Play table tennis
- Take turns playing playground games
Your challenge could last 30 minutes, an hour, an afternoon or even longer.
Ask people to sponsor you for completing your playathon or set a fundraising target for your team.
Plan your activity
- Choose the activity you want to do.
- Decide how long your playathon will last.
- Choose whether you will take part on your own or as part of a team.
- Set up your fundraising page or decide how you will collect sponsorship.
- Tell people what you are doing and why.
- Complete your playathon and share how you got on.
How to raise money
Choose one simple fundraising idea or combine a few approaches to suit your group, activity and available time.
There is no required fundraising target. Choose an amount that feels realistic for the size of your group and focus on making it easy and enjoyable for people to get involved.
You could:
- Ask everyone taking part for a suggested donation
- Charge a small entry fee
- Ask people to sponsor participants
- Invite donations for additional attempts
- Charge teams to enter a tournament
- Ask people to donate to vote for the winner
- Combine the challenge with refreshments, a raffle or bake sale
- Set up an online fundraising page
Helpful things to think about
Adapt it for your group
Businesses
Choose an activity that colleagues can take turns doing throughout the working day or run a shorter playathon over lunch.
You could keep a game or challenge going as a team, compete between departments or ask colleagues to take timed shifts so the activity continues for as long as possible.
Hybrid or remote teams could choose an activity everyone can complete from their own location and combine their total time.
People who do not want to take part in the challenge can still donate, sponsor colleagues or help keep track of the team's progress.
Families and individuals
Choose something you genuinely enjoy and make the challenge your own.
You could take part by yourself, involve the whole family or ask friends to join you.
For a family playathon, different people could take turns so the activity continues for a set amount of time. You could also choose several shorter challenges and complete them one after another.
Community groups
Choose something that fits naturally into your usual meeting or activity.
You could run one shared challenge, divide into teams or keep a playful activity going by taking turns throughout the session.
For groups with a wide range of ages and abilities, offer different ways to take part so everyone can be involved.
Schools and colleges
Choose an activity that works well for the age of your pupils or students and the space you have available.
You could run a class playathon, organise a relay where pupils take turns throughout the day or let different year groups choose their own challenge.
Younger pupils might enjoy skipping, building, drawing or simple playground games. Older students may prefer team challenges, table tennis, gaming or longer sponsored activities.
Taking part should remain optional. Pupils and students who do not want to join the activity can still donate, help keep time or support their classmates.
What you will need
This will depend on the activity you choose, but you may need:
- Equipment for your chosen activity
- A suitable place to take part
- A timer or clock
- A fundraising page or sponsorship form
- Water and breaks for longer activities
- Friends, family or teammates to keep you going
Make it safe and inclusive
Choose an activity that is suitable for everyone taking part and realistic for the length of time you have planned.
Build in regular breaks, especially for longer or more physical activities, and make sure people have access to water and somewhere to rest.
Avoid activities that rely entirely on speed, strength or stamina. You can adapt the challenge, shorten the time or allow people to take turns so more people can participate.
If children or young people are involved, make sure appropriate supervision is in place and follow your organisation's usual safeguarding arrangements.
The goal is not to push yourself to exhaustion. The playathon should be fun, achievable and something people can enjoy while raising money for Acorns.
Looking for another idea?
Explore more playful fundraising ideas in the Be a Kid Week Play Hub.
Why your fundraising matters
Be a Kid Week is part of the Acorns Time Machine appeal .
The money you raise will help power the specialist care Acorns provides to children with short lives and their families. By managing pain, symptoms and medication and providing expert care whenever it is needed, Acorns helps families make more of the time they have together.
Your activity will help give seriously-ill children more time to simply be kids.
Ready to help childhood take over?
Sign up to Be a Kid Week and download your free fundraising pack, full of ideas and practical guidance to help you get started.
