Grade level: K-4
Equipment: Balloons
Game Description: Using balloons, students will practice a whole pile of basic movement skills. Each student gets a balloon and will perform a list of actions: things like standing in front, jumping over, picking it up, balancing on a finger, etc, etc. A great beginners PE or beginning of the year physical education game.
Category: ALL
Treasure Hunters
Grade level: 3-8
Equipment: Bean-bags, hula-hoops
Game Description: Treasure Hunters will seek out treasure and plunder it from the other teams treasure boxes! Non-stop action and fun, players must think strategy and timing in this game. There are 4 teams going at it for a set amount of time…who can plunder the most! Read More →
Blasterball
Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: Bases, baseball bat, ball
Game Description: Blasterball is a lead-up game to baseball, or a modified version of baseball for the PE class. The fielding team spreads out in the field, and the batting team takes turns batting. Once the ball is hit, the batter must round ALL THE BASES before the fielding team can successfully complete 5 passes. There’s no stopping at the bases, just go, go, go!
Banana Tag
Grade level: K-5
Equipment: None
Game Description: Such a simple tag game; kids go bananas, literally! As players get tagged, they must curve their bodies into the shape of a banana. Someone else will come along and ‘peel’ them so that they are free.
Man From Mars
Grade level: K-4
Equipment: None
Game Description: ‘Man from Mars can you take us to the stars?’ – Only if you’re wearing the color green! The Man from Mars tries to tag the runners who are wearing the colors he calls out. Each round he calls out a new color. Anyone tagged joins him in the middle to help. Another imaginative type of physical education game, tag-style. Read More →
Continuous Badminton
Grade level: 4-8
Equipment: Badminton racquets, nets, birdies
Game Description: Just like the name says, this activity gives players a continuous chance to practice their badminton skills – speed shots, forehand, backhand, serving, clearing, smashing, rallying, footwork, etc. It’s a simple rotation to keep the flow going no matter what skill students are working on. It also matches students up with different random partners every time.
Steal The Bacon
Grade level: K-8
Equipment: Scarf, flag, or object
Game Description: Steal The Bacon is a classic game. Two teams face off with the goal of trying to earn points each round by stealing the bacon in the middle and bringing it back to their own team without getting tagged. There is room for variation in this game as you see fit; perhaps add in some math equations where the answer to the problem is the number of the players who run! Read More →
Animals
Grade level: K-2
Equipment: None
Game Description: Such a simple warm-up game! Choose a theme – for example, the jungle. Then students can choose a jungle animal that they will pretend to be, perhaps a monkey or parrot, and spend a minute moving around like that animal, making the animal noises. After a minute, change the theme. For example, the arctic. Students will then choose an arctic animal like a penguin or seal and do the same thing.
Zone Dodgeball
Grade level: 3-8
Equipment: Pylons, dodgeballs
Game Description: This dodgeball game divides teams into 4 seperate playing areas in the corners, with a running zone through the middle. When a player is hit, he must enter the running zone and successfully run from one end back to the other without getting hit, and then he can rejoin his team. Another unique twist to a dodgeball idea for PE class. Read More →
Hoop Pass
Grade level: K-8
Equipment: Hula Hoop
Game Description: Team-building game. A group holds hands in a circle or line and passes a hula hoop from player to player without breaking the chain-link. Not as easy as it sounds! Time trials, team vs. team, or large group are all fun ways to play this game.