physical education activities for k 2

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46 Unique Phys Ed Games Your Students Will Love

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There’s nothing kids need more to break up a day spent sitting still and listening than a fun PE class to let off some steam. In the old days, going to gym class probably included playing kickball or dodgeball after running a few laps. Since then, there have been countless reinventions of and variations on old classics as well as completely new games. Although there is no shortage of options, we love that the supplies required remain relatively minimal. You can transport to another galaxy using just a pool noodle or two or create a life-size game of Connect 4 using just Hula-Hoops. You’ll want to make sure to have some staples on hand like balls, beanbags, and parachutes. There are even PE games for kindergartners based on beloved children’s TV shows and party games. Regardless of your students’ athletic abilities, there is something for everyone on our list of elementary PE games!

1. Tic-Tac-Toe Relay

Elementary PE games that not only get students moving but also get them thinking are our favorites. Grab some Hula-Hoops and a few scarves or beanbags and get ready to watch the fun!

Learn more: Tic-Tac-Toe Relay at S&S Blog

2. Blob Tag

Pick two students to start as the Blob, then as they tag other kids, they will become part of the Blob. Be sure to demonstrate safe tagging, stressing the importance of soft touches.

Learn more: Blob Tag at Playworks

3. Cross the River

This fun game has multiple levels that students have to work through, including “get to the island,” “cross the river,” and “you lost a rock.”

Learn more: Cross the River at The PE Specialist

4. Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Cones

Line up cones, then have students pair up and stand on either side of a cone. Finally, call out head, shoulders, knees, or cones. If cones is called, students have to race to be the first to pick up their cone before their opponent.

Learn more: Head, Shoulders, Knees & Cones at S&S Blog

5. Spider Ball

Elementary PE games are often variations of dodgeball like this one. One or two players start with the ball and attempt to hit all of the runners as they run across the gym or field. If a player is hit, they can then join in and become a spider themselves.

Learn more: Spider Ball Game at Kid Activities

6. Crab Soccer

We love elementary PE games that require students to act like animals (and we think they will too). Similar to regular soccer, but students will need to play on all fours while maintaining a crab-like position.

Learn more: Crab Soccer at Playworks

7. Halloween Tag

This is the perfect PE game to play in October. It’s similar to tag, but there are witches, wizards, and blobs with no bones!

Learn more: Halloween Tag at The Physical Educator

8. Crazy Caterpillars

We love that this game is not only fun but also works on students’ hand-eye coordination. Students will have fun pushing their balls around the gym with pool noodles while building their caterpillars.

9. Monster Ball

You’ll need a large exercise ball or something similar to act as the monster ball in the middle. Make a square around the monster ball, divide the class into teams on either side of the square, then task the teams with throwing small balls at the monster ball to move it into the other team’s area.

Learn more: Monster Ball at The PE Specialist

10. Striker Ball

Striker ball is an enjoyable game that will keep your students entertained while working on reaction time and strategic planning. We love that there is limited setup required before playing.

Learn more: Striker Ball at S&S Blog

11. Parachute Tug-of-War

What list of elementary PE games would be complete without some parachute fun? So simple yet so fun, all you will need is a large parachute and enough students to create two teams. Have students stand on opposite sides of the parachute, then let them compete to see which side comes out on top.

Learn more: Parachute Tug-of-War at Mom Junction

12. Fleas Off the Parachute

Another fun parachute game where one team needs to try to keep the balls (fleas) on the parachute and the other tries to get them off.

Learn more: Fleas Off the Parachute at Mom Junction

13. Crazy Ball

The setup for this fun game is similar to kickball, with three bases and a home base. Crazy ball really is so crazy as it combines elements of football, Frisbee, and kickball!

Learn more: Crazy Ball at Health Beet

14. Bridge Tag

This game starts as simple tag but evolves into something more fun once the tagging begins. Once tagged, kids must form a bridge with their body and they can’t be freed until someone crawls through.

Learn more: Bridge Tag at Great Camp Games

15. Star Wars Tag

Elementary PE games that allow you to be your favorite movie character are just way too much fun! You will need two different-colored pool noodles to stand in for lightsabers. The tagger will have one color pool noodle that they use to tag students while the healer will have the other color that they will use to free their friends.

Learn more: Star Wars Tag at Great Camp Games

16. Rob the Nest

Create an obstacle course that leads to a nest of eggs (balls) and then divide the students into teams. They will have to race relay-style through the obstacles to retrieve eggs and bring them back to their team.

17. Four Corners

We love this classic game since it engages students physically while also working on color recognition for younger students. Have your students stand on a corner, then close their eyes and call out a color. Students standing on that color earn a point.

Learn more: Four Corners at The Many Little Joys

18. Movement Dice

This is a perfect warm-up that requires only a die and a sheet with corresponding exercises.

Learn more: Roll the Dice Movement Break at Teaching Littles

19. Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag

A fun spin on tag, children will tag one another and then play a quick game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine who has to sit and who gets to continue playing.

Learn more: Rock, Paper, Scissors Tag at Grade Onederful

20. Cornhole Cardio

This one is so fun but can be a little bit confusing, so be sure to leave plenty of time for instruction. Kids will be divided into teams before proceeding through a fun house that includes cornhole, running laps, and stacking cups.

Learn more: Cardio Cornhole at S&S Blog

21. Connect 4 Relay

This relay takes the game Connect 4 to a whole new level. Players must connect four dots either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.

22. Zookeepers

Students will love imitating their favorite animals while playing this fun variation of Four Corners where the taggers are the zookeepers.

23. Racket Whack-It

Students stand with rackets in hand while balls are thrown at them—they must either dodge the balls or swat them away.

Learn more: Racket Whack-It via PEgames.org

24. Crazy Moves

Set mats out around the gym, then yell out a number. Students must race to the mat before it is already filled with the correct number of bodies.

Learn more: Crazy Moves at PEgames.org

25. Wheelbarrow Race

Sometimes the best elementary PE games are the simplest. An oldie but a goodie, wheelbarrow races require no equipment and are guaranteed to be a hit with your students.

Learn more: Wheelbarrow Race at wikiHow

26. Live-Action Pac-Man

Fans of retro video games like Pac-Man will get a kick out of this live-action version where students get to act out the characters.

27. Spaceship Tag

Give each of your students a Hula-Hoop (spaceship), then have them run around trying not to bump into anyone else’s spaceship or get tagged by the teacher (alien). Once your students get really good at it, you can add different levels of complexity.

28. Rock, Paper, Scissors Beanbag Balance

We love this spin on Rock, Paper, Scissors because it works on balance and coordination. Students walk around the gym until they find an opponent, then the winner collects a beanbag, which they must balance on their head!

Learn more: Rock, Paper, Scissors Beanbag Balance at PE Universe

29. Throwing, Catching, and Rolling

This is a fun activity but it will require a lot of preparation, including asking the school maintenance staff to collect industrial-sized paper towel rolls. We love this activity because it reminds us of the old-school arcade game Skee-Ball!

Learn more: Winter Activity at S&S Blog

30. Jenga Fitness

Although Jenga is fun enough on its own, combining it with fun physical challenges is sure to be a winner with young students.

Learn more: Jenga Fitness at S&S Blog

31. Volcanoes and Ice Cream Cones

Divide the class into two teams, then assign one team as volcanoes and the other as ice cream cones. Next, spread cones around the gym, half upside down and half right side up. Finally, have the teams race to flip as many cones as possible to either volcanoes or ice cream cones.

Learn more: Warm-Up Games at Prime Coaching Sport

This fun variation on dodgeball will have your students getting exercise while having a ton of fun! Begin with three balls on a basketball court. If you are hit by a ball, you are out. If you take a step while holding a ball, you are out. There are other rules surrounding getting out and also how to get back in, which can be found in this video.

33. Musical Hula-Hoops

PE games for kindergartners that are similar to party games are some of our favorites! Think musical chairs but with Hula-Hoops! Lay enough Hula-Hoops around the edge of the gym minus five students since they will be in the muscle pot. Once the music starts, students walk around the gym. When the music stops, whoever doesn’t find a Hula-Hoop becomes the new muscle pot!

34. 10-Second Tag

This game is perfect to play at the beginning of the year since it helps with learning names and allows the teacher to get to know the first student in line.

35. The Border

This game is so fun and requires no equipment whatsoever. Divide the gym into two sides. One side can move freely while the other side must avoid letting their feet touch the floor by rolling around, crawling, etc.

36. Freedom Catch

This is a simple throwing, catching, and tag game that will certainly be a hit with your PE class. Captors attempt to tag players so they can send them to jail. You can be freed if someone on your team runs to a freedom cone while throwing a ball to the jailed person. If the ball is caught by the jailed person, they can rejoin the game.

37. Oscar’s Trashcan

As far as PE games for kindergartners goes, this one is a guaranteed winner since it is based on the show Sesame Street . You’ll need two large areas that can be sectioned off to use as trash cans and also a lot of medium-size balls. There are two teams who must compete to fill their opponent’s trash can while emptying their own. Once over, the trash will be counted and the team with the least amount of trash in their trash can wins!

38. 4-Way Frisbee

Divide your class into four separate teams, who will compete for points by catching a Frisbee inside one of the designated goal areas. Defenders are also able to go into the goal areas. There are a number of other rules that can be applied so you can modify the game in a way that’s best for your class.

39. Badminton King’s/Queen’s Court

This one is simple but fun since it is played rapid-fire with kids waiting their turn to take on the King or Queen of the court. Two players start and as soon as a point is earned, the loser swaps places with another player. The goal is to be the player that stays on the court the longest, consistently knocking out new opponents.

40. Jumping and Landing Stations

Kids love stations and they definitely love jumping, so why not combine those things into one super-fun gym class? They’ll have a blast challenging themselves with all the different obstacles presented in this video.

41. Ninja Warrior Obstacle Course

Regardless of whether you’ve ever seen an episode of American Ninja Warrior , you are probably familiar with the concept and so are your students. Plus, you’ll probably have just as much fun as your students setting up the obstacles and testing them out!

42. Balloon Tennis

Since kids love playing keepy-uppy with a balloon, they will love taking it a step further with balloon tag!

43. Indoor Putting Green

If your school can afford to invest in these unique putting green sets, you can introduce the game of golf to kids as young as kindergarten. Who knows, you might just have a future Masters winner in your class!

44. Scooter Activities

Let’s be honest, we all have fond memories of using scooters in gym class. Regardless of whether you do a scooter sleigh or scooter hockey, we think there is something for everyone in this fun video.

45. Pick It Up

This is the perfect PE game to play if you are stuck in a small space with a good-size group. Teams win by making all of their beanbag shots and then collecting all of their dots and stacking them into a nice neat pile.

46. Dodgeball Variations

Since not all kids love having balls thrown at them, why not try a dodgeball alternative that uses gym equipment as targets rather than fellow students? For example, have each student stand in front of a Hula-Hoop with a bowling ball inside of it. Students need to protect their hoop while attempting to knock over their opponents’ pins.

What are your favorite elementary PE games to play with your class? Come and share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group  on Facebook.

Plus, check out  our favorite recess games for the classroom ..

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38 Old-School Recess Games Your Students Should Be Playing Now

Ready to feel nostalgic? Continue Reading

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Full Length PE Games

These full-length games are all designed to be played during a 45-60 minute period, and work best when coupled with some of our fantastic warm-up games. These games are all designed to keep the most kids active for the most amount of time possible, and really focus on ensuring that everyone has a role to fill (so that there is very little potential for any kids to be simply standing around). All of these games have been played (oftentimes over and over again!), by large groups of kids, and all of these games help to ensure constant fun, participation and activity. Feel free to change or modify any elements of the games so that they better suit your specific group, and please be sure to comment and vote on your favorites!

Hot-Dog Switch

Equipment: 2-4 evil red balls. Description: Have students lie down in groups of 2 or 3, one beside the other, on their tummies, propped up by their elbows. Give at least one student an evil red ball (they are it), and have at least one other student remain standing...

Steal the Bacon

Equipment: 2 large hula hoops. Pinnies to distinguish teams. Bacon (i.e. Rubber Chicken, Mat,pool noodle......etc.). Description: Split the students into 2 even teams. Set the bacon in the middle of the gym. Line the two teams up shoulder to shoulder, facing each...

Ring Soccer

Equipment: 1 ring for each group of 2 people (ringette rings work great!). Description: To start, have all of the students find a partner. Give each group of 2 a single ring. The object of the game is to get more points than your partner by kicking the ring, using...

Equipment: At least 4 Hula Hoops. Description: Have each student find a partner and stand with their partner. Have the students decide between them who is partner 1 and who is partner 2. Bring all of the partner 1s to the middle of the gym, and have them hold hands...

Shooting Stars

Equipment: As many rings (ringette rings work great), or balls, bean bags...etc. as you feel are necessary (at least 20). Description: Create a rectangular playing area using either the lines in the gym or cones if you are outside. The playing area should be almost as...

Racket Whack-It

Equipment: 1 racket per student (ping-pong paddles, squash or racket ball rackets or tennis rackets). As many dodgeballs as you want! Description: Give each student a racket or paddle. Remind them not to hit other students with their rackets, or swing their rackets in...

Cops and Robbers

Equipment: 7-9 hula hoops. A whole bunch of bean bags. Cones to mark center safe zone (if playing outside). Description: Scatter the hula hoops around the gym. Put as many bean bags into each hoop as you can. Split the class into 2 even teams, placing one team in the...

Crazy Moves

Equipment: Enough mats so that you can fit groups of 2-4 students on them comfortably. Description: Scatter the gymnastic mats throughout the gym. Tell the students that you are going to call out a number and that they must try and get that number of people onto a...

Equipment: Pinnies to separate teams. 1 dodgeball. Cones (if outside). 2 garbage cans (the lighter the better), with the bottoms cut out. Description: Split kids into 2 teams of 6-10 players. Have 1 student from each team stand up on a chair inside the basketball key...

Equipment: 3 benches. 2-5 evil red balls. As many other dodgeballs as you deem necessary. Description: Scatter the benches around the playing area. 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. Everyone else can start anywhere else in the playing area (except...

PE Game Ideas and Resources

The PE Game Ideas section provides you with Physical Education resources which will help you to plan PE Warm Up Games, PE Tag Games, PE Thinking Games, and PE Coordination Games. Within each section you will find a whole range of different games which will excite and challenge your students. Each PE Game outlines what equipment is required, how to set the game up, how to play the game and how to differentiate the game. The resources can be downloaded and can support your PE planning. Lots of the resources are free.  Click below to explore each section:

Teaching Resources

Thinking Games

Warm Up Games

Coordination  Games

Christmas PE Games

• Pete Charrette

PE Stations: 15 Fun Ideas for Active Engagement in Elementary Physical Education Classes

Physical education plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of young learners. In the energetic, diverse environment of elementary schools, it's essential to foster a love for movement and exercise through engaging and dynamic activities. PE stations, a cornerstone in teaching physical education, offer a unique blend of fun, skill-building, and adaptable challenges that cater to a wide array of interests and abilities. By incorporating fundamental movement skills into diverse station activities, educators can capture the imagination and enthusiasm of younger students, laying the groundwork for a lifetime of healthy, active living.

The beauty of PE stations lies in their flexibility and ease of implementation. Utilizing the common equipment found in a typical elementary school gym, these stations can be set up quickly and tailored to various skill levels. This station-based approach is especially beneficial in handling large class sizes, allowing for more individualized attention and ensuring that every student remains engaged and active. From team building activities to personal challenges, PE stations provide a dynamic environment where children can develop motor and sport skills, set personal records, and most importantly, have fun while learning. By rotating through different stations, students not only experience a variety of physical activities but also learn the importance of adaptability and cooperation—skills that are invaluable both on and off the playground.

Incorporating new PE station ideas can rejuvenate your classes, providing a wealth of activities that ensure every session is lively and effective. These stations, adaptable for various needs, are an excellent way to enrich your curriculum. Explore 15 engaging PE stations that are simple to implement and offer significant benefits for your students' physical and social growth.

Overview of the Stations

Essentially, PE stations involve dividing the gym or play area into multiple smaller areas, each designated for a specific activity or skill practice. This format allows students to rotate through a variety of exercises or challenges, keeping the class engaged and lively. Incorporating pe stations into your curriculum not only enhances the variety and appeal of physical education classes but also allows for the development of fundamental movement skills and kids' sports skills in a fun and organized manner.

When setting up PE stations, consider the following tips for a smooth and effective experience:

Plan Your Space Wisely:  Ensure each station has enough room for the activity and is safely spaced out from others to prevent overcrowding and accidents.

Organize Equipment Beforehand:  Gather all the necessary equipment for each station and have it ready to minimize setup time during the class.

Clear Instructions:  Use printable station cards or online videos with clear, concise instructions and visuals. This helps students understand what to do at each station, fostering independence and reducing confusion.

Manage Time Effectively:  Allocate a specific amount of time for each station and use a timer to signal when it’s time to move to the next station. This keeps the class flowing smoothly and ensures that all students get equal time at each activity.

Supervise and Rotate:  Keep an eye on all stations, offer guidance, and ensure students are rotating efficiently to the next station.

Inclusivity and Adaptability:  Be prepared to modify activities and PE station ideas to suit different skill levels and abilities, ensuring that every student can participate and enjoy the activities.

Feedback and Encouragement:  Provide positive reinforcement and constructive feedback as students engage in the activities, fostering a supportive learning environment.

Remember, the key to a successful station-based PE class is flexibility and creativity. Feel free to adapt these PE station activities and incorporate your own great ideas readily into your teaching style and your students' needs.

15 Physical Education Station Ideas for Elementary Classes

Energize your elementary PE classes with 15 Simple and Fun PE Stations. Each one is crafted to engage, challenge, and energize students, making every PE class a highlight of their day. The stations align with Shape America's Standard 1 which states "The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns."

Station 1: Keep it Up - Volleying

Description:  The 'Keep it Up - Volley' station is an exciting activity that combines fun with agility and coordination. This station encourages students to practice their volley skills by keeping a beachball or balloon in the air using various parts of their body. It's a fantastic way to develop hand-eye coordination, timing, and body control.

Suggested Equipment:

Beachballs or balloons

Instructions:

Students grab a beachball or a balloon.

Using only their fingertips, knuckles, elbows, head, feet, or knees, they must keep the ball or balloon up in the air.

Challenge students to count the number of consecutive volleys they can achieve without letting the ball or balloon touch the ground.

Safety Tips:

Ensure there’s ample space between students to prevent accidental collisions.

Encourage students to stay aware of their surroundings to avoid running into others or tripping over equipment.

Modifications for Different Skill Levels:

For beginners, start with beachballs, which are larger and move slower than balloons.

More advanced students can try using smaller balloons or adding a gentle spin to increase difficulty.

To add a personal challenge element, have students try to beat their own record with each turn.

Station 2: Ball Handling Challenges - Basketball

Description:  This station is centered on developing basketball ball handling skills through a variety of creative and challenging exercises. By moving the ball in different ways around their body, students can improve their coordination, dexterity, and familiarity with basketball handling techniques.

Basketballs or playground balls

Students begin by tapping the ball back and forth above their head to develop hand control and movement fluidity.

Practice the rainbow toss, where they toss the ball in an arc from one hand to the other in front of their body.

Pass the ball around their waist, then down to their legs, and finally around their head without losing grip.

Perform a figure 8 dribble between their legs to enhance coordination and agility.

For those who can, try spinning the ball on one finger, which is a fun trick that improves focus and balance.

Encourage students to get creative and come up with their own unique ball handling skill.

Make sure there is enough space between students when performing these exercises to prevent accidental collisions.

Encourage students to start with slow, controlled movements and to progress to faster speeds as they gain confidence.

Beginners can focus on basic ball handling skills such as the waist and head passes without incorporating the legs.

Intermediate students should work on connecting movements together smoothly, like transitioning from the waist pass to the figure 8.

Advanced students can challenge themselves with speed and try to perform tricks like the ball spin or invent new handling skills.

Station 3: Cup Stacking Challenge - Coordination

Description:  The Cup Stacking Challenge is a fast-paced station that sharpens students' motor coordination and speed. In this activity, students are tasked with constructing and deconstructing pyramids made of cups, fostering not only dexterity but also concentration and problem-solving skills.

Plastic cups (9 per student or group)

Students quickly build three stacks of pyramids, each with three cups.

Once the pyramids are built, they must then de-stack the cups back into groups of three as quickly as possible.

Students take turns timing each other for both the upstack and downstack process to add a competitive element.

Clear the area around the cup stacking station to prevent slipping on stray cups.

Encourage students to focus on control and precision to avoid knocking cups onto themselves or others.

Beginners may start with stacking and de-stacking a single pyramid before moving onto multiple stacks.

To increase the challenge, advanced students can be asked to stack different configurations or increase the number of cups in a pyramid.

Consider implementing a 'personal best' approach where each student tries to beat their previous times, promoting personal challenge and growth.

Station 4: Paper Plate Skate - Endurance

Description:  The Paper Plate Skate station is an innovative and enjoyable way for students to explore movement. Using laminated paper plates as makeshift skates, this activity simulates the sliding motion of ice or roller skating, offering a unique opportunity to practice balance and coordination while engaging in imaginative play.

Laminated paper plates (2 per student)

Each student stands on a pair of laminated paper plates.

They then "skate" around a designated area, attempting to glide smoothly on the plates.

Encourage students to try moving in various directions: forward, backward, and sideways to challenge their agility and coordination.

Ensure the skating area is free from obstacles and has a smooth, even surface to prevent falls.

Instruct students to maintain a safe distance from each other to avoid collisions.

For beginners, allow them to hold onto a partner or a stable object as they get used to the sliding motion.

Intermediate students might try incorporating turns or small dance moves while skating.

Advanced students can attempt to navigate a simple obstacle course to test their skill and precision.

Station 5: Hoop it Up - Coordination

Description:  'Hoop it Up' is a classic station that combines fun with fitness. This hula hoop challenge not only promotes active play but also enhances core strength, coordination, and rhythm. Students will enjoy testing their skills and challenging their peers to see who can maintain the twirl the longest.

Hula hoops (one per participant)

Each student begins by selecting a hula hoop.

They start twirling the hoop around their waist, neck, arm, or one leg, maintaining the motion for as long as possible.

Encourage students to challenge each other in friendly competition to see who can keep the hoop up the longest.

Space students out to ensure they have a safe distance from each other to avoid contact with someone else’s hoop.

Remind students to focus on their own hoop to prevent distractions that could lead to a loss of control.

Beginners may focus on keeping the hoop up around their waist, which is typically easier to control.

For an added challenge, students can try to switch the hoop between their waist, neck, and limbs without letting it fall.

To incorporate a skill element, advanced students might try adding dance moves or tricks while keeping the hoop in motion.

Station 6: Beanbag Toss - Accuracy

Description:  The Beanbag Toss station emphasizes precision and hand-eye coordination, as students aim to land beanbags within the confines of a hula hoop target. This activity not only tests accuracy but also encourages students to assess their tossing or throwing strength and adjust their technique based on their distance from the target.

Place a hula hoop at a starting distance as the target.

Students toss a beanbag, aiming to get it into the hoop.

After each successful toss, they take a step back to increase the challenge.

Students can challenge a partner to a contest, seeing who can maintain consistency from varying distances or who can toss from the furthest distance.

Make sure the area around the hula hoop is clear to prevent slipping on stray beanbags.

Encourage students to be aware of their surroundings and wait for their turn to avoid beanbags flying in unexpected directions.

Beginners can start closer to the hoop and use larger beanbags for easier gripping and tossing.

To increase difficulty, students can be challenged to toss the beanbag into smaller hoops or from a greater distance.

For advanced students, introduce a point system based on the distance, where farther throws earn more points, encouraging them to set personal records.

Station 7: "Downed" Rope Challenges - Agility

Description:  This station is all about agility and balance, using short jump ropes laid out on the floor. Students will mimic tightrope walking and jumping across the rope, enhancing their coordination, balance, and spatial awareness. These varied movements not only engage different muscle groups but also introduce the fundamentals of agility training in a fun and accessible way.

Short jump ropes or any similar rope laid on the ground

Students start by walking along the rope as if it's a tightrope, placing one foot directly in front of the other.

Next, they jump back and forth over the rope, using both feet and then just one, like a hopscotch pattern.

See how far they can long jump following the line of the rope.

For an added challenge, students crisscross their legs while jumping over the rope to improve agility.

Ensure that the ropes are securely placed on the ground to prevent slipping.

Space out the students so they have ample room to jump and move without bumping into each other.

Beginners can focus on slow, deliberate movements to maintain balance while walking the 'tightrope.'

Intermediate students can increase their speed and introduce one-footed jumps.

Advanced students can attempt to perform the crisscross jumps at a faster pace or increase the length of their long jumps.

Station 8: Over the Hurdles - Track & Field

Description:  'Over the Hurdles' station gives students a taste of track and field athletics, focusing on the exhilarating hurdle race. It's designed to improve agility, speed, and jumping ability in a controlled environment. This station can be a fun challenge, encouraging students to push their limits and practice their pacing over a short distance.

Set of hurdles (adjustable for height) or cones with a pool noodle laying across them

Cones to mark the end turn and start

Students take turns running towards the hurdles and leaping over them with proper form.

After clearing the hurdles, they run around a cone set at the end of the course and sprint back to the start.

Students can run side by side with a partner for a friendly race or time each other to add a competitive element.

Adjust the height of the hurdles according to the age and ability level of the students to prevent injuries.

Ensure there’s adequate space between the hurdles and that the landing area is clear of any obstacles.

Instruct students on proper hurdling technique to ensure safety during leaps and landings.

Beginners can practice with lower hurdles or even lines or tapes on the ground to simulate hurdles.

Intermediate students should focus on improving their leap technique and landing.

Advanced students can attempt higher hurdles or focus on increasing their speed between the hurdles

Station 9: Scarf Juggling - Mental Focus

Description:  Scarf Juggling is a delightful station that introduces students to the basics of juggling in a simple and accessible way. This activity helps improve hand-eye coordination, timing, and concentration. Starting with one or two scarves—or even plastic grocery bags for a more environmentally friendly twist—students can progress at their own pace until they are able to juggle multiple items.

Scarves or lightweight plastic grocery bags

Students start by grabbing one or two scarves or plastic bags.

Begin by tossing and catching the items at varying heights, both high and low.

As students become more adept, they can increase the challenge by adding a third item into their juggling pattern.

Ensure students have enough space around them to prevent interference with others.

Remind students to focus on the items they are juggling, keeping their movements controlled and their eyes on the scarves at all times.

Beginners should start with one scarf, focusing on consistent tossing and catching.

Once comfortable, they can add a second scarf, practicing the hand-to-hand toss.

Advanced students can attempt to juggle three scarves, incorporating different patterns and heights for an additional challenge.

Station 10: Zig Zag Dribble - Soccer Dribbling

Description:  Zig Zag Dribble is a station designed to hone soccer dribbling skills. Through weaving in and out of a cone course, students can improve their ball control and footwork, which are essential skills on the soccer field. This exercise not only enhances agility and coordination but also builds confidence in handling the ball under pressure.

Soccer balls (one per student)

Cones set up in a zigzag formation

Each student starts with a soccer ball at the beginning of the cone course.

The objective is to dribble the ball through the cones, weaving in and out without touching or knocking them over.

After navigating the zigzag pattern, students dribble the ball straight back to the start as quickly and as controlled as possible.

Ensure the cones are spaced out enough to provide a challenge yet allow for safe maneuvering.

Encourage students to keep their heads up while dribbling to promote spatial awareness and prevent collisions.

Beginners can walk the ball through the cones, focusing on control and gentle touches.

Intermediate students should work on maintaining a jogging pace while keeping the ball close.

Advanced students can be challenged to dribble through the cones at a faster pace or with fewer touches to increase difficulty.

Station 11: Playground Ball - Tossing and Catching

Description:  This station is designed to enhance hand-eye coordination and reaction time with a series of tossing and catching challenges using a playground ball. By varying the tossing heights and incorporating different movements before catching, students can improve their agility and coordination in a playful and dynamic way.

Playground balls (one per student)

Students start by tossing the playground ball in the air and catching it.

Next, they let the ball bounce once before clapping their hands or turning around and then catching it.

Students try tossing the ball, letting it bounce under their leg, and then catching it.

Encourage students to experiment with catching the ball at different levels, such as reaching high above their heads or squatting to catch it low.

Ensure each student has a clear space around them to prevent collisions during the turning or under-the-leg maneuvers.

Remind students to keep their eyes on the ball at all times to safely coordinate their movements.

Beginners can focus on basic toss and catch skills, gradually introducing the bounce as they become more comfortable.

Intermediate students can add the clapping or turning around to make the task more challenging.

Advanced students can attempt to catch the ball on the bounce after performing a full 360-degree turn or catching it after multiple claps to increase difficulty.

Station 12: Jump Rope - Coordination and Fitness

Description:  Jump Rope station is a classic exercise that significantly enhances coordination, rhythm, and cardiovascular fitness. Using individual short ropes, students can challenge themselves to maintain a continuous rhythm and try various jump styles to keep the activity engaging and beneficial.

Individual short jump ropes (one per student)

Each student starts with a jump rope and begins to jump continuously, aiming to keep going for as long as possible.

Introduce skier jumps, where students jump side to side over the rope, mimicking a skiing motion.

Practice bell jumps by jumping front to back, adding variety to the movements.

Encourage students to turn the rope both forwards and backward, incorporating a jogging step to vary the tempo and difficulty.

Ensure students are spaced out to prevent the ropes from getting tangled with one another.

Check that each rope is the correct length for the student using it to prevent tripping.

Remind students to jump on the balls of their feet to cushion their landings.

Beginners may focus on single jumps with both feet together, working on finding their rhythm.

Intermediate students can try alternating feet, like a slow jogging step, as they jump.

Advanced students can challenge themselves with double unders (where the rope passes under the feet twice in one jump) or increase the speed of their jogging step.

Station 13: Soccer Juggling - Ball Control

Description:  Soccer Juggling station is an excellent way for students to practice and improve their ball control. Whether with a soccer ball, beach ball, or balloon, this activity helps develop coordination, timing, and finesse. It's a fundamental skill in soccer that enhances a player's ability to control the ball during a game.

Soccer balls, beach balls, or balloons (one per student)

Each student selects a ball of their choice.

The goal is to keep the ball in the air using only their feet, knees, chest, and head.

Encourage students to count how many times they can juggle the ball without it touching the ground.

Ensure that students have plenty of space around them to avoid collisions.

For those using a soccer ball, remind them to use the flat parts of their feet and to bend their knees for better control.

Beginners may start with larger, lighter balls like beach balls or balloons that move slower and are easier to control.

Intermediate students should focus on using a soccer ball and mixing different body parts for juggling.

Advanced students can set personal challenges, such as juggling only with their feet or alternating between different body parts without the ball touching the ground.

Station 14: Cross the River - Balance & Agility

Description:  'Cross the River' is a playful station that challenges students' balance and agility. By using poly spot markers laid out to represent stones across a river, this activity mimics a stepping stone challenge that requires careful foot placement and balance.

Poly spot markers (or any flat markers that can simulate river stones)

Arrange the poly spot markers on the floor in a zigzag or maze pattern, representing stones in a river.

Students start at one end and jump from marker to marker, pretending to cross a river by only stepping on the 'stones.'

The goal is to make it to the finish line and back without 'falling off' the rocks.

Encourage students to plan their route and adjust their balance as they leap from one spot to the next.

Ensure that the markers are spaced appropriately to match the students' jumping abilities.

Check that the floor around the markers is clear and free of any slip hazards.

Remind students to focus on controlling their jumps to maintain balance and prevent falls.

Beginners may take larger steps or small hops instead of jumps and use more closely spaced markers.

Intermediate students should attempt to jump with both feet together, making precise landings.

Advanced students can increase the distance between the markers or add a one-footed hopping element to raise the difficulty level.

Station 15: Javelin (Pool Noodle) Throw - Track & Field

Description:  The Javelin Throw station introduces students to the track and field event in a safe and fun way using pool noodles. This activity allows students to work on their throwing technique and upper body strength while engaging in a bit of friendly competition to see who can achieve the farthest throw.

Pool noodles (one per student)

A set line for throwing behind

Measuring tape (optional for recording distances)

Students line up behind the set line with a pool noodle in hand.

They take turns throwing the noodle as far as they can, ensuring they use proper form to mimic a javelin throw.

After each throw, compare distances to see if students can throw farther than their partners.

Encourage each student to try to beat their own personal best with each attempt.

Make sure there is a clear and secure area for throwing and that no one is in the path of the noodle.

Teach students the proper way to hold and release the noodle to prevent any accidents.

Ensure students are supervised, especially when attempting to measure and retrieve the noodles.

Beginners may focus on the basic technique of holding and releasing the noodle.

Intermediate students can work on improving their throw by incorporating a run-up or adjusting their grip.

Advanced students can aim for accuracy by trying to throw the noodle to a specific target area as well as distance.

Integrating the Stations into Your PE Curriculum

Incorporating stations into pe programs:.

Physical Education programs thrive on variety and adaptability, and incorporating stations can significantly enhance the learning experience. Here are some strategies for integrating these stations into your existing curriculum:

Circuit Training:  Implement stations as part of a circuit training program. Assign students to stations, allowing them to spend a set amount of time at each before rotating. This approach ensures that all students are actively engaged and can experience each activity.

Skill-Based Days:  Dedicate certain days to specific skill developments, such as balance, coordination, or agility, and select stations that focus on these skills. This targeted approach can help students improve in areas that are most relevant to their needs.

Warm-Ups/Cool-Downs:  Use some of the simpler stations as warm-up or cool-down activities to prepare students for more intense activity or to wind down after a vigorous class.

Integrated Learning:  Combine stations with other curriculum areas. For example, incorporate math by having students count repetitions or measure distances, enhancing both physical and cognitive skills.

Modifying Stations for Different Needs:

Flexibility is key to accommodating diverse class sizes, spaces, and student needs. Here are some tips for adjusting stations:

Adapting to Space:  If space is limited, modify activities to fit a smaller area, such as shortening relay distances or using half of a court. For larger spaces, spread out stations to avoid overcrowding and to use the space effectively.

Class Size:  For larger classes, duplicate stations to prevent long wait times. In smaller classes, you might combine two stations into one to keep students engaged without overwhelming them with too many activities.

Different Abilities:  Adapt stations to cater to varying skill levels. This might include lowering the height of hurdles, using larger balls for easier handling, or allowing more time for each activity.

Student Interests:  Take into account student interests and allow for choices. Give students a say in which stations they'd like to try or have them suggest modifications to activities, fostering a sense of ownership and motivation.

Inclusion:  Ensure that all stations are inclusive. This might mean having alternative activities available for students with different physical abilities or providing additional support where needed.

By considering these suggestions, PE teachers can create an environment that is not only physically educational but also inclusive, enjoyable, and tailored to the needs of all students.

Final Thoughts

Incorporating a range of fun and diverse stations into elementary PE classes can transform the traditional physical education experience. These stations not only bring a fresh burst of energy and excitement to PE classes but also cater to the varied interests and abilities of young learners. By offering a spectrum of activities—from skill-based challenges to creative physical play—we foster an environment where every child can thrive.

As educators, the invitation is to embrace creativity and adapt these stations to fit your unique teaching style and the specific needs of your students. There is no one-size-fits-all in education, especially in an environment as dynamic as the gymnasium. Feel free to tweak the activities, mix them up, or even invent completely new ones that will resonate with your classes. If you've tried implementing any of these stations, or if you've developed variations of your own, I'd love to hear about your experiences. Your insights and innovations are not only welcome but can serve as inspiration to the wider PE teaching community.

Download 15 FREE PE Station Signs!

Are you looking for station cards that combine fun and engagement with clear instructions and top-notch graphics for your physical education classes? Look no further, Cap'n Pete's Cap'n Pete's Power PE has you covered!

Fill in the form below to download 15  FREE  Fun and Engaging PE Station Signs. The set is a PDF digital download that includes the following PE stations (as seen in this article) that can be implemented using standard PE equipment: Keep it Up, 2. Ball Handling Challenges, 3. Cup Stacking, 4. Paper Plate Skate, 5. Hoop it Up, 6. Beanbag Toss, 7. Downed Rope Challenges, 8. Over the Hurdles, 9. Scarf Juggling, 10. Zig Zag Dribble,11. PG Ball; Tossing and Catching, 12. Jump Rope, 13. Soccer Juggling, 14. Cross the River, and 15. Javelin Throw

This freebie set will be sure to enhance your PE curriculum for years!

Check out this PE Stations: Triple Pack Bundle with 132 Movement, Skill and Sport Zones

Discover the ultimate collection for your PE program with Cap'n Pete's Power PE's comprehensive bundle! This set combines all three of our popular PE Station Zones series:

PE Fitness Stations:  44 zones for maximum movement, focusing on personal fitness elements like cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, locomotor movement, and muscular strength.

PE Sport Stations:  44 skill-sharpening zones covering a range of sports such as base games, basketball, gym hockey, racquet sports, soccer, track and field, and volleyball.

PE Stations Kids Love:  44 zones of frolicking fun, designed for enjoyable movements and tasks with common equipment.

You can find this set on Cap'n Pete's Power PE website here  or at my Teachers Pay Teachers store located here .

In total, you'll receive 132 stations, each with its own station card, perfect for fitness units, warm-ups, sport skills, or just plain fun throughout the school year. The accompanying cards offer clear instructions and engaging graphics, highlighting the fitness components, motor skills, or PE concepts involved. Mix and match these stations in your classes or sessions for a fresh, fun, and effective PE experience. Whether you're a PE teacher, classroom teacher, or group leader in a camp or church setting, these stations are flexible and adaptable for your unique environment.

• Stations and Circuits
• Manipulative Skills
• Fitness Activities

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2nd Grade Physical Education (PE) Lesson Plans

Chalkboard relay.

Level: 2nd grade and up Objective: In this lesson, students will be able to integrate math and physical education by the doing addition facts during a relay. Equipment: Chalkboard or Whiteboard Chalkboard Relay – PE

Running the Bases – Baseball PE

Four Corner Running- Baseball Level: Grade 2 and up Objective: Students will use body awareness while running from base to base. Equipment: Four bases Running the Bases – Four Corner Running Baseball PE Lesson Plan PDF Procedures:

Lead Up Games

The following activities can be done in a physical education classroom or just for fun. Lead-up games can be used as a warm up activity or a way to practice skills used in many sports.

Level: K-2 Objective: Identifying body parts Equipment: None Circus Tag – K-2 Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedure:  1) One student is selected to be “it”. 2) The rest of the class scatters. 3) Students

Three Legged Relay

Level: K and up Objectives: Students will share and cooperate while participating in a relay Equipment: One burlap sack per team Three Legged Relay – Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures:  1) Divide class into

The following are relays that can be used in physical education or regular education classrooms. They can be done in a gym or outside. Relays are great activities that require students to work together and

The Human Body and Movement

The following health lessons helps students work to improve age-appropriate physical fitness, and demonstrate motor skills required for individual and team activities. Students will be able to create a visual representation of the human body

Grade Level: K and up Objectives: Students will use jumping skills Equipment: One sack per team. Sack Relay – PE Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures:  1) Divide class into two or more teams. 2)

Beanbag Relay

Level: Kindergarten and up Objective: Balancing objects on different parts of the body. Equipment: One beanbag per team Beanbag Relay – PE Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures:  1) Divide class into two or more

Cranes & Crows

Objective: Cognitive awareness of distinguishing long a and o sounds. Level: Kindergarten and up Equipment: None Cranes & Crows – K-6 Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures: 1) Divide students into two groups and one

Dessert Island Stream

Objective: Students listening, direction Level: Kindergarten and up Equipment: None Dessert Island Stream – PE Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures: 1) Tell students that one end of the court is a desert, one is

Everyone’s It

Level: K and up Equipment: None Everyone’s It – PE Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedures: 1) Every student in the class is it. 2) Anytime someone gets tagged they must do 10 jumping jacks.

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The PE Specialist

Awesome Resources for Physical Education Teachers

Awesome Warmups and Instant Activities

How do you Start Your PE Class Each Day?

When my kids walk into their Physical Education class, our routine is that I give them a quick greeting and then we get into a quick warm-up or instant activity.   After that we do a little stretching with our Daily Warmup Routine while we’re spread out at our Home Base Spots .  While we get stretched out I take attendance and give any needed announcements and then get into our lesson for the day.

Rules Review

For every K-2nd Grade class I always start by reviewing 3 important rules that my kiddos struggle with (see below)

Start Simple

At the beginning of the year I usually keep the warm-up really simple and do walking lines and jogging lines (jog the sidelines and walk the end lines) to some upbeat music for about 2-3 minutes ( here are my PE Playlists ).  As the year progresses we’ll add some more locomotor movements on the lines like skipping, galloping, sliding. 

Sometimes we also add in some footwork ladders on the lines or even going over and under hurdles while traveling around the room.

Skill Related Instant Activities

Once my kids are in a good routine I start to mix it up with some other instant activities.   Sometimes we add challenges related to the unit or lesson we are working on that day – for example balancing a ball on a paddle or dribbling a basketball while you are traveling around.

Skill Formula = 4-5 Reps of any skill – Jog a Lap – Repeat

For an example, check out the video below for an instant activity that I use in my Frisbee Unit .   

The formula above works great for any unit that you’re teaching just change the skill challenge to apply to your lesson, you can change the number of reps and change the skill, for another example in the video below we’re working on throwing and catching off the wall and only doing 3 catches.

You can also add more levels if you want them to work on more than one variation of the skill, see an example below for a format that I use often to allow students to self progress using animated GIFS to show skill specific instant activity challenges.

Fun Quick Games and Challenges

I usually don’t introduce games as instant activities until after at least the first quarter since I want my kids to get into a good routine and learn the dynamics of each class and student.  Once I feel we are ready I will introduce some fun quick games or challenges as instant activities for my classes that can handle it.  For my K-1st students I normally keep it pretty simple and use the same activities I’ve mentioned above, but with my 3rd-5th grade classes (and sometimes a mature 2nd grade class) I find that most of the games below work pretty successfully.

The Thunderstick Challenge

This is a classic activity that I always do with my kids during our Jump Rope Unit, but I also bust it out every now and then just for fun to switch things up for our instant activity.

Check it out below for an example:

Basically, I have the kids all come to the middle and if the rope hits their feet – they either head to the walk/jog lines, or grab a jumprope and practice until the 3 minute timer is done.

Another great Jump Rope Warmup if your students already know how to do it is doing the “ Whirlwind Challenge ” for 3 minutes, same rules as Thunderstick if you get eliminated (Shoutout to J.D. Hughes for showing me this awesome jumprope game).

I spend an entire lesson of our jump rope unit on the Whirl Wind challenge with my 3rd – 5th graders and then once they already know the rules we might use it for an instant activity in a following lesson.

Switch is a really fun no equipment game that’s perfect for recess and can be played on a 4 square court or using 4 cones, spots or tape to mark the 4 corners of a square.

If you’ve never seen it, check out the video below:

If you want more info about SWITCH you can head over to this page for a more detailed breakdown of the game

The Cone Flip Mixer

This is a game that I used for a Field Day Relay Race and the kids loved it so much that I started using it as a mixer or instant activity as well to talk about winning and losing and learning to be a good sport.

Check out the video below for an example:

If you want more info, check out this page for a more detailed breakdown of the game

The Fastest Class Challenge

This is a fun class running challenge that I do with all my classes in 1st – 5th grade.

I run the challenge 3 times a year and it’s been super motivating for students and allows for some healthy competition between classes.

You check out the video below for an overview of the Fastest Class Challenge:

All Links from the video linked on the page below:

• Check Out Fastest Class Challenge Resources Page

Plug and Play Activities

There are definitely times that I need to setup or take down equipment to transition from one class to the next or do some other management task – in those situations I use warm-ups that are plug and play – so the kids are engaged and active while I’m getting ready for the lesson.  

These are some of my Favorite Plug and Play Warm-Up Activities.  They are great for those situations when need to transition or prepare for the next lesson, but also need to get your class warmed up.   Just setup a projector or plug into a TV and you are good to go.

If you don’t have to do another task like setup equipment or take attendance you can join in the activity with your kids and lead by example, while also offering feedback and refinements throughout the activity.

Note : The first 3 activities will require a screen, TV or projector of some kind.

Youtube Follow Alongs

After the year most teachers had in 2020 and many of us going virtual for at least part of the time, there are TONS of awesome follow along videos that would work great for kids warming up.  Some of my favorite channels for quick warmups are Go Noodle , Fitness Blender , Just Dance Videos and Get Kids Moving

When I was teaching virtually I also made a cool resource for our Membership and TPT store with over 100 of my favorite follow along workouts and warmups – you can check it out on TPT here: The Youtube Resource Guide or if you’re a member you can download it in the membership area.

Sometimes I even put my own Daily Warmup Follow Along up for the kids if I am setting up for an activity

Follow the Leader Skills Videos and Animated GIFS

After I got a TV installed in my gym I started creating follow the leader videos for each unit that I was teaching my students.  I really loved having them warmup using skills that are specific to the lesson and would contribute to the overall focus of the unit.

It was a ton of work figuring out how to use a green screen and deciding what skills to use, but I’m so glad I did because it’s been a great tool to use when teaching.   In the videos I take students through different skills related to the unit and move to a new skill every 30 –  60 seconds depending on the video

I also used the videos to create some great Animated GIF Slideshows that I use to progress. students through a lesson and sometimes use as Instant Activity challenges as well, see the video below for an example:

Or sometimes instead of having a sequence 1-4, I’ll just throw up a few different skill challenges and let the students choose the one they would like to work on

You can see below for an example of a summary slide from our Jump Rope Unit, so students could choose out of these 4 skills which one they’d like to work on.

If you want to see the whole process I used to create these Follow The Leader Videos and Animated GIF Packs, check out this post

The Sworkit App

Sworkit is a great App and also has an online version as well now with a “Kids” section that is free for anyone to use.   If you want to see a walkthrough of how to sign up and what the workouts look like check out this video .

It’s an awesome tool for PE Teachers.  You can create custom workouts with your own exercises and choose any length that you’d like.  

The examples are all appropriate for elementary age students and the app has kids performing the exercises as well.  Just plug your iPad, iPhone or computer into a projector or TV and have your kids follow along.

You can sign up for a free account at https://sworkit.com/

Offer a Choice

Another fun and motivating thing to do is to offer your students an option to choose between 2 warmup activities.

For example sometimes I tell my students they can either do a Just Dance video in the middle of the gym jog and jump hurdles on the jogging lines.

Before I had a TV in my Gym, I would just offer students the choice to do a Line Dance in the middle or jog the outside, here’s a fun line dance if you need an idea .  

Interval Timer Pro

No TV or Screen?  Then this one is for you.  I use this App any time we are doing a tabata style or crossfit style warmup.  I use station slips to indicate a few exercises or activities for students to choose from at each station and then input what intervals I want to use – play some music and then the app rotates the kids around the room for a set number of rotations automatically.  

If you do have a screen you can plug the app into the screen so students can see the countdown timer for each rotation as an added bonus.

You can use any exercises, but I created my own set of 25 Exercise Posters that I use for interval workouts, see an example below: 

You can check out the 25 Exercise Posters Pack Here if you’re Interested

I usually do a 30 seconds on – 15 seconds rest/rotate – If you have 6 stations that means you have a 4.5 minute warmup activity (3 minutes of work, 1.5 minutes of rest/rotation)

This is also a great way to use stations to give a quick review of content you’ve already taught or give your students practice for something you are planning to teach soon.  

Workout Posters

• If you haven’t taken advantage of the hundreds of free workout posters at Darebee.com you really need to check them out.   You can also find posters homemade by some great Phys Ed teachers around on the internet… Like these super hero posters for example.
• Workout posters are great – they give students a few options to choose from and are self paced .  Just set a time limit and see how many times your kids can get through the workout before the time limit is up.  I leave a few permanently up on my walls in the gym.
• I also created some pretty cool One Page Workouts myself using the exercise posters I mentioned earlier, which you can check out here if your interested

Daily Stretching Routine

After my students complete one of the instant activities I mentioned in this post we will head to our Home Base Spots which is how I do assigned seats in my gym.  I will lead a quick stretching routine (or have a student lead) and take attendance while the kids are getting stretched out.  

• Daily Stretching Routine Poster

I hope some of those instant activities and warmups are useful for you and spark some new ideas for you to try with your students!

Got some ideas I didn’t mention?  Leave them in the comments!

Have fun and teach on.

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Reader Interactions

January 9, 2023 at 4:18 pm

I teach at an alternative school. My students are all 6-8 grade. So far there are some things I will probably incorporate. However, we only have an outside court, so many of the things for placing on walls will not work, especially since most days are highly windy. The Good Sportsmanship, and Self-Assessment ideas I love.

January 10, 2023 at 4:10 pm

No problem Willam! We always say, “Take what works, trash what doesn’t”. Glad you’re finding some of the resources helpful!

October 12, 2022 at 1:33 pm

I LOVE LOVE LOVE these warm up activities. I am going to start implementing these in all of my PE classses. I feel like the students and I get very bored of the typical dynamic warm up. I cannot wait to change it up!

October 12, 2022 at 4:07 pm

Hey Madisen!

Glad you’re enjoying the resources!

January 21, 2022 at 1:16 am

As a high-school PE teacher, I still find so much value in your posts. I’ll be looking for ways to adapt and include the “fastest class challenge” and “SWITCH” into future classes. Thanks for all of your hard work!

January 21, 2022 at 3:10 pm

That’s awesome to hear David! Thanks for sharing! Good to see the resources still being helpful at the secondary level!

September 14, 2021 at 2:11 pm

Where did you get the stick for your Thunderstick Challenge? I have jump ropes and whiffles balls but that hollow stick how do you keep the rope in there it looks like they have a cap on the end to keep it tight. ????

September 14, 2021 at 4:51 pm

Hey Lindsey!

You can find all my recommended equipment and technology tools at the link below:

http://thepespecialist.com/amazon

The Jump Baton/Thuderstick is on the list and linked below:

http://amzn.to/2tyOO1n

Hope this helps!

August 17, 2021 at 3:52 pm

I would love some ideas for just outside as my school does not have a gym. We are outside ALL year round.

August 18, 2021 at 3:48 pm

Hey Cynthia,

We usually teach in my gym to save time and steer clear of distractions, but sometimes I’ll go outside when the weather is nice or when we have a scheduling conflict in the gym.

Below you’ll find a few ideas for teaching outside.

Jump Rope is a great activity and can be taught and played pretty much anywhere, overview of my unit below https://www.thepespecialist.com/jumprope/ Frisbee is an awesome outdoor activity, here’s a walkthrough of how I teach it: https://www.thepespecialist.com/frisbeestations/ Four Square is a classic recess/camp activity and is great if you have a black top or some concrete to play on. I’ve never played on dirt or grass, but if it was hard enough ground you might be able to make it work https://www.thepespecialist.com/foursquare/ Tag Games are always fun to play outside here’s a few of my favorites Noodle Tag https://www.thepespecialist.com/noodletag/ Fire and Ice https://www.thepespecialist.com/fireandice/ Throwing and Catching games are fun if you have a fenced in area, if the area is too big or unfenced it can get annoying with all the balls getting lost or rolling super far away, so it kind of depends on your space, a few of my favs are linked up in the post below: How I Teach Throwing and Catching in PE: https://www.thepespecialist.com/throwing Team Building Games are great for any setting Cross the River Pass the Frog Hula Hut Relays Adventure Bingo The Crazy Cards Challenge Fitness activities can be done anywhere as well, I will sometimes do circuit training with my 25 Exercise Posters or use my One Page Workouts to do an AMRAP style workout Using Exercise Posters for Warm Ups and Workouts Also, the Fastest Class Challenge is a good outdoor activity: https://www.thepespecialist.com/fastestclasschallenge/

September 15, 2020 at 4:33 pm

I would like to purchase a Thunderstick. If I am trying to find one at a vendor, what would it be called?

September 15, 2020 at 6:11 pm

Thunderstick can be found at the link below: http://amzn.to/2tyOO1n

September 15, 2020 at 8:39 am

In times of COVID I am looking for new plans for when I have a substitute teacher. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!

September 15, 2020 at 6:02 pm

You’re welcome Cindy! Glad you’re enjoying the resources!

May 21, 2020 at 3:14 pm

We have a set warm up we do, called Head to Toe. I like the idea of having it printed out for students to refer too (the cheat sheet). I teach PE in the UK to Years 1-6.

May 28, 2020 at 8:27 am

Thanks for the feedback!

April 1, 2020 at 6:12 pm

Great way to work out and have fun at same time.

April 2, 2020 at 12:15 pm

Hey Matthew,

Thanks for the feedback. We appreciate it!

March 16, 2020 at 1:07 pm

Thanks for all of the great ideas. When my students come into the gym, I have a specific place for them to stand. I call it their “Homebase”. Once they all get to their spot, I will usually give them a choice for the warm-up exercises to do for the day. This did take some time to go over at the beginning of the year, but they now know a wide variety of warm-up exercises get to choose from their favorites.

March 16, 2020 at 3:52 pm

Awesome! It’s so helpful to have a good routine in place.

August 27, 2019 at 11:44 pm

Hi, I am a member and use your posters all the time. I am trying to print your stretching routine poster but it is going to charge me $4. Since I am a member, is there a way to get this poster for free? I teach at three different schools. Thanks, Tami

September 2, 2019 at 1:09 pm

Yep! You can just login to the forums and download it in the Posters and printables section, if you missed our welcome page explaining how to access resources check it out below:

https://www.thepespecialist.com/welcome-to-the-membership/

August 1, 2018 at 4:30 am

Warm up before a workout is very essential because without warming up muscles are not prepared for firing in a maximum throughput and will also lead to injury. Thanks for sharing this information on warmup movements.

July 28, 2018 at 12:34 pm

I love your blog! I have a quick question: Do you let students pass one another when they are jogging/walking the lines for warm up? Or do they have to stay in a line? This has been such a struggle for me. I’ve tried it both ways and when they pass, they cut corners and almost knock people over and when they stay in a line, there is always that slow person who refuses to walk fast or jog and it slows everyone down. Any suggestions? I teach PreK through 5th grade.

July 31, 2018 at 4:21 pm

With K-2 I usually do no passing, with 3-5 I sometimes allow them to pass each other depending on the responsibility of the class and put out 4 cones for them to jog around

May 18, 2018 at 3:32 pm

Hello, I am so pleased to join your blog! I am teaching a health and PE course for preservice elementary and middle school teachers. You have given me many wonderful ideas for engaging my teachers in teaching skills according to the psychomotor, affective and social-emotional development of each student. I will be returning soon!

May 19, 2018 at 10:02 pm

Hey Ellen – so pumped to hear you’ve gotten some good ideas, thanks for the feedback!

January 25, 2018 at 8:16 pm

I noticed that besides the superhero warmup posters there were cards. Any ideas on how the cards are used? I am wondering if there is a game? Thanks for any ideas.

January 29, 2018 at 4:45 pm

No idea, but you could contact Mr. C on Twitter and ask him how it works – he’s the one that created the cards

September 11, 2017 at 10:17 pm

Ben, thank you so much for the self-assessment idea for the end of class. I now use it in my health and PE classes and the students LOVE it. I used emojis for the WOW…Got it…Almost There… Not Yet and my second and third graders love tapping out at the end of class. I’m getting great feedback from other teachers as well! Thank you for sharing your ideas. Chris

September 12, 2017 at 7:51 pm

I’ve seen a few of the Emoji versions on Twitter – I might have to add some to mine, cool idea.

Glad it’s working for you

September 7, 2017 at 9:27 am

This is my 17th year teaching but it’s my first as a full time gym teacher. I have used all of your suggestions for the first week and I cannot tell you how much you have positively impacted my program. The Home Base spots, Conflict corner, PE Rules, noodle tag, walking and jogging lines… Everything has been incredibly helpful. I think I’m going to love teaching gym! Thank you, Melanie

September 8, 2017 at 4:13 pm

So great to hear that Melanie! Hope you have an awesome first year!

P.S. Start calling yourself a “PE Teacher” instead of “Gym Teacher” – the gym is your classroom not what you teach 🙂

September 12, 2017 at 10:51 am

Thank you, Ben. I ALWAYS teach my PE students (and teachers) to call me/or others, Physical Education teachers, or PE teachers for short. I’ve found that “gym teachers” is actually demeaning to our profession. Always try to keep a positive/tactful attitude when working to change things.

August 8, 2017 at 8:36 am

Thank you so much Ben, your contents are very nice and hopefully will help me tomorrow to get my job dream, PE teacher.

July 19, 2017 at 9:29 pm

Your blog is making the transition into my first year as Physical Education Teacher amazing!

July 25, 2017 at 10:11 am

Thanks Scott! Appreciate you checking it out and I’m pumped that it’s helpful – have a great first year!

July 18, 2017 at 2:12 pm

This is getting me motivated for that first week. My goal is to read a bit of your site/blog each day to prepare me for my new role in Physical Education.

As an Ontario teacher, I am pleased to see the OPHEA video.

Thank for all of your guidance and keeping PE fun. D

July 19, 2017 at 11:21 am

Wow – I’m excited for you with the new job – congrats! I hope the site gives you some great ideas.

March 11, 2017 at 2:55 pm

I love Parillo’s Let’s Dance videos on You Tube

March 13, 2017 at 3:10 pm

Yes! Ben’s got a great Youtube Channel – definitely recommend it.

September 1, 2016 at 11:24 pm

What an incredibly helpful website you’ve created! Thank you. I plan to use many of your ideas this school year. I teach k-5 at a small Christian school and the kids will love many of these activities. Thank you, Aimee

September 2, 2016 at 2:08 pm

That’s great Aimee, thanks for sharing! Glad it’s helpful.

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28 Best PE Games With Absolutely No Equipment

P.E. lessons can be a bit daunting at times. All that equipment to organize and worry about. Yuck!

Then there are the safety aspects to consider. Eek!

The good news is, there are plenty of simple P.E. games that you can use with no equipment!

The Ultimate List of PE Games With No Equipment

Whether you need ideas for Kindergarten PE games, or PE games for preschool this list will spark the creativity you need for gym class or at home!

I’ve been teaching in early education for the best part of 20 years now, and in that time I’ve come up with a full armory of the very best PE games WITH NO EQUIPMENT! Woop!

Table of Contents

That’s right! Just a group of children are enough to create many games and have plenty of fun.

All you need are a good space and plenty of energy, so let’s go!

1. Stop And Go Bubbles

Practice drawing a great big pretend bubble with your finger in the air.

Reach up as high as you can and reach down as low as you can. Really reach all the way around you.

If you can reach and touch anyone else with our moving your feet you are too close to move away and make sure you are in your own space.

Stretch out in your bubble to make sure you can’t touch anyone else’s just in case you should burst their bubble.

Ask the children to move like a bubble and float around the space. How freeing and mindful this bit is!

When you tell them to stop, make sure their bubble is in a good space so that no one can burst it.

2.Extra Sensory Perception (ESP)

This is a brilliant pairs game, that is good as a warm-up or as a fun game on it’s own!.

What you do is invent three movements and demonstrate them to the group.

Once you’ve played it a couple of times, the kids can come up with their own ideas.

Three examples of moves could be:

• Doing star jumps
• Doing Jazz hands
• Jumping a 360 spin on the spot

Then everyone gets a partner.

The true challenge now is to activate your ESP, which (as pretty much all kids seem to know), is your Extra-Sensory Perception. Simply put, this is the ability to read your partner’s mind (which is very exciting).

Everyone displays one of the three moves at the same time. You want to do the move that you think your partner will do.

Do the same move? Woo woo! You activated your ESP.

Different move? Just try again.

Keep going for a few goes, before changing partners to see if your ESP works better or worse on other people.

As well as being a great PE activity, I often use this as a circle time game in class. This is one of the favorite games from my book 101 Circle Time Games…That Actually Work!

This book contains all the very best mindfulness circle games, active circle games, math games, literacy circle games, and so much more! You can check out the book here.

3. Foxes And Hares

Once the children have got a good understanding of space, and they can stop and start on your command, there are lots of fun PE games you can introduce.

Foxes and hares is a classic chase game .

Aim of the game: To catch all the hares of course!

About a fifth of the children should be foxes. So if you are playing with 10 children, 2 children can be foxes. 

The hares move around the space by hopping. To hop, they should move both feet together and then put two hands together on the floor, just like a rabbit or a hare moves in bunny hops.

The foxes also move on four legs (hands and feet) but they should be quicker as they are less restricted.

To catch a hare, simply touch them (gently, please! No fox attacks).

When all the Hares are caught by the foxes, the game is over and you start a new game with a new group of foxes.

4. Trains and Tunnels

This is a similar version to the game above. There are always loads of train enthusiasts among pretty much any age of children, so this game is always a winner.

Choose a few children to be the trains. 

Explain that the rest of the children are tunnels. They should make a tunnel by putting both their hands and feet on the floor and arching their back as high as they can to make a high tunnel with their body. 

The trains should run around the space until you shout Whoo Whoo.

At the sound of the train whistle, they should crawl through as many of the tunnels as they can. 

When a train has been through a tunnel, the tunnel is released and becomes a train. 

Keep playing until all the tunnels are trains. 

This is a fun game for pairs.

One child is the leader, the other is their shadow.

Explain how your shadow does exactly what you do. It follows you everywhere, and your movements are identical.

As the leaders move around the space, the shadow follows and copies exactly what they do.

Encourage the children to use different levels of movement.

• Roll on the floor
• Move on your hands and knees
• Move on one or two feet

Encourage them to use different speeds of movement

• Move slowly and gracefully
• Move quickly and craftily

Encourage them to use different balances

• Balance on one foot
• Balance on all fours
• Balance on two feet and one hand

Remember to swap over so that both children have a chance to be the leader. 

6. Good Toes Naughty Toes

This is another simple listening game requiring no equipment and it can be played as an indoor and outdoor game.

There are two instructions that the children are going to listen out for. Those are:

Good toes – They should stand completely still with their feet together

Naughty toes – They should dance around wildly using the space and not bumping into anyone else. (Music can be used if you want to)

This game is all about freedom and expression!

7. Noisy Running!

This is possibly my all-time favorite mindful PE game.

This is best done outside in a large space.

The idea is that the children are going to move and make noises at the same time. The volume of the sound they make will be directly linked to how fast they move.

Start by all humming very faintly, and walking really slowly.

Then try a fast walk, and raise the volume of the sound coming out of everyone’s mouth.

Then try light jogging, with a medium noise – aaaaahh – coming from everyone’s mouth, about the volume of talking.

Keep getting faster and increasing the volume! When you are running at full pelt, you will also be yelling as loud as possible – AHHHHH!

I like to do this activity in a structured way to introduce it and mix up the speeds/volumes for a while.

But then, for a couple of minutes, let the children ‘freestyle’. They choose their speeds and volumes and race around.

This activity is all about mindfulness , and experiencing a sense of freedom and liberation from inhibitions!

8. Floating!

Another mindful PE activity here.

Get the children to stand in a space and close their eyes. Then you are going to help them to visualize that they are transforming into something that floats or flies!

It could be:

Let’s imagine we start with the balloon.

Tell the children to visualize they are slowly changing into a balloon. Their skin is becoming colored rubber. And now someone is blowing them up, and they are getting lighter and lighter, and larger and larger.

Then, tell them they are fully inflated.

The children open their eyes, and now they are going to imagine they are floating like balloons around the space!

Off they go – billowing and wafting in the breeze.

After a couple of minutes, you can try transforming into feathers or eagles.

9.  Be The Teacher

This is a good way for children to start to think about the quality of their movements in PE class.

Work in pairs again. One child should be the teacher. 

Explain that as the teacher, they have to help their pupil make the best quality moves and shapes that they possibly can.

It depends on what kind of moves you are working on, but I like to do this with gym moves.

Try moves like:

• Forward roll
• 360 jump rotation

Ask one child to demonstrate the move, and the other child should help them to make it perfect.

Encourage the children to be kind and helpful. For example, they might say things like:

Tuck your head in a bit more.

Can you straighten your legs even more?

Can you reach up taller?

Ask them to use lots of praise if they spot some good quality movements and make sure they tell their partner what they are doing well.

Don’t forget to swap so that everyone has a go at being the teacher.

10. Make A Shape

Put the children in groups of 4 or 5 and give them the challenge of working as a team to make a shape.

Explain that they can work on the floor, lying down or standing up, as long as the shape is clear.

Begin with the basic shapes of:

circle, triangle, square rectangle

Build up to more difficult shapes like:

stars, hexagons, ovals, rhombus, or octagon

11. Body Letters And Numbers

You can extend this from shapes to letters of the alphabet or numbers.

Simply ask the children to make a letter by working together to get into the shape. This is a good activity for team building as they will have to work together and everybody is needed. 

12. Dance Like No-One’s Watching

Dancing is good for you for so many reasons. It’s a workout for the whole body, it encourages you to keep a beat and keep in time with music, and most of all, it’s fun.

It’s good for the soul, so put some happy upbeat music on and encourage some free dancing.

Clap your hands, wiggle your hips, wave your arms. Have fun!!

13.  Heart Monitors

It’s important for children to know that exercising makes changes to our bodies so that they aren’t frightened by the changes and they understand what is happening to them. 

This is a nice activity to explain those changes so that the children understand that it is perfectly normal.

Count down one minute of any kind of high-intensity exercise, for example:

• Fast running on the spot with high knees 
• Tuck jumps with both feet together
• Pretending to skip on the spot as fast as you can
• Burpees (lay down then jump up)

Really encourage the children to put lots of effort in here.

When the minute is up, encourage the children to put their hands on their hearts and feel it beating.

If they’ve put enough effort in, it should be pounding. Ask them to feel their forehead – it should be at least warm, if not hot and sweaty. 

Notice how fast their breathing is when they stop. They should be out of puff.

With older children, you could ask them to take their own pulse before and after exercising and see how much their pulse rate has increased. 

14. Eight Dance!

This is a great dancing game for kids of all ages.

Put some pumping music on to get everyone going!

Then pick some kind of action or dance move, and everyone does it eight times to the music while also counting at the same time – ‘1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8!’

So, you might do eight star-jumps while counting. Or eight big marches on the spot.

Then shout out a new action, and start that, keeping the counting going throughout.

Some other good dances/actions could be:

• Arms up arms down
• Punch the air with one arm, then the other
• Arms wide, arms across your body
• Walking in place

For the older ones, the emphasis is on the movement. But for younger kids, this is also a great rote counting activity.

15. Animal Copy Cat

One child will be the leader in this game. This is the ‘cat’ that the others will try to copy.

The leader is going to pretend to move like an animal. Everyone else will copy!

For example, they might move like a monkey. They will stoop low, and swing their arms like a monkey. Everyone copies!

After a while, the leader will change the animal. They might pretend to be an elephant!

The trick is for everyone to watch for the transition and try to copy.

The leader can mix things up as quickly or slowly as they like.

16. Animal Freeze!

This is a variation of the animal copycat game above with a bit of music added.

Once again, have a leader that is going to pretend to be different animals that the others copy.

Put on some music, and the kids move around like the animal that the leader is demonstrating.

The adult will pause the music at any given moment. The children must then freeze in their best animal pose! It’s a bit like musical statues at this point. Anyone that moves could be out! (Or you can just play the non-competitive version where everyone gets to carry on each time).

17. Transformers

Wow – transformers are one of the most exciting things on the planet for many kids.

And this game really taps into this enthusiasm.

The kids are all now shape-shifting transformers. They can transform in the blink of an eye into many different types of vehicles, and move around the space like them.

Some good vehicles to try include:

• Train – with ‘chugging’ arms and lots of tooting!
• Helicopter – arms as rotas spinning over your head
• Racing cars – running around as fast as possible!
• Plane – Lots of swooping and soaring
• Monster trucks – Be as big and wide as you can

18. Mr Men/Little Miss Game

The idea of this is that the kids pretend to be some of the characters out of the Mr. Men and Little Miss books.

Some good ones to try include:

Mr. Grumpy – stamp around the room with your angriest face

Mr. Tall – Stretch up and walk as tall as you can

Mr. Bump – Go round bumping into walls and imaginary objects (though not other people)

Little Miss Tiny – Curl up like a tiny weeny ball

Lots of modeling of movements work well for this game – both from the adult and skillful children.

19. Child-Friendly Yoga

I find yoga is most effective with children when they can readily understand that the pose they are doing is mimicking something.

Some great poses that mimic things that children know are:

Household Yoga

In this, the kids mimic everyday actions in the house. It could be sweeping the floor, or washing the pots.

Lie on your front, with your hands flat on the floor next to your face.

Push upwards until your arms are straight, your chest is off the floor, and your back is arched.

This stretches the back and abdomen.

Giraffe Pose

Stand with one foot in front of the other.

Reach up high with both hands (this being the giraffe’s neck.) Then slowly bend down, and touch your leading foot with both hands.

Then slowly return to the original position.

Turtle Pose

Lie on your back. Pull your knees into your chest so that you form a ball shape. Slowly rock backward and forwards.

Your curved back forms the turtle’s ‘shell’.

20. Bean Game

This is one of those all-time classics that I thought I should include on this list.

The children pretend to be types of beans, each of which has its own separate movement.

Model two or three bean movements to start off with, have a practice, and then all play the game. Add more bean movements when the children get more confident.

The adult simply calls out a bean name, and the children move in that way.

The beans and associate movements are:

Sprouting bean  – Walk around on your tip-toes, with your arms stretched as high above you as possible

Baked bean  – Sit down on the floor

Broad bean  – Try to be as wide as possible! Walk around like this

Beans on toast  – Lie down on the floor

Chilli bean  – Shiver! This is a ‘pun’ on the word ‘chilli/chilly’ (obviously!)

Jelly bean  – Wibble and wobble!

Runner bean  – Run around like crazy

French bean  – Say, ‘Bonjour!

When you’ve played a few times, a child could potentially become the leader of this game.

21. Action Stories

This is a really good way of combining storytelling, listening, and action!

The adult makes up a story, and the children act it out.

After you’ve done it a few times, a confident child might well be able to lead this.

You want to have lots of active characters in the story, such as stamping giants, witches on broomsticks, unicorns galloping, and all that kind of thing.

As well as that, it’s good to have lots of action, such as terrible storms blowing, landslides, sinking sand, and all the rest of it.

The kids act all of these things out.

A sample start of a story might go:

‘One day the giant went stamping off through the forest. A terrible wind began to blow. The trees were swaying from side to side. Suddenly a unicorn came galloping into the forest to save the giant…’

I’m sure you get the picture!

22. Traffic Lights

Here’s another absolute classic of the repertoire!

In this, the children will pretend to be cars, and the adult gives different verbal instructions that the cars respond to.

The easiest way to play the game is to have three simple instructions that correspond to the colors of a traffic light:

Green  – Go! Jog around the space

Red  – Stop still

Yellow  – Walk on the spot, ready to go

Start easy, but you can always add more elements to the game when they are ready. Some other verbal cues include:

Honk the horn  – A noisy one, this! Go round tooting!

Roundabout  – Jog around in a narrow circle

Parking Lot (or car-park)  – Lie down on the floor

Freeway  – Run as fast as you can

23. Fox and Chickens

This is a variation of a basic tag game .

The idea is to mix up the game by incorporating a theme that the children are interested in.

So, you could have a fox catching chicken by tagging them. Or one of the following:

• A shark catching fishes
• A bird catching worms
• Or a witch catching children

Anything you think the children will respond to is fine.

24. HIIT Session

Here is a simple idea, that is great for fitness for all ages.

You have a structured sequence of activities that you perform together. Spend about thirty seconds on each movement, with a fifteen-second break.

Some simple moves include:

• Reach up, reach down
• Jumping like a frog
• Jumping in place
• Reach to one side, reach to other

For older or more skillful children, you can try some of these:

You can do one round of the activities or even two or three reps!

25. Simon Says Active Version

Of course, you all know the basic idea of Simon Says .

But it works really well in PE sessions if you make the moves super-active!

So, rather than ‘Simon says touch your nose’ kind of instructions, you want to think more along the lines of ‘Simon says crawl like snakes across the floor!’

Some other good examples might be:

‘Simon says wade through the muddy swamp.’

‘Simon says climb the rope ladder.’

‘Simon says run like a cheetah on all fours!’

26. Captain’s Coming

This is another game that is donkey’s old, but children love it generation after generation.

All the kids pretend to be on a boat. The adult gives orders to the ‘crew’.

These include:

Scrub the deck  – Get on hands and knees and start scrubbing the floor!

Swim to shore  – Use a powerful front crawl to move around the space

Into the hammock  – Lie down on the floor

Lift the cannonballs  – Lift up those super heavy cannonballs, and load them into the cannon!

Row the boat  – Row!

Captain’s coming  – Salute!

27.Melting Moments

This is a visualization and mindfulness game that is great as a warm-down.

The children are going to be imagining that they are something that melts. For example, they could be:

-A chocolate bar

-An ice-cube

Let’s imagine we go for ‘snowman’. Tell the children to stand in a space and then close their eyes.

Tell them to imagine that they are transforming into a snowman. They can feel their freezing cold body, their carrot nose, and coal for their eyes.

But now the hot sun has come out. You can feel the warmth on your face!

Feel how the snow is melting your body. Water is starting to drip down the snowman.

Imagine you are shrinking! You are getting lower to the ground! And finally, you are a steaming puddle lying on the floor.

(Ask the children to lie down and imagine this!)

28. Figures Of Eight

This is a good game to use as a warm-down.

The basic idea is that the kids stand in a space, and they are going to form a large figure 8 in the air with different parts of their bodies.

Start with their finger, but then move on to using their:

Warming Up And Cooling Down

To warm-up before PE Class or a fun activity at home, I like to play some music with a good steady beat and perform some repetitive actions for the children to copy. I make sure I warm up my arms, shoulders, feet, legs, hips, and neck. 

To cool down after PE games, try some nice long stretches for all the different body parts. I always like to finish a cool-down with some big deep breaths. Scoop up some air, stretch up and hold it above your head and then blow it away as you release your arms back down to your sides. 

Not Just Good For Physical Learning

One of the biggest benefits of daily physical activity is that children’s behavior improves as well as their overall confidence and independence. Check out this study on tracking of physical activity into into adulhood for more information on the benefits of PE Games .

Now that’s something worth trying for.

Good luck if you try out any of these fun PE games!

S&S Blog

Force and Action Stations – Grades K-2 PE Activity

My name is Ryan Regan and I am excited to share with you what our Wellness Team designed for Force In Action stations for our K-2 students. We were approached by our Kindergarten team asking us to help them with their Science Unit on Force in action. We thought it would be a great connection to help support key vocabulary words and some fun activities too! 

Grade Level:  K-2; as with any activity, variations can be made to suit other grade levels

Skills:  Teamwork & communication skills, pushing and pulling

• 1 scooter per student, 1 poly spot
• 1 scooter , poly spot & long jump rope per group 
• 3 scooters , 3 milk crates, various weights (we used dumbbells ), 3 poly spots  
• 1 scooter , 1 jump rope , 5 cones per group

For this activity we divided our space into 4 station areas. We decided to have 2 pulling and 2 pushing stations to give students plenty of practice and also plenty of space to practice those skills. We started each class with the introduction of the vocabulary words/concepts and a demonstration of each station. We then divided the class into 4 groups and gave each station about 4-5 minutes for valuable practice repetitions.

Our Ks had so much fun with our force and action stations today. Who doesn't like pushing and pulling a scooter, right?! #physed #crosscurricular #lb65 #kindergartenfun pic.twitter.com/1wWRBKKUkQ — Ryan Regan (@MrRLBES) December 5, 2019

Guiding Questions for Introduction and Closing of Each Class

What is a force? (A push or a pull)

How do forces change the motion of an object?

How can you change the speed of an object?

How can you change the direction of an object?

Station 1: Wall Push – Students would sit on their scooter with the poly spot either in their lap or sitting on it.  They then would push off the wall with both feet and mark their distance with the poly spot.  They would repeat trying to push farther.

Station 2: Partner Pull – 1 student is standing on a poly spot holding the long jump rope.  The 2nd student is sitting criss-cross on a scooter holding the other end of the long jump rope.  Student 1 pulls 2nd student all the way to them.  Switch positions.

Station 3: Scooter Push – Students try to push scooters with various weights in a milk crate and try to have them stop at a poly spot.  Choose another scooter.

Station 4: Partner Pull Around Cones – Pull your partner on a scooter, using a jump rope, around each cone in the line.  Use enough force so that your partner does not touch a cone and stays on the scooter. After one lap, switch jobs with your partner.

Student Reaction

The students really enjoyed these stations! They loved pushing and pulling their friends and trying the different scooter challenges.  These stations made it very easy for them to practice the concepts of force, like a bigger push or pull makes things go faster. 

Ryan Regan is in his 21st year of teaching K-5 Wellness at Lake Bluff Elementary School in Lake Bluff, IL.  He graduated from Northern Illinois University with his Bachelor and Master degrees. Ryan loves to learn new creative ways to present engaging lessons to his students. He gets many of these ideas from other PE teachers on Twitter, chat groups, websites, and YouTube channels. Twitter: @ MrRLBES

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Statements that describe what students are expected to learn and learning targets written in student friendly “I can” statements.

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Short phrases identify key concepts students should know as they engage in the activity and instructional hints from SPARK PE specialists who have instructed the activity before.

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A progression of extensions that add more activities and provide different challenges.

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Shows lesson’s alignment with CASEL’s SEL competencies and related social skills.

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Different levels of questioning allow teachers to assess knowledge and understanding, address social emotional learning concepts, and provide opportunities for self assessment.

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Indicates SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards and Grade-Span Learning Indicators.

PREP, SET, TEACH Format

Lists equipment/materials needed, describes set-up prior to instruction, and includes ready-to-read activity description that states objectives, instructions, and directions.

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JUNE 2023: SPARK is celebrating 34 years - Evidence. Innovation. Impact. Thanks to all past, present, & future SPARK customers, partners, & funders for positively impacting so many students, youth and children worldwide! #physed #afterschool #ECE #activeclassroom #earlychilhdood pic.twitter.com/8lnL2SFe54

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Join @JeffMushkin SPARK Content Development Director TONIGHT for our SPARK June Webinar: Units to Invigorate Your PE Program - New SPARK K-12 Activities There is still time to register here: bit.ly/3TrwoLH?utm_so… #physed pic.twitter.com/SwmmjMyOzp

Make sure to stop by the SPARK booth at #KYSHAPE23 conference - chance to win an iPad! Plus, don't miss our presentation today at 1:45pm: Prep - Set & Thrive with SPARK PE Strategies, Activities, and More! (secondary focused) #physed @KY_SHAPE pic.twitter.com/VVgjH3ptP1

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Ready-to-Use Physical Education Activities for Grades K-2 1st Edition

• ISBN-10 013673054X
• ISBN-13 978-0136730545
• Edition 1st
• Publisher Prentice Hall
• Publication date October 30, 1992
• Language English
• Dimensions 8.5 x 0.67 x 10.81 inches
• Print length 272 pages
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Practical, proven lesson plans written and submitted by real teachers and approved by our expert editorial team! -->	Helpful online courses and information for the physical education teacher who wants to continue to develop and grow!
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	( ) What's New Lesson Ideas Newsletter Site Updated: 6-11-15 Great PE Ideas! Superstars of PE PE Job Center (Job Openings, Sample Interview Questions, Portfolio Guidelines Inspirational Video! Cerebral Palsy Run--Matt Woodrum Cheered on by PE Teacher, Family and Classmates New Blog! Physical Educators \96 You Are Making a Difference! Physical Education teachers are truly amazing! I have believed this ever since I become one back in 1986 and I was reminded of how truly special they are the other day while reviewing 236 responses to a survey that S&S conducted on PE Central. Question number 21 of the survey reads, \93What gets you most excited about your physical education job?\94 Continue to read full blog post During the past three years, over 250 edcamp events have popped up worldwide. Teachers from every corner of the globe have been organizing open opportunities for educators to collaborate and solve problems. Edcamps are: This is the first time that one is being organized specifically for Physical Education professionals. Be a part of history this year at the National PE Institute and continue learning at PHYSedcamp. For registration information, . Use LOG IT To Keep Kids Active Over the Summer We have searched our site and found some fun things to encourage your kids to become physically active over the summer. Check out some of our cool summer bulletin boards and for a great professional development conference we highly recommend the National PE Institute July 27-29 in Asheville, NC. LOG IT --walk virtually around the USA. Sign your kids up before they leave school! Log It is a Step Towards Fitness (Education World Article) Best Practices: Leadership and Summer Fitness through "Charity Miles" Bulletin Boards: Countdown to Summer Hanging Out This Summer Summer Plans (3-5) (3-5) (6-8) (6-8) (6-12) (3-5) (3-5) (K-2) (4-5) (6-8) New! Dancing with Math Dance Idea of the Month | More New Ideas FREE Top 10 Field Day Activities eBook Enter $2,500 Giveaway Contest for a chance to win the "Field Day of Your Dreams!" 25% off Field Day equipment! Offer code E4213. (Expires 4/30/15) Field Day just got easier! We have worked with our partner S&S Discount Sports to come up with the ultimate "Top 10 Field Day Activities" FREE eBook . You can enter their $2,500 Giveaway contest for a chance to win the "Field Day of Your Dreams!" Check it out! Congrats to Nicki Newman Case and her Student! Last week, physical education teacher Nicki Newman Case, got her Kids Quote of the Week published. She sent us the picture (below) of the young man who was responsible for the quote! By getting the quote published on PE Central, she has earned a $50 eGift card from our sponsor, S&S Worldwide! Here is her Facebook post on PEC. Thanks for sharing Nicki and congrats to both of you! Nicki Newman Case, PEC Facebook Post " I wanted to thank PE Central for sending me an email that said I won $50 for a published kid quote. I am going to let the kid who wrote the Valentine help me pick out what he wants from the S&S catalog to use in our gym. I am also going to buy him the "I got Published" t-shirt. THANK YOU! I presented the winner of the Kids Quote of the Week with his T-shirt this morning at assembly! He LOVED it! " Take the PE Central Survey! Complete and enter to win a $250 S&S Worldwide eGift Card Stay Connected with PE Central Join the PE Central Facebook Page | Follow PE Central on Twitter so we can better meet your needs as a physical education teacher. You will be entered into a drawing for a $250 S&S Worldwide eGift Card! Thank you for your thoughts and insights. Physical Education Hall of Shame In this section, we present the . These are activities and practices that are seen as developmentally inappropriate to use in PE class. Check out the latest journal article of this in . * Dodgeball * Red Rover * Line Soccer * Students on Display * One line, one ball, one chance * New Dances Waltzing Line Dance (with video) Shake It Senora Dance (with video) McDowell County, WV Happy Dance Holiday Bulletin Boards | Holiday Lesson Ideas | What's New on PEC New! Unedited Full Length Video Lessons New! Valentine's Day Physical Education T-Shirts Order them now! They are awesome! Share the Cooperative Fitness Challenges! 6 Free Fitness Station Activities Dance Lesson Ideas of the Month! Enter for a Chance to Win $100! Are you teaching The First Tee National School Program in your school? What's working at your school? Send in your best practices and lesson plan ideas for the National School Program. Your roles as physical educators and leaders is vitally important to making a difference in a child\92s life. That\92s why we want to do our part in supporting you and share the great work you are doing. Click here to learn more Want to bring The First Tee National School Program to your elementary school? To learn more go here New! Physical Education Report Cards New! Pink PE Women's V-Neck Tee Register for the Cooperative Fitness and Skill Challenges Featured Article: Using PE Central's \91LOG IT\92 as a Step Toward Fitness (Great way to track summer physical activity-- Log It ) Field Day Ideas and Bulletin Boards (Choose FD in Category) New Teaching Videos Content is King: High School Circuits Lesson Highlights (9-12) Content is King: Food Pond Common Core Lesson Highlights (4th) Content is King: 4 x 4 fitness Lesson Highlights (5th) Basketball Dribbling Full Elementary Lesson Featured Product! Elements of Dance Poster Set Workbook, Flashcard Set, Value Pack Great APPs for PE Teachers 61 Essential Apps for PE Teachers Book Winter Olympic Ideas and Bulletin Boards 20% Off Adapted PE Products Featured Holiday Bulletin Boards New Boards | View All Boards | Board of the Week | Submit a Board School Funding Center Find grants for your school and program! Get Ready for Halloween! / (with video) Featured Halloween Bulletin Board Don't Let Fitness Testing Spook You! New Product Section: eBooks (PDF Downloads) Adapted PE Desk Reference eBook NEW! Dance Lesson Idea of the Month: Team Building and Rhythms Dance (w/ Video) Submit Your Ideas Now Published Ideas Earn a $50.00 eGift Card from S&S Worldwide Sale! Save 20% on Most of Our Products! $3.00 Flat Rate Shipping Rate on ALL Orders New eBOOKS! TEPE Books: Fitness, PreK, Assessment, PE Homework Great Back to School Lesson Idea and Product! Behavior Self Check Lesson Idea and Poster Set This Class Management Lesson idea, featuring 3 vinyl posters should help physical educators when students get a little bit off-task. View the entire lesson idea . Purchase Poster Set Looking for a great K-5 PE Curriculum? You Found It! is a standards based developmentally appropriate elementary physical education curriculum guide. The curriculum is developed around the content areas of locomotion, body management, educational games, and dance. There are over developed by grade level. Each motor task has the following sections to assist the teachers in developing the physical education content: planning information, rubric, summative assessment, learning sequence, teacher cues, formative assessment, and a section for cognitive, affective and physical activity objectives. The goal of Moving to Success is to develop physical literacy. Students who are physically literate have the skills, knowledge, and values of how and why to lead a physically active lifestyle. . Featured Classroom Management Lesson Idea: Behavior Self-Check Lesson (w/posters) Check Out Our PE T-shirts Happy Thanksgiving! Featured Thanksgiving Bulletin Boards Featured Bulletin Boards ( View All Boards ) (2-5) (3-5) (4-5) (K-2) (6-8) (9-12) (K) (9-12) (5) (3-5) Lesson/Assessments, Jobs, More... PreK-12 PE & Health, , , ... , (rubrics)... PE, Health, Holiday, ... Special event ideas, ... , , , ... , , ... , ... Kids Quote of the Week, Bulletin Board of the Week, Dance Idea of the Month... Books, DVD's, Music, , ... , ... , , ... , , ... , ... , , ... ... PE Articles, ... , , ... , ...     PE Central Copyright 1996-2020 All Rights Reserved PE Central 2516 Blossom Trl W Blacksburg, VA 24060 E-mail : [email protected] Phone : 540-953-1043 Fax : 540-301-0112 Copyright 1996-2016 PE Central® www.pecentral.org All Rights Reserved Web Debut : 08/26/1996 Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and receive physical education lesson ideas, assessment tips and more! Your browser does not support iframes. No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in physical education. Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript. View all journals Explore content About the journal Publish with us Sign up for alerts Open access Published: 21 June 2024 Effects of different types of exercise intensity on improving health-related physical fitness in children and adolescents: a systematic review Xianxian Zhou 1 , Jiayu Li 1 & Xiaoping Jiang 1   Scientific Reports volume  14 , Article number:  14301 ( 2024 ) Cite this article 553 Accesses Metrics details Health services Public health A substantial body of empirical evidence reveals that physical activity is associated with a wide range of positive physical and mental health outcomes. However, an absence of comprehensive syntheses is observed concerning the varying effects of different exercise intensities on the improvement of physical health among children and adolescents. The aim of this review is to systematically investigate the effects of different exercise intensities on the physical fitness of children and adolescents, to analyses the optimal exercise intensities for improving physical fitness, and to provide a relevant theoretical basis for optimizing school physical education curricula. A systematic search strategy was used in this study in four online databases (PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO and Web of Science). Intervention studies that met the inclusion criteria underwent a thorough screening process, and their methodological quality was assessed utilizing the PEDro scale. The selected literature was systematically analyzed and evaluated through induction, summary, analysis, and evaluation. These findings indicate that high-intensity exercise training exerts significant positive effects on body composition, cardiopulmonary function and muscle fitness in children and adolescents. Therefore, we suggest that schools should focus on high-intensity sports in their physical education curriculum, which can further improve the student's PHYSICAL FITNESS. Similar content being viewed by others Want to be fit? Start with your mind! The role of the placebo effect in physical fitness in children: a preliminary systematic review and meta-analysis Effects of plyometric training on health-related physical fitness in untrained participants: a systematic review and meta-analysis A 10-week play-based after-school program to improve coordinative abilities and physical fitness capabilities among adolescents: a randomized trial Introduction. Overweight and obesity in children and adolescents have become a global public health problem 1 . The prevalence of obesity in children and adolescents has been reported to have increased from 0.7% to 5.6% 2 . The persistence of overweight and obesity into adulthood has the potential to lead to chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiometabolic disorders, and a range of psychosocial problems 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , Numerous studies have shown that physical activity is one of the most important interventions to reduce physical health and psychological problems in adolescents 7 , 8 , 9 . WHO recommends that children and adolescents should engage in an average of 60 min of moderate to high-intensity physical activity (MVPA) per day to obtain health benefits 10 , however, more than 80%of adolescents fail to reach the minimum recommended amount of physical activity 11 . Given that adolescents have difficulty starting and following recommended guidelines for 30–60 min of moderate-intensity training per day 12 , 13 , there is a need to explore and develop engaging alternatives for youth to achieve the many health benefits of regular physical activity. Traditionally, moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) has been the most common type of exercise recommended to improve body composition and cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) 14 , 15 . However, in recent years, a growing body of laboratory evidence has shown that high-intensity exercise training is less time-consuming than MICT in improving body composition and other health indicators in obese children and adolescents 16 , 17 , 18 . Whether high-intensity or low-intensity exercise training is more beneficial to the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents is still highly debated. Therefore, there is a need to further explore differences in the effectiveness of different exercise intensity interventions in improving PHYSICAL FITNESS in children and adolescents. PHYSICAL FITNESS is a multidimensional state of being. PHYSICAL FITNESS is the body’s ability to function efficiently and effectively. It is a state of being that consists of at least FIVE HEALTH-RELATED and SIX SKILL-RELATED PHYSICAL FITNESS COMPONENTS, each of which contributes to total quality of life. The five components of health-related PHYSICAL FITNESS are BODY COMPOSITION, CARDIOVASCULAR FITNESS, FLEXIBILITY, MUSCULAR ENDURANCE, AND STRENGTH 19 . A recent narrative and meta-analysis of 20 studies evaluated the efficacy of HIIT for improving HEALTH-RELATED FITNESS (ie, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, body composition and flexibility). The results indicated significant improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition through HIIT, with notable effects observed in these areas 13 . Previous meta-analyses have weakened the interpretation of findings due to small sample sizes. Furthermore, there is less research on exercise interventions to treat PHYSICAL FITNESS in children and adolescents than in adults, particularly in terms of exploring exercise-related variables (intensity and duration). Therefore, this systematic review aims to systematically summarized the effects of different exercise intensities on health-related fitness in children and adolescents and to analyze which exercise intensity is more conducive to improving health-related fitness in children and adolescents. This review was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines 20 , and the Cochrane Handbook for systematic review 21 . The PRISMA checklist is presented in Additional File 1. Search strategy A comprehensive search was done systematically through PubMed, Scopus, EBSCO, and Web of Science up to the 5 of June 2024. Searching terms were based on adapted PICO questions to search through the aforementioned databases to access all the important articles. Free text words and medical subject heading (MeSH) terms were used. (1) children OR childhood OR pre*schooler OR schoolchildren OR preadolescent OR adolescent OR adolescence OR youth;(2) physical*activity OR physical*education OR exercise OR fitness OR sport;(3) strength OR flexibility OR motor OR endurance OR agility OR body composition OR anthropometry OR body mass index OR waist circumference OR overall adiposity OR central adiposity OR overweight OR obesity OR risk factors OR risk score cardiovascular disease OR metabolic syndrome OR blood glucose OR glucose tolerance OR insulin resistance OR insulin sensitivity OR blood lipids OR dyslipidemia OR diabetes OR blood pressure OR hypertension OR inflammatory markers OR bone mineral OR bone mineral content;(4) random OR random*controlled trial OR controlled trial OR trial. (The search strategy used for each database is provided in the supplementary material (table S2). At the same time, the reference lists of included articles and relevant reviews were retrospectively included to supplement the missing literature in the computer search. The systematic search process was conducted by XXZ and JYL. Any disagreement of an included/excluded study was resolved by the author PXJ. Eligibility criteria of the selected studies The inclusion criteria for articles were determined using the PICOS (Participants/Interventions/Comparisons/Outcomes/Study Design) principles, as follows. Participants (P): Children and adolescents (individuals in the 10–19 year age group 22 , including samples of overweight/obese children, but excluding samples of children with medical conditions); Interventions (I):interventions in the form of exercise, High-intensity aerobic exercise, Low-intensity aerobic training (LIT), Endurance training (ET), High-intensity interval exercise (HIIE), Moderate-intensity exercise (MIE),HIIT, moderate-intensity continuous (MICT); Comparisons (C): control group performed low to moderate intensity physical activity or no artificially designed physical exercise; Outcomes (O): assessment of at least one of the following indicators (i.e., body composition, cardiorespiratory fitness, muscular fitness, strength, flexibility, motor, endurance, agility, body composition, anthropometry, body mass index, waist circumference, overall adiposity , central adiposity , overweight , obesity ,risk factors , risk score cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, blood glucose, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, insulin sensitivity, blood lipids, dyslipidemia, diabetes, blood pressure, hypertension, inflammatory markers, bone mineral, bone mineral content); Study Design (S): controlled trial. Exclusion criteria: (1) studies not related to the topic (non-physical activity, physical activity); (2) non-intervention studies (observational studies, systematic reviews) and studies that did not provide sufficient comparisons to compare; (3) Exclude other age groups other than 3–19 years old. The title, abstract and full text were independently assessed by two authors for eligibility. Finally, randomized controlled trials were limited to articles published in English. Data extraction Data extraction from the included studies was independently performed by two authors (XXZ and JYL). For each study, data were extracted for the characteristics of the study population. These include (1) first author’s surname; (2) year of publication; (3) purpose; (4) results; (5) the characteristics, sample size and age of the participants; (6) sampling type; (7) type of research; (8) Characteristics of physical exercise (type, frequency and duration). Any disagreement in data extraction was resolved by the third author PXJ (Table 1 ). Quality assessment Papers that met the inclusion criteria were independently assessed by two authors (XXZ and JYL). This review assessed the included literature using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) scale, a credit rating scale developed by the Australian Centre for Evidence-Based Practice. The PEDro scale is a valid measure of the methodological quality of clinical trial 23 . The scale consisted of randomized grouping (2 items), blinding (3 item), data reporting (3 item), data analysis (1 item), and follow-up (1 item), with a total of 10 criteria. Each item was recorded as 1 point when it appeared in the article and 0 points when it was not reflected, for a total score of 0 to 10 points. To avoid subjective opinions, two reviewers assessed the opinions, and the third judged the differences. It classifies papers into three levels: high quality above 8, medium quality 4–7, and low quality below 4 points. Disagreements were solved by a third party (PXJ) (Table 2 ). Data synthesis and analysis Due to the heterogeneity of the studies, no meta-analysis was performed. Instead, intervention characteristics for each study were summarized and analyzed and then recorded in a standardized form created by the authors. The effectiveness of the intervention was calculated using the formula: number of effective trials (post-intervention scores significantly higher than pre-intervention or control scores)/total number of trials. Data analysis was performed by the first author XXZ and then validated by the second author JYL. Literature screening process and results A preliminary search of the database yielded 10,030 relevant studies. We first imported the documents into the document management software Endnote, and after removing duplicate documents and screening titles and abstracts, we excluded 9990 articles. Of the remaining 40 articles, 30 articles were obtained after screening and checking the full text, and the irrelevant articles were eliminated. The reasons for the exclusion based on the full text were: (1) no intervention studies (3 articles); (2) The age does not meet (3 articles); (3) non-full text (2 articles); (4) non-English articles (2 articles). The PRISMA flowchart is shown in Fig.  1 . Flow chart of literature retrieval. The systematic search of relevant literature published as of 5 June 2024 found 30 relevant articles, the earliest of which was published in 1999. The study included 30 related papers from the United States, Canada, Brazil, Denmark, Spain, China, Australia, the United Kingdom, Singapore, France, Portugal, Colombia, and Switzerland. Study characteristics were summarized in Table 1 , and the final analysis included 6494 children and adolescents with participants ranging in age from 5 to 18 years, with most studies including healthy children and adolescents, but nine studies including overweight or obese children. Study sizes ranged from 10 to 2166. Physical activity interventions mainly included HIIT (8/30; 27%), aerobic training (5/30; 17%), resistance training (2/30; 7%), physical education (1/30; 3%), endurance training (1/30; 3%), acute exercise (1/30; 3%) and other interventions. Outcome measures: body mass index, waist circumference, body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness, and muscle fitness (muscular endurance, muscle strength and muscular flexibility). Quality scores for 30 studies are shown in Table 2 . The studies ranged in their scores from 3 to 10. Only two studies achieved high-quality scores (≥ 8) (Table 2 ). One study scored below 4. Blinding techniques ranged from 0 to 3 in this study, with only one study scoring 3 and four scoring 1; Fifteen studies scored 0. Effects of different exercise intensity on BODY COMPOSITION in children and adolescents A total of 11 studies in this study assessed the effects of different exercise intensities on body composition (weight, BMI, body fat, waist circumference, fat-free mass, and other relevant indicators), of which 9 showed that high-intensity exercise interventions had a positive effect on overweight or obese children and adolescents, but 2 had no positive effect. Weight, BMI and body fat A total of 8 of the 11 studies assessed changes in body weight, BMI, adiposity, or percentage of body fat measured. Six of the eight studies, reported positive effects of high-intensity exercise interventions on body weight, BMI, or body fat in overweight and obese child adolescents. However, 2 studies showed moderate or no positive effects of high-intensity exercise interventions on BMI, and body fat in overweight or obese children and adolescents. Tadiotto et al. conducted a 12-week HIIT and MIIT intervention study and found significant reductions in (body mass index) BMI-z, (waist-to-height ratio) WHtR, and LDL-c in HIIT 28 . Benson et al. compared the effects of high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) on body composition in obese children and showed that an 8-week PRT intervention resulted in significant improvements in adiposity, percentage body fat, and body mass index 34 . Recent findings have shown that after 12 weeks of HIIT and MICT interventions, there was a significant reduction in BMI and body fat mass in the HIIT group compared to the control group, as well as a significant reduction in visceral adipose tissue (− 53 g vs. − 17 g, p  < 0.01), LDL cholesterol was reduced only in the HIIT group, whereas in MICT only the body fat percentage was significantly reduced (− 17.2%, p  < 0.05) 31 . In addition, Winn et al. compared the effects of HIIT on adolescents over a 6-month period and showed that after a 6-month school HIIT intervention, BMI was maintained in the HIIT group and significantly increased in the control group, and that HIIT was an effective tool for maintaining BMI 47 . In a study assessing the effect of different exercise intensities on energy expenditure for spontaneous physical activity in adolescents, Paravidino et al. found that the mean energy expenditure was 82, 286 and 343 kcal in the control, moderate and vigorous exercise groups, respectively ( p  < 0.001), and the results suggest that high intensities are more conducive to an increase in energy expenditure, and thus to weight loss 27 . Saidi et al. studied the effect of vigorous exercise on subsequent dietary intake in obese adolescent girls and showed a significant reduction in adiposity in the exercise group compared to the control group ( p  < 0.02) 45 . In the present study, 2 studies reported no significant effects of different intensities of exercise on body composition in overweight or obese children and adolescents. Gomes et al. compared the effects of different aerobic training intensities over a period of 12 on the body composition of obese adolescents, and showed a decrease in body weight, BMI, and body fat in both the intervention and control groups after a 12-week intervention ( p  < 0.001), but these results could not be attributed solely to aerobic training intensity due to the multidisciplinary intervention 40 . In another study, Costigan et al. conducted an 8-week study of aerobic training (AEP) and resistance and aerobic programming (RAP) with 68 secondary school students, and the results showed a moderate effect of the BMI intervention for participants in the AEP and RAP groups. It may be related to the small sample size 43 . Waist circumference Three randomized controlled trials assessed changes in waist circumference and all found beneficial effects. (Insert literature), a study conducted by Farah et al., showed that after 6 months of high-intensity aerobic training (HIT) and low-intensity aerobic training (LIT), significant beneficial changes in waist circumference were found only in the HIT group 24 . Benson et al. investigated the effects of 8 weeks of high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) on body composition in obese children and compared the effects between the experimental and control groups, showing that significant changes in waist circumference were obtained in the intervention group after 8 weeks of PRT training 34 . Costigan et al. conducted an 8-week study of aerobic training (AEP), resistance and aerobic programming (RAP) with 68 secondary school students and showed that participants in the AEP and RAP groups had significant changes in waist circumference ( p  = 0.024) 43 . Fat-free mass Only 1 study evaluated the effect of different exercise intensities on fat-free mass. Leppanen et al. investigated the effect of physical activity intensity and sedentary behaviours (ST) on body composition in 4 years old children. The results showed that the higher the intensity of moderate-to-vigorous exercise, the lower the percentage of fat (%FM, p  = 0.015), the VPA (high intensity) and MVPA (moderate-to-vigorous exercise intensity) the higher the fat-free mass index (FFMI, p  = 0.002 and p  = 0.011) Time spent on VPA was associated with higher FFMI 38 . Effects of different exercise intensities on CARDIOPULMONARY FUNCTION (CRF) in children and adolescents A total of 16 studies investigated the effects of different exercise intensity interventions on cardiorespiratory fitness, and positive effects were found in all studies. In general, cardiorespiratory fitness improved with high-intensity exercise interventions. The included studies assessed vascularity, heart rate, lipids, insulin sensitivity, inflammatory markers, diabetes, and other relevant indicators. Blood vessels A total of 4 out of 16 studies investigated the effects of exercise intensity interventions on blood vessels in children and adolescents. Four studies demonstrated that high-intensity training interventions had a positive effect on blood vessels. Bond et al. investigated the effect of exercise intensity on protecting the vascular system from high-fat diets in adolescents study by intervening with high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE) and moderate-intensity exercise (MIE) in 20 adolescents, and showed that exercise intensity plays an important role in protecting the vascular system from the deleterious effects of HFM, and that in the adolescent population, performing HIIE may be more effective than MIE in Provides better vascular benefits 26 . In a study examining the effects of sprint interval exercise on post-exercise metabolism and blood pressure in adolescents, it was shown that acute sprint interval exercise leads to an increase in short-term oxygen uptake and a decrease in blood pressure in adolescents 37 . Farpour-Lambert et al. investigated the effect of physical activity on systemic blood pressure in adolescent obese children, and after a 3-month intervention, significant changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure were obtained in the intervention group compared to the control group 51 . Buchan et al. investigated whether a high-intensity training (HIT) intervention could improve the CVD risk profile of adolescents in a time-effective manner, and after a 7-week HIT intervention, a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure was obtained in the intervention group compared to the control group 41 . Insulin sensitivity Of the 16 studies, only 2 randomized controlled trials assessed the effect of exercise intensity on insulin sensitivity. Only one study showed that a high-intensity exercise intervention could have a positive effect on insulin sensitivity. In the first randomized controlled trial, the Davis study found that after the intervention, the high-dose aerobic training group had a greater reduction in insulin (AUC), which could be effective in reducing metabolic risk 36 . However, in another randomized trial of 106 overweight and obese adolescents who underwent high-intensity endurance training (ET) and moderate-intensity (ET) for 6 months, the results showed that ET significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness in obese adolescents, but the effect of exercise intensity on insulin sensitivity and triglycerides remained unclear due to lack of compliance 25 . Inflammation A total of 3 out of 16 studies assessed the effect of exercise intensity interventions on inflammation, with only 2 showing a positive effect of high-intensity exercise interventions on the prevention of inflammation. The results of the study by Ramirez-Velez et al. suggest the utility of high-intensity aerobic and resistance training as a means of modulating the levels of certain pro-inflammatory interleukins in adolescent subjects, thereby playing an important role in the prevention of diseases associated with low-grade inflammation, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes 30 . A study by Tadiotto et al. found that C-reactive protein (CRP) was significantly reduced in the HIIT group, promoting beneficial changes in obesity and inflammatory processes 28 . However, in a study conducted by Buchan et al. with 89 adolescent students to assess whether the HIIT intervention could improve the cardiovascular disease risk profile of secondary school students in a time-effective manner, after a 7-week intervention, the results showed no significant differences between groups for any of the nine biochemical risk markers for cardiovascular disease, but significantly improved cardiorespiratory fitness 41 . Two of the 16 studies showed that high-intensity exercise interventions had a positive effect on heart rate. In one study examining the effect of exercise intensity on blood pressure and heart rate in obese adolescents, after a 6-month period of HIT and LIT, beneficial changes in HR and HRV occurred only in the HIT group 24 . In a randomized controlled trial, Ketelhut et al. assessed the effect of implementing school-specific HIIT in a physical education curriculum on various hemodynamics parameters and heart rate variability, and after a 12-week intervention, the results showed that significant changes in heart rate were obtained in the intervention group ( p  = 0.010) 52 . In addition, five other studies have all demonstrated the beneficial effects of high-intensity exercise interventions on cardiorespiratory fitness. Grasten et al. examined the effects of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and ST with cardiorespiratory fitness in schoolchildren from 2017 to 2020, assessing accelerometer based MVPA by using waist-worn activity monitors and CRFs at four measurement points using the 20-m shuttle run test and ST, which showed a positive correlation between MVPA and CRF, and a negative correlation between ST and CRF 42 . Taber et al. conducted a moderate and vigorous exercise intervention with 1,029 eighth-grade girls and measured cardiorespiratory fitness using the Modified Physical Exercise Capacity Test (MPCT), which showed that vigorous exercise was positively associated with cardiorespiratory fitness 35 . Dias et al. showed that after 12 weeks of HIIT and MICT interventions, the HIIT group had a significant increase in relative peak VO2 compared to MICT, which was very effective in improving cardiorespiratory fitness 32 . Both studies by Gerber et al. and Leppanen et al. showed that higher levels of MVPA were associated with higher CRF scores 39 . Effects of different exercise intensities on FLEXIBILITY in children and adolescents Only two studies assessed changes in flexibility and no effects were found. The first study, conducted by Buchan et al., showed that after a 7-week period of high-intensity interval exercise, the intervention group showed an increase in vertical performance, and 10-m sprint speed ( p  <  = 0.05), while the control group showed a significant decrease in both flexibility and vertical performance 41 . The most recent study, conducted by Juric et al. investigated the effects of a HIIT intervention lasting 12 weeks on balance, coordination, speed, flexibility, strength, and agility in 10- to 15-year-old students, and showed no significant effects. This may be because short-term HIIT interventions of only two 10-min sessions per week do not provide sufficient stimulation for fitness (muscular strength, muscular endurance, power, speed, flexibility, and balance) enhancement 50 . Effects of different exercise intensities on MUSCLE FITNESS in children and adolescents Five studies assessed changes in muscle fitness, and four showed that high-intensity exercise interventions had a positive impact on muscle fitness in children and adolescents. Larsen et al. explored whether the musculoskeletal fitness of 8–10 year old schoolchildren is affected by frequent high-intensity physical education classes, and showed that after a 10-month intervention of varying intensities, the intervention group had higher scores for changes in bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (aBMD) change scores were higher, suggesting that well organized high-intensity physical education sessions can promote the development of musculoskeletal fitness in young children 29 . A study of the effects of different resistance training programs on the development of muscular strength and endurance in children found a significant increase in leg extension muscular endurance with low repetition-heavy loads and high repetition-heavy loads, with high repetition-medium loads being significantly greater than low repetition-heavy loads training, and in the chest press exercise only the high repetition-medium loads exercise group had significantly greater muscular strength and muscular endurance than the control group 33 . Benson et al. found that an 8-week PRT (two sets of high-intensity exercises targeting major muscle groups) intervention resulted in significant increases in upper body strength and lower body strength compared to a control group 34 . Leppanen et al. investigated the effect of physical activity intensity on PHYSICAL FITNESS in children by using the PREFIT PHYSICAL FITNESS test to measure PHYSICAL FITNESS (that is, cardiorespiratory fitness, lower and upper body muscular strength and motor fitness), and the results showed that replacing sedentary, low- or moderate-intensity exercise with 5 min of high-intensity exercise per day promoted an increase in muscle strength 38 . However, Videira-Silva et al. showed no significant improvement in muscular endurance in participants in the 12-week HIIT group 49 . That's because the study, which only had two 10-min short-term high-intensity interval exercise sessions per week, failed to provide enough stimulation for fitness enhancement. Therefore, long-term, high-intensity training may be necessary to effectively improve muscle fitness in children and adolescents. This review aimed to summarize the effects of physical activity of different exercise intensities on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents. The analysis included 30 interventional studies from 15 countries. 30 studies were assessed as above average, with good reason to believe that different exercise intensities had different effects on PHYSICAL FITNESS in children and adolescents. Based on strict restrictions on the nature of the intervention included in the studies, the studies included in the study span the years 1999 to 2024 (Table 1 ). It can be guessed that since 1999, researchers have gradually found differences in improving the PHYSICAL FITNESS of adolescents with different exercise intensities. In addition, from the perspective of regions and countries where the literature is published, relevant research is mainly concentrated in developed countries and some developing countries. This may be because, with the increase in material wealth, the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents has received a high level of attention. Judging from the number of relevant published literature, there is still a lack of research on the effects of different exercise intensities on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents internationally. Therefore, this study aims to draw the attention of more draw the attention of more researchers from different regions and countries to this topic and encourage the conduction of controlled trials with high-quality evidence to further demonstrate the positive effects of different exercise intensities. This study shows that high intensity exercise training has significant effects in improving body composition. It was mainly more effective in reducing visceral fat. These results align with a previous review by Batacan et al., which synthesized 65 studies and showed that HIIT can significantly improve waist circumference and body fat percentage in people who are overweight or obese 54 . A meta-analysis of adolescents found that exercise interventions of different intensities were differentially effective in reducing body weight and body mass index, and that high-intensity aerobic exercise and high-intensity aerobic exercise combined with high-intensity resistance training were more effective than low- and moderate-intensity exercise interventions 55 . We suspect that this may be due to the fact that high-intensity exercise leads to excessive post-exercise oxygen consumption and the substrate for this energy oxidation is fat, during high-intensity exercise the body needs to secrete more adrenaline and noradrenaline to control the muscles, and in addition the body has to maintain high metabolic levels for a longer period of time even after exercise. All of these effects lead to an increase in the body's resting metabolic levels, which further stimulates fat burning and leads to weight loss 56 , 57 . It is also interesting to note that Buchan and Kargarfard, when exploring the effects of HIIT on body composition in normal and obese adolescents, did not find any good changes in body composition or waist circumference in the intervention group. Both studies claimed that the lack of effect on body composition was due to the short duration of the training (duration of 7 and 8 weeks) 58 , 59 . Therefore, we suggest that relevant scholars pay more attention to the optimal training time when high-intensity exercise training can effectively improve the body composition of children and adolescents, and provide more effective training programs to reduce the obesity rate of children and adolescents at home and abroad. This study showed that both high-intensity exercise training and moderate to low-level exercise training can improve cardiorespiratory fitness in children and adolescents, but high-intensity exercise training has a more significant effect on cardiorespiratory function. This finding coincides with previous conclusions 60 , 61 , 62 . A meta-analysis of adolescents aged 11–17 years found that high-intensity exercise training has a significant effect on improving cardiorespiratory fitness in adolescents compared to moderate-intensity exercise 60 , which is consistent with our findings. The mechanism by which this occurs may be due to the fact that high-intensity training increases the oxidative capacity of skeletal muscle more efficiently than conventional training methods. For example, in terms of the molecular adaptive mechanisms of skeletal muscle oxidative capacity, high-intensity exercise activates the activity of AMPK and MAPK exercise-responsive kinases 63 , 64 , while increasing the amount of mRNA for PGC-qα, a transcription factor that regulates the oxidative function of mitochondria. With the activation of the joints leading to increased transcription of mitochondrial substances, this allows the body's aerobic and anaerobic capacity to be enhanced, leading to improved cardiorespiratory fitness 65 . We therefore recommend that schools should incorporate high-intensity program in their physical education curricula so as to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness of children and adolescents and to reduce the probability of children and adolescents suffering from cardiovascular diseases in adulthood. Muscle fitness is widely recognized as a key fitness component for maintaining overall health and is negatively correlated with obesity 66 .In this review, five studies confirmed the effects of different exercise intensities on muscle fitness function in children and adolescents. A systematic study of school-age children and adolescents suggests that high-intensity physical activity is more beneficial in building muscle 67 . Our findings are supported by Smith et al.'s study, where strenuous physical activity was positively associated with muscle fitness in children and adolescents 68 . In addition, only 1 study in this study showed that high-intensity training was effective in improving muscle flexibility. Muscle flexibility can be expressed as the normal physiological range of joint motion 69 . If adequate flexibility is lacking, daily activities will become difficult. In addition, reduced flexibility can also lead to musculoskeletal injuries 70 . Therefore, maintaining (or increasing) flexibility is essential as it maintains normal joint motion, thereby reducing the risk of injury 71 . A study of adolescents aged 14–17 years found that a 12-week, high-intensity training intervention resulted in adolescents displaying greater flexibility 72 , which is consistent with our findings. Furthermore, in the literature included in this review, only 1 study showed that high-intensity training improves muscle flexibility, but there was insufficient evidence that muscle flexibility is associated with high-intensity training. We speculate that on the one hand, this may be related to limitations in the assessment of muscle flexibility. The currently commonly used methods of assessing muscle flexibility (sitting and stretching) are unable to detect a lack of function due to muscle laxity 73 ; the other side of the coin is that most of the current research on muscle flexibility has focused on the elderly population, with less attention paid to children and adolescents. This is due to the fact that muscle flexibility decreases with age, leading to increased joint stiffness and progressive loss of balance, which increases the risk of falls in older adults 73 . Overall, appropriate levels of flexibility have positive implications for the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents, and exploring scientifically sound methods of assessing flexibility and research on flexibility in children and adolescents should receive more attention. Research limitations and prospects Although this review discusses the effects of different exercise intensities on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents from four aspects, its limitations should be properly examined. This review provides direction for further research on the effects of different exercise intensities on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents. Although an extensive literature search was conducted, including articles published before 2024, it is possible that some relevant literature may have been overlooked due to variations in keywords used in this study. Additionally, we conducted an extensive literature search in four major databases, but some published non-English foreign studies may have been missed in this review as our search was limited to English-language journal articles. Despite these limitations, this review systematically collated the literature reports on the different effects of different exercise intensities on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents. Future research could explore higher-quality randomize controlled trials to provide more convincing evidence for optimal exercise intensity to improve the health of children and adolescents. Future research should also focus on the effect of different exercise intensities on muscle flexibility. At the same time, more comprehensive exercise evaluation is needed to support high-intensity exercise training as an effective exercise program to improve the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents. Conclusions This systematic review demonstrates a positive association between high-intensity exercise training and PHYSICAL FITNESS in children and adolescents. High-intensity exercise training yields notable improvement in body composition (reduced body mass index, waist circumference, and body fat), cardiopulmonary function, and muscle strength in children and adolescents. Furthermore, the high-intensity training group outperforms both the moderate-intensity group and the control group in terms of improving physical fitness. Specifically, participation in HIIT exhibits a more significant effect on improving PHYSICAL FITNESS in children and adolescents. Based on the findings, we recommend that schools optimize their physical education programs by incorporating more high-intensity physical activities, thereby promoting the healthy growth of children and adolescents through effective exercise. Moreover, the study highlights that the effects of high-intensity physical activity on the PHYSICAL FITNESS of children and adolescents may be influenced by factors such as average age, overweight or obesity of participants. 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Author information Authors and affiliations. College of Physical Education and Health Sciences, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, 321004, Zhejiang, China Xianxian Zhou, Jiayu Li & Xiaoping Jiang You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar Contributions X.X.Z. performed the methodological search on the research topic and helped write the draft manuscript. J.Y.L. contributed to the conception and design of the manuscript. X.P.J. critically wrote and revised the manuscript. All authors have read and approved the final version of this paper and agree with the other of its presentation. Corresponding author Correspondence to Xiaoping Jiang . Ethics declarations Competing interests. The authors declare no competing interests. Additional information Publisher's note. Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Supplementary Information Supplementary information., rights and permissions. 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Effects of different types of exercise intensity on improving health-related physical fitness in children and adolescents: a systematic review. Sci Rep 14 , 14301 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-64830-x Download citation Received : 16 January 2024 Accepted : 13 June 2024 Published : 21 June 2024 DOI : https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-64830-x Share this article Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative Exercise intensity Physical fitness Adolescents Systematic review By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines . If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate. Quick links Explore articles by subject Guide to authors Editorial policies Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily. Do people who exercise more have a lower risk of ALS? Moderate levels of physical activity and fitness may be linked to a reduced risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) later in life, according to a new studypublished in the June 26, 2024, online issue of Neurology ® , the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study only found an association between physical activity and risk of ALS in male participants, not female participants. ALS is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. People with ALS lose the ability to initiate and control muscle movement, which often leads to total paralysis and death. The average life span after diagnosis is two to five years. "The diagnosis of prominent athletes with ALS at young ages has sparked the uncomfortable idea that higher physical activity could be tied to developing ALS," said studyauthor Anders Myhre Vaage, MD, of Akershus University Hospital in Norway. "There have been conflicting findings on levels of physical activity, fitness and ALS risk. Our study found that for men, living a more active lifestyle could be linked to a reduced risk of ALS more than 30 years later." For the study, researchers looked at 373,696 people in Norway with an average age of 41. They were followed for an average of 27 years. Of the total participants, 504 people developed ALS. Of those who developed ALS, 59% were male participants. Participants recorded their level of physical activity for the past year into one of four categories: sedentary; a minimum of four hours per week of walking or cycling; a minimum of four hours per week of recreational sports or heavy gardening; or participation in hard training or sports competitions regularly, several times a week. Due to few participants with the highest level of physical activity, researchers combined the third and fourth categories into one high activity group. Researchers found that of the 41,898 male participants that had the highest level of physical activity, 63 developed ALS; of the 76,769 male participants with the intermediate level of physical activity, 131 developed ALS; and of the 29,468 male participants with the lowest level of physical activity, 68 developed ALS. After adjusting for other factors that could affect the risk of ALS, such as smoking and body mass index, researchers found that for male participants, when compared to those with the lowest level of physical activity, those with moderate levels of physical activity had a 29% lower risk of ALS and those with high levels of physical activity had a 41% lower risk of ALS. Researchers also looked at resting heart rate. Men in the lowest of four categories of resting heart rate, which indicates good physical fitness, had a 32% reduced risk of ALS compared to those with higher resting heart rates. "Our findings show that, for men, not only do moderate to high levels of physical activity and fitness not increase the risk of ALS, but that it may be protective against the disease," Myhre Vaage said. "Future studies of the connection between ALS and exercise are needed to consider sex differences and higher or professional athlete physical activity levels." A limitation of the study was that the physical activity questionnaire was completed only at one specific time during the study, so it may not have captured the participants' exercise levels over the nearly 30-year span of the study. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Chronic Illness Sports Medicine Intelligence Gender Difference K-12 Education Excitotoxicity and cell damage Physical exercise Fatigue (physical) Nutrition and pregnancy Limbic system Aerobic exercise Story Source: Materials provided by American Academy of Neurology . Note: Content may be edited for style and length. Journal Reference : Anders M. Vaage, Haakon E. Meyer, Ida K. Landgraff, Marius Myrstad, Trygve Holmøy, Ola Nakken. Physical Activity, Fitness, and Long-Term Risk of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis . Neurology , 2024; 103 (2) DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000209575 Cite This Page : Explore More Better Wearable Devices Dampening the 'Seeds' of Hurricanes Carbonate and World of Ancient Romans Age of Puberty in Girls and Weight Gain Dinos and Sixty-Million-Year-Old Grape Seeds 'World Record' for Data Transmission Speed Youth Sports Linked to Better Mental Better Mobile Device Performance Light-Controlled Fake Maple Seeds for Monitoring Climate: Projected Loss of Seagrasses Trending Topics Strange & offbeat. School Sport Unit Nsw all schools - secondary cross country - championship. Information in this event is correct at time of publication but subject to change without notice. Subscribe to events to receive email notifications about updates. NSW All Schools Secondary Cross Country Wednesday, 24 July 2024 Region/Association team Only individuals who have qualified as part of association / sector teams to attend This event includes specific activities for people with disabilities who are classified through the appropriate sport association Parent Information Sydney International Equestrian Centre Saxony Road Horsley Park Venue entry for competitors, officials and spectators will be via the main entry on Saxony Road. Gates will open at 7:30am on both days. There is no entry cost for spectators. Anyone displaying cold and flu like symptoms and feeling unwell should stay home and get tested. Additional information 2024 nsw all schools cross country order of events. Please note that this will be a split event in 2024, with Primary and Secondary events being held on consecutive days. Wednesday 24 July - Secondary Order of Events Subject Detail Rules For rules and other state championship information, see of the NSWCHSSA handbook. Course Maps Please note, course maps can be amended at the Championship Convener’s discretion. Results Live results will be available on the website. Spectators Please see grandstand seating map . All competitors are asked to sit within their allocated bays. Parking Spectator parking is available in P2 and P3 next to the main arena.   Please follow the direction of parking attendants to available parking. See for venue map and available parking. Canteen facilities There will be food outlets available at the venue. Facebook Photos and updates will be posted on the page NSW All Schools Team Selection Students who place in the top ten of their race will be asked to attend a NSW PSSA / NSW All Schools selection meeting immediately following the conclusion of their race. These meetings will be held outside of the main arena. See here for location. The FINAL NSWPSSA and NSW All Schools team to compete at the School Sport Australia Cross Country championship will be posted on the NSW All Schools Cross Country event page by Thursday 25 July. To be eligible for selection in the NSW All Schools Cross Country team, students must compete at the NSW PSSA / All Schools Cross Country Championship Students unable to trial due to representation at a higher level may make a written application to be considered for selection. This application must be received by Tuesday 16 July 2024. A decision will be announced prior to the commencement of the event. All competitors selected and accepting a position in the NSW All Schools team are expected to attend the duration of the School Sport Australia Cross Country Championship being held in Yarra Glen (VIC) from 20-23 August 2024. Day 1 (Wednesday, 24 July 2024) Schedule - order of events (from 08:00:00 to 14:00:00). Please note, times are approximate and can be amended at the Championship Convener’s discretion. Secondary championships The secondary championships will commence at 9:50am 8:00am - Secondary competitors arrive at venue 8:30am -  Secondary Competitors walk the course (weather permitting) 9:00am -  Entrance to course closed 9:30am -  Course will be closed Event no. Marshalling time Time Event name Distance 9.30 am 9.50 am 18+ years boys 8000m 9.45 am 10.20 am Multi Class events – 12-14 years, 15/16 years, 17-19 years boys and girls 3000m 10.15 am 10.35 am 15 years boys 4000m 10.30 am 10.50 am 14 years boys 4000m 10:45 am 11.05 am 15 years girls 4000m 11.00 am 11.20 am 14 years girls 4000m 11.15 am 11.40 am 17 years girls 4000m 11.35 am 12.00 pm 16 years girls 4000m 11.55 am 12.10 pm 17 years boys 6000m 12.15 pm 12.35 pm 16 years boys 6000m 12.30 pm 12.45 pm 18+ years girls 6000m 12.50 pm 1.15 pm 13 years girls 3000m 1.05 pm 1.25 pm 12 years girls 3000m 1.15 pm 1.35 pm 13 years boys 3000m 1.25 pm 1.45 pm 12 years boys 3000m Contacts (2) Position Full Name School Name Email Phone Kieran Donohue School Sport Unit [email protected] [Not published] Grant Newell Penrith High School [email protected] [Not published] 145 IMAGES Complete Kindergarten 52 Exhilarating Physical Education Activities For Elementary Kiddos Fitness worksheet for All Physical Fitness Worksheet Kindergarten Kindergarten to Grade 2 PE Games Physical Education Ideas For Kindergarten VIDEO Physical Education Last 2 Days Strategy & Roadmap Potential Modifications and Adaptations in Adapted PE Sneak And React Physical education games How to lesson plan in unified physical education KESA GYA EXAM ! PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS 12 2023-24 😂❤️ COMMENTS 46 Elementary PE Games Your Students Will Love 6. Crab Soccer. Playworks/Crab Soccer via playworks.org. We love elementary PE games that require students to act like animals (and we think they will too). Similar to regular soccer, but students will need to play on all fours while maintaining a crab-like position. Learn more: Crab Soccer at Playworks. PE Central: Grades K-2 Physical Education Lesson Plans PE Central presents a large number of K-2 lesson ideas for you to use in your physical education program. If published, you are entered into monthly drawing to win a FREE 6-pack of 8" Gator Skin Special Foam Balls from S&S Discount Sports. Rules. Select a sub-category from the list below. K-2 Games for Teaching… Parachute(Primary K-2) Created by: Lisa Kushner, Amanda Welch, Nick Kline, and Aaron Hart Special Contributions: Deedi Brown Design: Jennifer Truong Parachute activities are among the most memorable physical education experiences of a young child's life. Just seeing the 'chute creates excitement and joy for most students. Run for Fun (Grades K-2) Run for Fun (Grades K-2) Created by: Stephanie Herrick, Aaron Hart, Nichole Wilder, Andrea Hart. Run for Fun is the latest collaboration between OPEN and Rising New York Road Runners. This instructional module borrows teacher-tested learning activities from the Rising New York Road Runners' PLAYBuilder and adds OPEN's twist on outcomes ... PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education Baseball Word Search Instant Activity: PRE-K: 28,139 12/6/2017 K-2 PE Lesson Ideas Parachute Ostrich, Turtle, Penguin! A memory game! K-2: 61,123 10/12/2017 Pre-school PE Lesson Ideas Transferring Weight (Gymnastics) ... physical education lesson ideas, assessment tips and more! No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in physical ... Elementary PE Games Every game, warm-up, challenge and activity on this site has been tested by our resident PE specialist. Mr. H. has been teaching physical education at the elementary school level for 7 years, and will make sure that we post only the best of the best. As a Grade 7 teacher, it can be challenging to keep warm-up games and Daily Physical Activities ... Free Lesson Plans SPARK Sample Lesson Plans The following pages include a collection of free SPARK Physical Education and Physical Activity lesson plans. If you're searching for lesson plans based on inclusive, fun PE-PA games or innovative new ideas, click on one of the links below. ASAP Snakes and Lizards Lesson Plan Field Day Activity Centipede Pass Manipulatives […] OPEN Home Page Physical Education (Grades K-12) K-2 Primary Physical Education Modules; 3-5 Intermediate Physical Education Modules; ... The Backyard Games module was created as a way for students to stay active year-round while enjoying the benefits of physical activity with friends. In this module students will explore activities and games that can be ... Full Length Equipment: 3 benches. 2-5 evil red balls. As many other dodgeballs as you deem necessary. Description: Scatter the benches around the playing area. 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. Everyone else can start anywhere else in the playing area (except... The PE Shed The PE Game Ideas section provides you with Physical Education resources which will help you to plan PE Warm Up Games, PE Tag Games, PE Thinking Games, and PE Coordination Games. Within each section you will find a whole range of different games which will excite and challenge your students. Each PE Game outlines what equipment is required, how ... PDF P.E. Activities K-2 1 spot marker per student. Create a large space (30 X 30 paces) activity area. Divide students in groups of 3 and position in short single file lines at 1 end of area. Give each student 1 spot marker (lily pad). First player in each line stands on their lily pad. Our activity is called "Frogs Across the Pond.". PE Stations: 15 Fun Ideas for Active Engagement in Elementary Physical Physical education plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of young learners. In the energetic, diverse environment of elementary schools, it's essential to foster a love for movement and exercise through engaging and dynamic activities. PE stations, a cornerstone in teaching physical education, offer a unique blend of fun, skill-building, and adaptable challenges that cater to a wide ... 2nd Grade Physical Education (PE) Lesson Plans The following activities can be done in a physical education classroom or just for fun. Lead-up games can be used as a warm up activity or a way to practice skills used in many sports. ... Level: K-2 Objective: Identifying body parts Equipment: None Circus Tag - K-2 Physical Education Lesson Plan PDF Procedure: 1) One student is selected to ... Awesome Instant Activities and Warmup Ideas Start Simple. At the beginning of the year I usually keep the warm-up really simple and do walking lines and jogging lines (jog the sidelines and walk the end lines) to some upbeat music for about 2-3 minutes ( here are my PE Playlists ). As the year progresses we'll add some more locomotor movements on the lines like skipping, galloping ... Physical Education Lesson Plans and Activity Ideas Physical Education Lesson Plans and Activity Ideas. You will find thousands of physical education lesson plans and ideas submitted by hundreds of Physical Education professionals! You may also be looking for helpful worksheets. View our lesson plan and idea criteria and copyright statement before sharing a lesson plan or idea with us. Classroom ... PE Activities For K-2 Teamwork and Cooperation Unit The two activities are called Rattle Snake and Elf Express. These are activities that I do during my "Top Dog Games" unit which emphasizes teamwork, cooperation, communication, and sportsmanship. These activities can be done with grades K-5, but I specifically use it with my kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade students. Equipment: 4 Cones PEC: Lesson Plans for Physical Education Pre-school PE Lesson Ideas. Striking with Implements. Baseball Word Search Instant Activity. PRE-K. 28,135. 3/5/2019. K-2 PE Lesson Ideas. Locomotor Skills/Space Awareness. Continental Drift Locomotor Skills. 28 Best PE Games With Absolutely No Equipment 3. Foxes And Hares. Once the children have got a good understanding of space, and they can stop and start on your command, there are lots of fun PE games you can introduce. Foxes and hares is a classic chase game. Aim of the game: To catch all the hares of course! About a fifth of the children should be foxes. Force and Action Stations Grade Level: K-2; as with any activity, variations can be made to suit other grade levels. Skills: Teamwork & communication skills, pushing and pulling. Equipment: Station 1: Wall Push. 1 scooter per student, 1 poly spot. Station 2: Partner Pull. 1 scooter, poly spot & long jump rope per group. Station 3: Scooter Push. SPARK K-2 Physical Education Curriculum Program The SPARK K-2 curriculum, available in a new enhanced lesson plan format, includes more than 400 standards-aligned, high MVPA, easy to learn, and easy to teach activities that your students will love. View Lesson Details. K-2 Primary Physical Education Modules Physical Education (Grades K-12) K-2 Primary Physical Education Modules; 3-5 Intermediate Physical Education Modules ... Believe In You; Early Childhood. Early Childhood (Ages 3-5) Rhythm & Move; Physical Activity (Grades K-8) Active Classrooms; Active After School; Active Home; Active Recess; Active Early Childhood (Ages 3-5) PreK Rhythm ... Ready-to-Use Physical Education Activities for Grades K-2 This is VOLUME 1 of a planned 4-VOLUME SERIES called COMPLETE PHYSICAL EDUCATION ACTIVITIES PROGRAM, designed to help K-9 classroom teachers and P.E. specialists prepare and teach interesting, fun-packed physical education lessons in a sequential co-educational program. Each volume provides over 500 illustrated, easy-to-use activities organized ... PE Central PE Central Online Courses. Learn More! Practical, proven lesson plans written and submitted by real teachers and approved by our expert editorial team! Helpful online courses and information for the physical education teacher who wants to continue to develop and grow! View all 79 Resources! Effects of different types of exercise intensity on improving health Exclusion criteria: (1) studies not related to the topic (non-physical activity, physical activity); (2) non-intervention studies (observational studies, systematic reviews) and studies that did ... Do people who exercise more have a lower risk of ALS? Moderate levels of physical activity and fitness may be linked to a reduced risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) later in life, according to a new study. The study only found an association ... NSW All Schools To promote increased participation in sport and physical activity, leading to healthier, more active lifestyles, the Premier's Sporting Challenge (PSC) is a multi-faceted program offering a range of initiatives to Department of Education students and teachers across the state. The PSC aims to get more students and staff more active, more often. assignment essay homework paper phd report resume review speech thesis