physical education activities without equipment

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!

18 Fun PE Games Needing No Equipment

Learning some fun PE games that don’t need equipment can be very useful for busy PE teachers, parents and child care professionals.  

They can help you provide the children you are caring for with fun activities that improve their fitness – without the need to pull out a cupboard full of equipment.  

PE games that don’t need equipment are also useful as impromptu activities at BBQs, parties, and trips away.   In this guide, I will be sharing 18 of the best PE games needing no equipment.

#1 –  Red Rover

This classic game is a lot of fun and easy to learn. In Red Rover, the participants are split into two teams of equal size that form two lines opposite each other. The members of each team will hold hands.

Each team will choose a player from the opposing team, saying “Red Rover Red Rover, send Peter over” to nominate Peter.  

Peter then has to let go of his team mates hands and attempt to run through the other team’s line, breaking their hold on each other.  

If he manages to do so, he will choose a player from the opposing team to join his team’s line.  

If Peter fails to break through the line, he will be forced to join the opposition team’s line.

The teams will alternate turns with the winner being the team that ends up with all of the players. Because all players will end up on the winning team, there are no losers in this game.

#2 – Captain’s Orders

Captain’s Orders is the perfect choice for a competitive group of kids who want to outdo each other.  

It can really test your student’s endurance levels and improve their fitness.   The game begins with one person being nominated to be the “Captain”. They must give out commands to the crew (the rest of the PE class).  

The Captain is limited to a set of commands, which you can alter if you have specific fitness objectives for the class to reach.   You could use a mixture of fun commands and physically demanding ones, like:

• Captain’s coming The crew must salute the captain and stand at attention
• Run to starboard/port The crew must run to the left (port) or right (starboard) sides of the room and touch the wall.
• Scrub the deck The crew must do 10 pushups
• Man the lifeboats The crew will perform 10 sit-ups while moving their arms like oars

You could have the crew members stand at attention after completing each task, which will make the more competitive students attempt to beat each other.   After a few minutes, change captains so a few children get a chance to be in command.

#3 – Relay running races

Running relay races are one of the simplest PE games needing no equipment.   Take the class outside and divide them into groups of 3 or 4 people each.  

Have them run 100 to 200 metres each before moving on to the next person in the relay.  

The mix-it-up relay race is fun variation of a normal relay running race.   In a mix-it-up race, each person in a relay team will perform a different action.  

The first person may have to skip, the second may have to run backwards, the third can run normally, and the fourth can hop.   This makes the race more exciting and enjoyable to watch.

#4 – Cops and Robbers (Team tag game)

There are many fun variations of tag that are useful for PE classes.   In “ Cops and Robbers ”, the PE class is divided into two teams — the cop team and the robber team.   The cops will pursue the robbers to tag them.  

Once a robber is tagged, they must go to a section of the playing area that has been nominated as the “jail”.

Robbers who have not been tagged can release their team mates by sneaking into the jail and tagging them.  

The game is complete when the cops have managed to round up all of the robbers.   Playing this game in an outdoor area with plenty of places to hide can make it even more enjoyable.  

#5 – Wheelbarrow races

This activity is very challenging and a lot of fun.   It’s best suited for fit students with decent upper body strength.   Split the group up into teams of two people that will stand on one side of the gymnasium.  

Each team will have one person go into plank position while the other grabs them by the ankles.    

When you say “Go” the person in plank position will go into pushup position while the person holding their ankles lifts them — forming a wheelbarrow .  

They will attempt to walk the wheelbarrow to the other side of the room.   Once there, they will touch the wall and switch roles before racing back.   The first team back to the starting point wins.

#6 – Duck Duck Goose

Duck Dusk Goose is a wonderful PE game for younger children.   The rules are simple and they will get plenty of exercise. Start by having the children sit in a circle facing the middle.  

Nominate one person as “it”.   They will walk around the circle touching each person on the shoulder and saying if they are a duck or a goose. If the person is nominated as being a duck, they remain seated.  

However, when someone is nominated as being a Goose, they must get up and chase “it” around the circle and tag them before they make it to the empty spot where the Goose was sitting.

#7 – Headstand/handstand practice

There are many advantages to teaching basic gymnastic techniques in the classroom. Headstands and handstands are a particularly useful gymnastic skill that can be practiced indoors on carpet or outdoors on grass.

Begin by teaching students correct headstand form — from getting into a correct starting position to eventually lifting their legs and completing the move.  

Once they understand the basics and know how to perform a headstand safely, have them split into pairs for practice.  

One student in each pair should be a “spotter” who helps the other student with their form and holds their legs. After they they have performed a few headstands have them switch roles.  

Move onto the handstands next, with groups of three (one person practicing and two to hold their legs).   If you are performing this activity outdoors, use trees to prevent students from overbalancing.  

#8 – High Jump Competition

This simple game is a great way for kids to have some fun while testing their athleticism.  

Have the children split into groups of two and stand next to a brick wall.   Have them jump as high as they can, touching the highest brick they can reach with their hand.   Each child gets 3 jumps.  

The highest jumper in each pair gets to go through to the next group, were they are paired off again and will get another three jumps.  

Eventually, you will discover who the highest jumper in the group is. You could also have a standing long jump competition to see who can jump the furthest.

#9 – British Bulldogs

British Bulldogs is a classic version of tag and one of the most popular equipment-free PE games.This game is also commonly known as “Bullrush” and “Cats and Mice”.

The game starts with all of the players at one end of a playing area.   A basketball court works well for small groups, while half a soccer or football field is better for larger groups.  

One player is selected to be “it”.   They will wait in the middle of the playing area.

When you say go, the children will attempt to run from one side of the playing area to the other without being tagged. If they are tagged, they will join the “It’ player in the centre of the playing area.

#10 – Simon Says

This is another classic game that young children love. It is easy to incorporate it into a PE class and everyone will know the rules.  

Start by either choosing a player to be “Simon” or by nominating yourself to play this role (usually better as you can then choose appropriate PE activities).

The students must follow the directives given by “Simon” as long as he starts each one with “Simon says…”.  

If a student accidentally carries out a directive that does not start with “Simon says…” they are out of the game.

You could mix up fun directives like “Simon says bark like a dog” with “Simon says, do 5 pushups” to get the PE component into the game.

The winner of the game is the last person who has successfully followed all of Simon’s orders. They get to become the next “Simon”.

#11 – Gymnastic Talent Show

Have the students split into groups of 3-4 children each and ask them to devise a short gymnastic routine that shows off their skills.  

Encourage them to do their best, but remind them to only perform stunts they are comfortable with.  

During the next 10 minutes, walk between the groups and help them plan their routines, suggesting gymnastic feats appropriate for their skill levels.   Remind them that they can help each other perform their rolls, handstands, and jumps.  

After the 10 minutes has expired, have the groups perform their routines for each other.  

#12 – Leap Frog Race

This fun PE game can be enjoyed by children of all ages.   Have your students split into groups of 2 (ideally, about the same height). Each group must race over a course that is 50 yards in length.  

However, they will have to cover the course by leap frogging each other!   If some kids have trouble jumping over their partner, let to do a couple of jump squats next to their partner instead.

To make the race more challenging, you could include “exercise pit stops” along the way.  

At each exercise pit stop, the children will have to perform a certain number of exercises. This could be star jumps, pushups, burpees, or whatever exercise you think the children would benefit from.

#13 – Light The Dynamite

This is a very challenging fitness game shared by Games Fitness .   The class is split into any number of teams that are the same size, with a minimum of 4 players per team.  

If a team doesn’t have the same number of players, you may have to alter how many repetitions of exercise they perform to keep the game fair.

Have each team sit lengthwise in a straight line, about one arms length from the next person in their team. So, if you have 5 teams, you should have five lines of people.  

You will give players in specific positions a designation of “fuse” or “dynamite” for each round.   For example, you might say players 1 and 2 in each group are fuses, followed by one dynamite player, one more fuse player, and a final dynamite player.  

There can be any number of fuse and dynamite players in each row.

The game starts with all players in a plank position.   When you say   “Light the dynamite!“, the first player is activated.

If they are a fuse player, they will immediately flip over and do 10 sit-ups then tag the next player in the line to activate them. The fuse player will hold a V-hold position after doing their sit-ups – which means they are an activated fuse.  

If the next player is a fuse, they will do their sit-ups also. However, if the next player is a dynamite player, all of the dynamite players in the team must jump up and do 20 burpees.

The first team to finish their chain of fuses and dynamite is the winner.

You can alter the types of exercises used and the number of repetitions for each exercise to make the game harder or easier.

#14 – I Spy, Fitness Version

I, Spy is a favourite game of children everywhere. One person will identify a physical object that is visible nearby and everyone else will have to guess what it is, using a series of questions.  

This   game combines I, Spy with 20 Questions to provide the kids in your PE class with an excellent workout.

Start by spotting an object in the area, like a basketball ring.   Going around the class, each student can ask one question about the item you are thinking of, or guess what it is.

If the answer to their question is “No” or their object guess is incorrect, the entire class must perform an exercise.

The number of repetitions they must perform increases every time they get the answer wrong.   So, the game might go like this:

PE Teacher: I’ve identified an object, your turn to guess – starting with Pete.

Pete: Is it an animal?

PE Teacher: No!   Do 3 pushups everyone.   Next question please Sam.

Sam: Is it alive?

PE Teacher: No!   Do 5 pushups everyone. Next question please Rebecca.

Rebecca: Is it made of wood?

PE Teacher: Yes!   It is partially made from wood.   Next question please Mark.

Mark: Is it a basketball ring?

PE Teacher: Well done.

#15 – Plankerpillar

This is a challenging game that will test the fitness of students and force them to work as a team.  

Divide the class into teams of at least 5 people each.   Have each team line up alongside each other in separate rows and nominate a finish line for the race.

When you say “Go”, all players will go into plank position except for the player furthest away from the finish line.  

They will move to the front of their team (closest to the finish line) and enter into plank position. Once they have started to plank, they will yell “go!” and the next player will move from the rear to the front.  

This is repeated until the group reaches the finish line.   As the effects of being in plank position begin to kick in, the team’s players will be yelling at everyone to hurry up!

#16 – Funny Running

This is a super fun PE game that young children will love. The objective of funny running is to get from one side of the gymnasium to the other while running like an animal.  

You can choose a different animal for each pass, including monkeys, snakes, horses, and kangaroos.  

You can also have the kids run across the gymnasium while performing a funny dance like the Floss Dance or teach them some disco moves .   Put some catch music on and they will have the time of their lives as they exercise!

#17 – Jump!

Jump is another simple game that is ideal for young children’s PE classes.   Have the kids line up against one wall of the gymnasium or on a boundary line of the sporting field.  

Then, simply yell out “1 Jump” and the kids can take   the biggest jump forward they can do from a standing start.   You can vary this by change the number of jumps you allow each time and sometimes throwing in “Steps”.

#18 – Elimination Running  

This exhausting game will help you discover which kids are the fastest in the class.

Have your students line up against a wall of the gymnasium.   When you say “Ready, Go!”, they will run to the other wall.   If you say “Ready, Go!” again while they are running towards the wall, they must turn back and reach the wall that they came from.  

If you blow your whistle, any student who hasn’t reached the wall will be eliminated.   Eventually, you will only have a small number of children left in the group.

I hope you found 18 Fun PE Games Needing No Equipment . Bookmark our website for more fun PE activities for kids .

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23 Exciting PE Games for Middle School No Equipment

Middle school is a crucial time for students to develop their physical fitness and teamwork skills.

Physical Education (PE) classes play a vital role in achieving this goal. However, finding creative and equipment-free PE games can be a challenge.

We will explore a variety of exciting PE games for middle school no equipment .

Shadows is a unique and creative game that requires no equipment other than a light source. In this activity, students collaborate in pairs or small teams. One student creates a shadow on a wall or any surface using their body, while the others guess what the shadow represents. This game encourages imagination, teamwork, and critical thinking as students collaborate to form various shapes and figures with their bodies. It’s a great way to foster creativity and cooperation in a no-equipment setting.

2. Good Toes Naughty Toes

Good Toes Naughty Toes is a fun and interactive game that helps improve students’ listening skills and coordination. In this game, students stand in a circle, and the “teacher” gives commands like “Good Toes” (students touch their toes) or “Naughty Toes” (students touch their nose). The catch is that the teacher tries to trick the students by saying the opposite of the action they perform. It’s a hilarious and engaging way to keep students active and attentive without any need for equipment.

3. Be The Teacher

Be The Teacher is an empowering game that encourages leadership and communication skills. In this activity, students take turns being the “teacher” and leading their classmates through a brief exercise routine. They can choose exercises like jumping jacks, squats, or stretches. This game not only keeps everyone moving but also boosts self-confidence and public speaking abilities as students guide their peers through the workout. No equipment is required, making it a convenient and accessible choice for PE class. Related: 20 Exciting Pe Games for High School

4. Make A Shape

Make A Shape is a game that combines physical activity with problem-solving. Students form pairs or small groups and, without using any equipment, challenge each other to create specific shapes with their bodies. The teacher can call out shapes like “triangle,” “square,” or “letter ‘S’,” and students must work together to form these shapes using their bodies. It’s a fantastic way to promote teamwork, creativity, and physical activity in a no-equipment environment.

5. Storytelling Relay

In this creative game, students form teams and stand in a line. The teacher starts by whispering a sentence or phrase to the first student in each line. That student then whispers the message to the next person, and so on, until it reaches the last student. The last student must then say the message out loud. The fun part is seeing how the message has changed as it passed through each student.

6. Duck Duck Goose

Duck Duck Goose is a classic PE game that requires no equipment other than a group of enthusiastic students. Students sit in a circle, and one student walks around the outside, tapping others on the head, saying, “Duck, duck, goose!” When they say “goose,” the tapped student must jump up and chase the first student around the circle. It’s a simple yet highly interactive game that promotes quick thinking, agility, and camaraderie among participants.

7. Simon Says

Simon Says is a timeless game that enhances students’ listening skills, concentration, and physical coordination. In this game, one student plays “Simon” and gives commands like “Simon says touch your toes” or “Simon says jump.” However, if Simon gives a command without saying “Simon says” first, students must refrain from following the instruction. It’s an entertaining way to keep students active and attentive without the need for any equipment. Related: 20 Delightful Outdoor Birthday Party Games for 5 Year Olds

8. Gymnastic Talent Show

Gymnastic Talent Show is an opportunity for students to showcase their flexibility and creativity. In this activity, students take turns demonstrating their gymnastic talents, which can include cartwheels, somersaults, handstands, and more. Peers can cheer and applaud their classmates’ performances. This game encourages self-expression, physical fitness, and boosts students’ confidence, all without requiring any special equipment.

9. I Spy, Fitness Version

I Spy, Fitness Version is a fun twist on the traditional “I Spy” game that adds an active element. Students take turns being the “spy” and choose an exercise, such as jumping jacks or lunges. They then say, “I spy with my fitness eye, someone doing [exercise].” The other students perform the specified exercise until the spy reveals who they were thinking of. It combines the excitement of a guessing game with physical activity, making it ideal for a no-equipment PE class.

10. Funny Running

Funny Running injects humor and physical activity into PE class without the need for any equipment. Students run laps around the field or gymnasium, but with a twist. Each lap introduces a new running style, such as hopping like a bunny, running with high knees, or even skipping sideways. The variety of running styles keeps the game entertaining, and students get a good workout while having a laugh.

11. Standing Long Jump Practice

Standing Long Jump Practice is an excellent game for improving lower body strength and agility. Students take turns leaping as far as they can from a standing position. You can turn it into a friendly competition by marking jump distances and challenging students to beat their personal records. This game not only promotes physical fitness but also encourages friendly rivalry and self-improvement, all without the need for any equipment.

12. Red Rover

Red Rover is a classic and energetic game that encourages teamwork and strategy. Divide students into two teams, with each team forming a line, holding hands. A team initiates the game by shouting, “Red Rover, Red Rover, please send [student’s name] over!” The designated student then dashes from their team’s line, aiming to break through the interlocked arms of the opposing team. If they succeed, they choose a player from the opposing team to join their side. The game persists until a single team successfully gathers all the participants. It’s an inclusive game that fosters collaboration and strategic thinking.

13. Captain’s Orders

Captain’s Orders is a fun and active game that promotes listening skills and coordination. Choose one student to be the “captain.” The captain gives commands like “Captain’s orders, starboard!” and students must jump to the right, or “Captain’s orders, port!” for a jump to the left. The twist is that if the captain doesn’t say “Captain’s orders” before the command, students should stay still. The game keeps everyone engaged, enhances agility, and encourages attentiveness.

14. Jump Rope Challenges

Jumping rope is a fantastic no-equipment exercise. Organize jump rope challenges where students take turns trying to complete various jump rope tricks and techniques, such as double unders, side swings, or crisscrosses. Award points for successful attempts and encourage friendly competition.

15. Crab Soccer

Crab Soccer is a fantastic game that not only provides a lot of fun but also improves coordination and teamwork among middle school students. In this game, students play soccer while in a crab-walk position. They use their hands and feet to maneuver the ball and score goals. The comical crab-walking adds an entertaining twist to the traditional game of soccer, keeping students engaged and active. Crab Soccer can be played indoors or outdoors on any open space, making it a versatile choice for PE classes with limited equipment.

16. Speed Bounce

Speed Bounce is a fantastic game for improving agility, coordination, and cardiovascular fitness. Create a line on the ground, and students take turns jumping back and forth over it as quickly as they can. You can time them and encourage friendly competition to beat personal records. This game not only enhances physical abilities but also motivates students to challenge themselves without the need for any equipment.

17. Alphabet Fitness

Alphabet Fitness combines physical activity with learning and creativity. Assign an exercise to each letter of the alphabet (e.g., A for jumping jacks, B for push-ups). Then, call out a letter, and students must perform the corresponding exercise. This game not only keeps students physically active but also reinforces letter recognition and vocabulary. It’s a versatile and educational PE game that requires no equipment and can be adapted to various fitness levels.

18. Charades Relay

Charades Relay is a lively game that encourages creativity, teamwork, and quick thinking. Divide students into teams and provide them with a list of words or phrases to act out. One student from each team acts out the word or phrase while their team tries to guess it. Once guessed correctly, the next student in line takes their turn. This relay-style game keeps everyone engaged and moving. It’s an excellent option for PE classes without equipment, as it only requires a list of words and the students’ imagination.

19. Human Knot

Human Knot is an engaging team-building activity that can be played without any equipment. Students stand in a circle, and each student reaches out to grab the hands of two different people across from them, creating a “human knot.” The goal is to work together as a team to untangle the knot without letting go of hands. This game fosters communication, problem-solving, and cooperation among students. It’s a great way to build trust and camaraderie within the class while staying active.

20. Musical Chairs

Musical Chairs is a classic game that can be adapted for a no-equipment PE class. Set up chairs in a circle, with one fewer chair than the number of students. Start the music and instruct the students to stroll around the chairs. When the music ceases, their task is to locate and occupy a chair promptly. This game promotes agility, speed, and quick decision-making. It’s a fun and energetic way to keep students active and engaged without the need for any specialized equipment. Related: Toys That Start With M (91 Ideas) Related: Toys That Start With N (65 Ideas)

Recommended:

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• 22 Polar Bear Art & Craft for Preschoolers
• 25 Amazing Technology Activities for Preschoolers

Sohaib Hasan Shah

Sohaib's journey includes 10+ years of teaching and counseling experience at BCSS School in elementary and middle schools, coupled with a BBA (Hons) with a minor in Educational Psychology from Curtin University (Australia) . In his free time, he cherishes quality moments with his family, reveling in the joys and challenges of parenthood. His three daughters have not only enriched his personal life but also deepened his understanding of the importance of effective education and communication, spurring him to make a meaningful impact in the world of education.

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Small Space Games: No Gym, No Field, No Problem!

Don’t have access to your gym or field for class today? Here are a few indoor PE games for small spaces for the days where the gym and field at your school are being used by other classes or departments!

Let’s face it; the gym is a popular place to host events other than our Physical Education classes. I cannot count the number of times our PE classes have been uprooted because of another event needing the space. Whether, it’s an assembly, a dress rehearsal for the school drama club, or Music class needing the stage, I always greet this problem outwardly with a smile and the willingness to be flexible. After all, we are all one school, right? There is no need to be upset or frustrated because it’s not going to change the fact that someone else needs the space. Internally however, I may be a little freaked out.

Why, you ask? Because going outside is not as easy as stated. I love how everybody thinks so: “Ah, just take the kids outside and let’em run around!” Sure. It might work out sometimes, but weather is unpredictable…and plan B sometimes just doesn’t work out. Bring on plan C: “ No Gym, No Field, No Problem!”  

At times, when uprooted from our gym space, I find us in the cafeteria, classroom, or hallway. Each having its own set of issues we have to plan around. So, if you find your classes in a similar non conventional PE space situation, here is a list of activities for you to consider.

5 Great Indoor PE Games for Small Spaces:

• Hallway Foosball : Two teams of students are seated in a straight line facing opposite ways from each other. Using a ball of your choice: foam activity ball , beach ball , soccer ball …I prefer a playground ball . The students try to score by only using their inside hand, and moving the ball forward in the direction their line is sitting. After a few rounds, have the students rotate in their spot switching the direction of play and hand.
• Hula Hoop Chain: Two teams of students holding hands and facing each other forming two parallel human chains. Start a hula hoop on one end of each chain. On the word “go,” students climb through the hoop maintaining their chain allowing the hoop to travel down the line to each student. The first team to get their hoop all the way through their line wins!
• Hop in a Hoop! Scatter hula hoops around the hallway; give the students a locomotor skill, way of travel, or an exercise they need to perform. On the word “go,” students travel thru the hallway not touching any hoops performing the given movement. Call out a number and the students have to stop and find a hoop, filling the hoop with the number called. No more, no less. Once the hoop has the right number of students, students raise their hoop to their waist to prevent anyone else from entering into their hoop.  
• Fitness lines: Set up 1 piece of fitness equipment or given exercise in a straight line all the way down the hall. For example in one long straight line I may have the following spaced out appropriately: Aerobic step , jump jacks, bicep curls (dumbbells) , calve raises, sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, water break, jog back to start, rest 30secs. Depending on the width of your hallway determines how many fitness lines you can have. Students rotate through the fitness line moving one spot up on the signal, once students finish their way through the line they walk/jog/sprint back to the begin, rest a rotation, and then start again.
• Reaction Games: place a beanbag in the middle of partners and call out a way for the students to react. Example: Grab with Right hand, place beanbag on left knee OR have students in small groups and place a beanbag in the center. Call out different things like touch your ears, right hand on top of your head, hop up and down, students perform what is called and on the word “GO” students try to be the first to grab the beanbag.

Do you have tables in your way?

Try doing a rhythm activity using the popular cup song . This is my usual “we’re in the cafeteria today” activity. It’s simple, fun, and all you need is a cup per student. This activity can be done on the floor as well and afterwards, our students like to try and make up their own patterns.

Add It Together : This game is played like “rock, paper, scissor,” but it’s a game to practice math! To start have the students pair up together and sit down (if using desks, one stands and the other sits in the desk). Partners first need to determine which one will be even and which one will be odd. To begin play the students will say, “Add it together” and put up any number of fingers 1-5, then the two students add up their fingers and determine if it’s an odd number or an even number. The winner gets up and finds a new partner who is sitting down. Have older students? Change the game to Mul-ti-ply same game but students multiply the number together.

Speedstack Stations : this is another one of my go to activities when we have tables in the way. Set up a various stations and have students rotate through.

Access to technology?

I love it when I am able to incorporate technology into my PE classes. A PE in the classroom lifesaver is YouTube. There are tons of popular dance games from gaming systems where the students can follow a long. The Sid Shuffle is one of our favorites. Search for it. 

So the next time you find your class is displaced from your gym and in a non conventional PE space, and weather doesn’t cooperate, smile and know you have a plan C. No Gym, No Field, No Problem!

Related Blogs: – Top 5 Active Indoor PE Games by Jason Gemberling – 5 by Resources to Take Net Games to the Next Level by Jessica Shawley – Identifying Suitable PE Teaching Spaces by Peter Boucher Indoor PE Games for Small Spaces:

– Giant Up 4 It: Match 4 giant checkers in a row to win! – ACTION! ToppleTubes Set: Topple Tubes are small in size, but BIG in versatility and durability! – ACTION! DigitDrop Set: Crunch numbers with this fun bowling game.

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5 ways small sided games make a big impact, author: jessica shawley, a brand new tool for pe you didn’t know you needed, author: brett fuller, 5 skill-based floor hockey games, author: michael beringer, 16 parachute team building activities, author: tim mueller, we're social, motivating unmotivated students​, author: dr. robert pangrazi, jessica shawley, and tim mueller, promoting activity and success through adapted pe, author: dr. robert pangrazi, marci pope and maria corte, author: randy spring.

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10 Surefire games for PE – Easy to play, loads of fun!

Posted on March 2, 2020 by jcahill

The best games for me are the ones with limited equipment and little setup. A quick setup means quick takedown which means faster transitions. Also, with less equipment, there is usually less explanation and rules. Ultimately, this is what’s best for students, more movement and less time sitting. Especially for my younger students, this holds true. Here are ten of my favorite games with limited equipment. My hope is that you can grab a few ideas from below and add them to your physical education repertoire.

Pin-Up Relay

This partner challenge includes a fine balance of fitness and teamwork. I partner the students up and then send them to one end of the gymnasium with a bowling pin. On the other end of the floor, I place one spot in a straight line for each set of partners. On the signal to go, partners sprint across the gym to their spot. With their hands on each other’s shoulders, they attempt to stand the pin on the spot using only their feet. When successful, they grab the pin, sprint back to the other side to grab a laminated strip of paper, which represents a point. Students repeat the process, trying to score as many points as possible in three minutes.

ROOMBA CLEAN-UP

Roomba Clean-up is a variation of Hungry Hippos gone wild. Scatter various equipment throughout the gym. I use a variety of balls. This represents the mess the Roomba vacuum cleaners need to clean up. Each Roomba consists of a set of partners, a scooter board, and a laundry basket or bucket and a hula hoop to place collected balls in. One student sits with crossed legs on the scooter, holding a laundry basket upside-down. The other student is the Roomba’s motor. On the signal to go, the motor pushes the Roomba throughout the gym in an attempt to collect three balls. Once three balls are in the “vacuum bag,” the Roomba returns to their hula hoop to empty the bag. At this time, the two players switch roles and repeat.

Dice Doubles vs. Cone Flip

I use this as an instant activity for my 3rd-5th grade classes. Half the class receives two dice each and the other half each receives a cone. Players with the dice find a player with a cone to challenge.

• To face-off, each player MUST complete 10 Jumping jacks and a HANDSHAKE to begin (Every round begins this way).
• Which will happen first, roll doubles or a successful cone flip?
• Players trade equipment after each round and find someone else to challenge.

Will You Be my “PAL”- entine?

Although this game can be played at any time of the year, I use it as a Valentine’s Day game. It begins with a discussion on what it means to be a pal or a friend. A good pal will always be there for you in a time of need.

Cupid and his/her helper are on the loose and want to turn you into a chocolate heart. If tagged by Cupid or the helper, players turn into a solid chocolate heart by freezing with their arms over their heads in the shape of a heart. The spell is broken when another student with a ring asks, “Will you be my “PAL” – entine? Of course, the only answer is yes. The “proposer” places the ring on the other player’s arm and the game continues. The player who had the ring now has to avoid Cupid while the player with the ring seeks a solid chocolate heart to rescue. I play this game with 1st grade -5th grade with equal success. The smiles and laughter are incredible!

Hit or Miss Striking

Sometimes the simplest games are the best games. Hit or Miss is definitely one of those games. My students play this game to help reinforce striking fundamentals. Simply place a pin equidistant from each partner. Students take turns striking a ball at the pin. I encourage them to step to the target for accuracy.  Also, make sure students trap the ball each time with their paddle rather than striking the ball back and forth like a tennis rally.

Streets, Allies, and Lamp Posts

This is a game that’s been around forever and is not one of my originals. However, I decided to include it because of its whole class cooperative component and the fact that it can be played in a limited space.

Begin the game by creating several lines. For example, for a class of 25, make five lines of five. Or for a larger class of 40, make eight lines of five. Before playing the actual game, students practice three formations; streets, allies, and lamp posts. Students face forward with their arms holding each other’s wrist. These are the streets. On the signal, “allies”, students quickly turn to the left, holding the wrists of the people who were in front and in back of them. Students create lamp posts by either lifting their arms above their heads of by placing their arms to their sides. Practice, theses formations repeatedly by calling them out until the students can quickly change from streets to allies to lamp posts without hesitation.

Next, select a cat and a mouse. The cat chases the mouse throughout the streets, allies and lamp posts. When the cat catches the mouse, select two other students to chase each other. With my older students, I introduce a dog. The dog chases the cat who chases the mouse who chases the dog.

RING BEARER

Partners try to clear the poly spots from the floor while tossing and catching with a deck ring. If a ball is caught while standing on a spot, the spot is taken back to the home hoop. Partners alternate tossing and catching. Balls can be tossed from anywhere on the perimeter, not just from the home hoop. For my younger grades, I allow the ball to bounce once for a successful catch.

Jump Rope Tag

Jump Rope Tag is my go-to warm-up games during my jump rope unit. It’s simple, fun, and exhausting. I select two taggers per 20 students. If tagged, students go to one of two jump rope stations on either end of the floor to complete 10 jumps to shake the spell. Jump ropes can also be made into the shape of a heart on the floor to jump in and out of 10 times! I play one minute rounds, changing taggers each time.

Toss 12 TURBO!

Anybody who follows me knows that traditional Toss 12 is one of my favorite games. Toss 12 Turbo is just a faster, more aerobic version of the same game. Partners work together to try to be the first team to score 12 points. Here’s how:

• 1 point- ball in hoop/ cylinder still standing
• 2 points – cylinder falls/ ball stops outside the hoop
• 3 points – cylinder falls AND the ball stops inside the hoop
• Must score EXACTLY 12 to win the round.

Beachball in a Basket

I love the cooperative component of this game as well as its versatility.

How to play:

• Spread out the laundry baskets, each with a beachball.
• Send 3-4 students to each basket.
• Students attempt to strike the beachball five times before guiding it into the basket.
• Each student must touch the ball at least once before it can be guided into the basket.

Depending on your group, you can instruct your students to use anything but their arms and hands.

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There you have it! My 10 Random yet SUREFIRE games for PE. Give a few of them a try and let me know what you think!

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Category: Physical Education Tags: pe games , Random games for pe

One Comment on “ 10 Surefire games for PE – Easy to play, loads of fun! ”

Amazing ideas!!!! Thanks for always sharing and especially for caring about lifetime fitness for our kids.

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PE lessons with little or no equipment

No equipment, no problem! 

We all know that sinking feeling when you realise you can’t find the PE shed key, or someone has “borrowed” all the footballs. Here are a few ideas for when you’ve got a class ready for PE and absolutely no equipment. 

All these activities can be used inside or outside. 

The class sits in a circle, everyone cross-legged with their arms round each other’s shoulders. At a signal, they all try to stand up without breaking hold. This also works well in smaller groups, perhaps building up to the whole class. 

Speed Bounce  

Children choose a line or a mark on the floor. At a signal, they jump from one side to the other, counting how many bounces they can make before they are told to stop. 

Put the children in pairs and sit them down in two lines facing each other with legs outstretched, forming a “ladder”. Give each pair a number. When you call their number, the pair must step over the other children’s legs to get to the end of the ladder, run around the ladder and then step over the legs to get back to their places.  Make sure there is enough space between the pairs for children to move safely and emphasise the need to move sensibly and to sit sensibly! 

Put the children into pairs, face to face. Children put their hands out, palms facing but not touching.  Partner 1 moves their hand and partner 2 copies, then swap. 

Mark your partner  

Put the children into pairs. One is the leader; one is the follower. The follower must try to stay close enough to the leader to touch them on the shoulder, without touching them. The children move around the space. When the teacher says “freeze!” the follower checks to see if they can still touch the leader on the shoulder. Then swap roles. 

High jump practice  

Put the children in pairs, next to a wall. In turns, jump as high as they can, reach up and touch the wall. Ask the children to devise a way of measuring the height jumped (this is easier with a brick wall) One partner jumps 3 times in succession, their partner coaches them, then they swap. 

Standing long jump practice  

Put the children in pairs and ask them to stand on a line. Partner one jumps as far as they can from the line. Partner 2 stands where Partner 1 landed. Partner 1 returns to the line, takes one step to the side (this is quite important) and jumps again, trying to beat their previous distance. 

Slow Race  

Line the children up facing forward. Decide on a finish line. The winner is the child who reaches the line last without stopping moving. If a child is seen to stop moving, they are out and must move to the side. They then become a judge, looking out for other people have stopped moving! No bumping or pushing allowed. This is a nice calming cool down activity. 

Extensions Ideas  

Set the children the challenge of devising a new game or activity in pairs or groups of 4. Explain their game to another pair or group. 

The games that I am going to describe can be played with partners, in groups, or as a whole class, with or without gym equipment. 

The main skills I want students to demonstrate when they play these games are  co-operation, sportsmanship and enjoyment .

Here's How to Navigate an Unfamiliar Staffroom

1. Catch the Cane  

Have the students form a circle or divide the class in two and make two circles. Each student has a number from 1 to the end. 

One student is “It” and stands in the middle of the circle holding a cane or meter stick with one end on the floor. This student calls out one of the numbers and let’s go of the cane. 

The student whose number was called, must catch the cane before it falls to the floor. If s/he fails, s/he becomes “It”.  

2. Overpass  

Divide the class into 2 even teams (or 4 for a large class and run two games simultaneously). 

Team 1 forms a circle and each member of team 2 stands between two members of team 1. 

A team 1 member holds a ball (volleyball, soccer ball, football, etc.) and a member of team 2 holds the same type of ball (differentiate the balls, colour, etc.). 

On the word “go”, each team member passes their ball to their team member on their right (or left). The team that completes the full circle with their ball gets a point. 

The teacher can vary the game by calling out, “circle” (the student with the ball must run around the circle before passing the ball) or “zig-zag” or “bounce the ball”, etc. I’m sure you get the idea. It’s great fun.  

3. Bounce Change  

Have students form two lines (the red team and the blue team) behind two leaders about 15 feet apart. Each student in each line gets a number from 1 to the end. 

Place a hula hoop at opposite ends of each team’s line. Place a blue ball in one hoop and a red ball in the other hoop. 

When the teacher calls out a number, the two students with that number must run to a hoop, get their team’s colour ball and bounce it to the other team’s hoop. 

In the meantime, the leader of each team, has their team form and sit in a circle. Once the student place the ball in the other team’s hoop, he returns and sits in his team’s circle. The first team all sitting gets a point. 

The game continues with the teacher calling out a different number.  

4. Stretched Baseball  

Play this game on a baseball diamond or line up 4 bases about 10 feet apart with the first base being about 25 feet from home plate. 

Divide the class into two teams, one team at bat and the other in the field. Each player gets a turn at bat instead of 3 outs. 

Rather than a baseball, you can use a beach ball or T-ball for primary grade students or kick a soccer ball. If the fielding player throws the ball past home plate before the runner reaches home, the runner is out. 

Count runs just as in baseball.  

5. The Oyster Shell  

Divide the class into two teams (“X” and “Y”) and have them stand along two parallel lines with a space of 10 feet between the lines. This space is neutral territory. 

Each team has a goal line some distance back from their parallel line. 

The teacher, standing in the neutral area, tosses the oyster shell (use a bean bag with a taped “X” on one side and “Y” on the other) into the air. If it lands with the “X” side up, the “X” team members must run back to their goal line before a “Y” team member tags (captures) them. 

The “Y” team scores a point for each “X” team member captured. The first team to reach a certain score or with the most points after a certain time win.  

6. Treasure Chase  

Students line up behind a line with hands folded so that there is a small opening at the top of their hands. 

One student faces the line with a small treasure (stone, piece of chalk, etc.) in his folded hands. 

The student with the treasure starts at either end of the line and puts his hands over each student’s hands as if to drop the treasure into them. 

One student does get the treasure and waits until he thinks no one is watching him. At that point he runs toward a goal line at the far end of the gym or field. 

If he reaches the goal line without being tagged hew wins. If he’s tagged, the tagger gives out the treasure for the next game.  

7. The Mouse Trap  

Half of the class join hands and form a large circle. 

The other half of the class are mice and run in and out of the circle. 

On a signal from the teacher, the trap closes (students drop arms and squat). 

All mice caught in the trap are out. Repeat until all the mice are caught and then switch the mice and the students forming the trap. 

This  website  has some brilliant lesson plans and activities for you to bookmark and explore further.

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Top 6 Games to Play Physically Distant with No Equipment

• March 25, 2021

As more and more schools transition back to in-person learning, we know educators are looking for games that are physically-distant and don’t require equipment. The need for play is more important than ever due to the isolation that our kids have endured during COVID-19. Play encourages creativity, flexibility, teamwork, and other critical social skills.

We’ve applied our 25 years of experience to adapting some of our favorite games to the current context. See our pro-tips below to understand how to easily transition these games to fit your needs today.

2) RO-SHAM-BO RELAY

Pro Tip : Remind students to stay six feet apart even when they are playing Rock, Paper, Scissors. Use this game as a tool to teach conflict resolution to your students!

3) ANIMAL KINGDOM

Pro Tip : This game can also be played virtually or with students sitting at their desks. Rather than tapping on the yardstick, either chat with the student who should make the sound or point to the student!

4) ZIP ZAP ZOP

Pro Tip: Set cones out six feet apart where you want kids to stand so the play space is large enough to have students physically distanced from each other.

5) DETECTIVE FROG

Pro Tip : Detective Frog is a version of Poison Dart Frog and can be played virtually or physically distanced in person. 

Variation for playing with masks:

• Instead of sticking out their tongue, the poison dart frog uses a different motion agreed upon by the group, such as pointing.

The poison dart frog uses private chat to “attack” the other players by sending a private message that says, “nom nom.”

If the player is attacked, they must do a dramatic “You got me!” and duck down.

The detective has 2 guesses to find out who is the poison dart frog.

6) JOURNEY AROUND THE WORLD

Pro Tip : Have the students have to travel from one end of a space to the other in order to promote a lot of movement. 

Interested in more games and Brain Breaks that work with virtual delivery? Subscribe to Keep Playing and receive weekly emails with curated content to help incorporate play in your school days. 

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PE Activities Without Equipment

• Doug Curtin
• October 27, 2022

No equipment, no problem. PE teachers can choose from endless PE activities without equipment. We share six examples of fitness-focused pe activities without equipment and provide a downloadable PDF of even more lessons for your physical education class.

Benefits of PE Activities Without Equipment

Whether you have an endless closet of equipment or limited equipment, there are still benefits of incorporating pe activities without equipment.

First and foremost, PE activities without equipment can teach students lifelong fitness skills they can do anywhere and anytime. Outside of school, many students will not have access to equipment for exercise. By teaching PE activities without equipment, students can learn different exercise and workout routines that they can do at home, outside, at a park, or anywhere there is space.

Secondly, equipment in class requires set up and clean up. If you are on a time crunch for physical education class, pe activities without equipment can let you get right to work and spend more time moving and active.

Lastly, you might have a large class and not enough equipment for everyone. Many teachers will consider splitting the class into two more manageable small groups. One group does a pe activity with equipment, while the other does an activity without equipment. This is an excellent strategy for managing a large class size that we know many PE teachers face!

Fitness-Focused PE Activities Without Equipment

As more schools transition from a games to a fitness-focused curriculum model, questions circulate around what equipment is needed. While things like jump ropes, dumbbells, med balls, barbells, cardio equipment, and machines are nice to have, they are not need to haves for physical activity and fitness.

There are endless hours of simple, fun fitness workout s that can be achieved without any equipment. Different topics and units for fitness-focused pe activities without equipment, include:

Foundational Fitness (Bodyweight exercises)

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6 Examples of PE Activities Without Equipment

Drawing from the examples above, let’s check out 6 sample pe activities without equipment. All of the lessons and activities come from the PLT4M library. PLT4M has over 30 different modules with hundreds of lesson plans. Teachers can tap into programs that require no equipment, limited equipment, or a full weight room from this wide variety of lessons. No matter what your space or situation, PLT4M has you covered!

1) Foundational Fitness

While we are often eager to get students into a fitness center or weight room, there is so much to learn with just bodyweight exercises. In foundational fitness lessons, students can develop fundamental movement patterns like the squat, lunge, hinge, press, and pull.

Here in this lesson, there is a lot to accomplish! The goals of this lesson include:

• Introduce the Foundational “Squat” pattern through a bodyweight “Air Squat”
• Introduce the Hip “Hinge” movement pattern through a bodyweight “Good Morning”
• Introduce the concept of “Supersets”
• Practice Movement Patterns & Develop Work Capacity

All of these goals can be accomplish in any space or place. Students spend a great deal of time learning and developing bodyweight movement patterns before ever wanting or need equipment.

2) Fitness Anywhere 

After students have developed the foundational skills of fitness, they might be eager to tackle more challenging workouts. If you cannot get into a weight room or fitness center, but want to keep challenging students, fitness anywhere lessons offer a great next step for students to keep building their skills.

Each of these workouts has been programmed with the intention of being something ANYONE could complete ANYWHERE – aka without any sort of equipment at hand. We will at times recommend the use of household objects like sofas and chairs, or suggest trying to get outside to run, but for the most part everything is doable in the comfort of your own home, the gymnasium, or really anywhere with some space.

Often students will want to explore different types of fitness and exercise. One of the most popular non-equipment options is yoga. Of course, it would be ideal to have some sort of yoga mat or towel, but yoga workouts can also be completed on any soft surface like a gym floor or outside. 

Each yoga session begins with a guided warm up and an opportunity for students to check-in mentally and physically to the day’s lesson. Each lesson will follow a traditional yoga flow and move throughout an entire 30-minute workout. Lessons will also introduce 2-3 movement/pose variations embedded directly within the longer flows. 

Although boxing workouts often incorporate a punching bag, this is another option when looking for PE activities without equipment.

Each workout is a total body workout! Odd rounds (1,3,5,7) consist of boxing exercises. Students will be instructed to practice different combinations and can practice at their own pace or follow along with Sean, our instructor. Even rounds (2,4,6,8) consist of bodyweight circuits. The 8th round wraps up with a core cashout. We occasionally switch up the format (boxing/fitness) of the rounds but always follow an 8-round workout. 

What better way to get moving and exercise than dance? So don’t leave this one out of your catalog when looking for PE activities without equipment.

Dance fitness is for everyone! Dance is an excellent type of exercise for any student, regardless of dance experience or fitness level. Whether you feel like you have two left feet or want to take your talents to Broadway, you will enjoy these upbeat training sessions. If you feel a little silly dancing, no worries, just move and groove! 

In each lesson, you can expect some of the same consistent things. In each workout, we will warm up for roughly 5 minutes of dynamic movements! After that, we will learn our moves in sequential order, building one new move on top of the other until we have learned all eight moves. Following a short break, we will dive into the total cardio effort to groove through all eight moves in order. Lastly, we will cool down through more static stretching that will allow us to bring our heart rate down and get ready to move on with our day. 

6) Stretching & Mobility

PE activities without equipment don’t all have to be high intensity workouts. Like yoga earlier, stretching and mobility lessons are a great way to introduce students to a form of low-impact exercise and movement.

In these lessons, we aim to improve our flexibility through the use of static stretching. Why? Muscles all have a set length, but for a myriad of reasons like injury or poor posture, they often lose the ability to stretch to full length. This program aims to take the first step toward improving joint mobility by ensuring that our muscles can stretch to their functional limits. 

But What About PE Games With No Equipment?

Although we have spent most of this article focusing on fitness-focused activities, there are also endless PE games with no equipment. Just because schools are transitioning to a fitness-focused curriculum doesn’t mean students at every grade level don’t want to play some of their favorite games. There are all sorts of different versions of fun games that physical education can include throughout the school year.

For younger students, physical education teachers might prioritize more games. But for older students, PE games might be a reward for hard work throughout the week, IE: “Fun Fridays.”

Whether you are looking to put a fun twist on a classic game like “Fishy Fishy Cross My Ocean” or want to try a new fun game with your group, check out the list of some of the very best articles highlight PE games with no equipment:

28 Best PE Games With Absolutely No Equipment

18 Fun PE Games Needing No Equipment 

No Equipment Games and Activities For PE 

Small Space Games: No Gym, No Field, No Problem!

Key Takeaways on PE Activities Without Equipment

Don’t let a lack of equipment get in the way of a great PE class. Whether you never have equipment or lose your gym space because of other school activities throughout the school year, there are plenty of PE activities without equipment. 

As you start using different PE activities without equipment, consider small additions that can go a long way. Getting equipment like PVC pipes, yoga mats, jump ropes, and med balls can be a low-cost, high return investment. Better yet, many different grants for physical education to help purchase these various items.

Not sure where to start? Reach out to PLT4M, and we will provide a free consultation on how to maximize your PE class no matter what amount of equipment, space, or budget you have!

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46 Unique Phys Ed Games Your Students Will Love

Get your steps in!

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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No Equipment? No Problem!

Download 20 super fun  games to get your kids running, jumping, laughing and playing.

Looking for  fun and engaging ways to get your kids moving... without the need for traditional PE equipment?

Try our No Equipment PE Games!

This resource is jam-packed with 20 exciting games you can play with no equipment at all. All the games are simple to set up and TONS of fun to play. 

Making it perfect for schools, community centers, youth groups, families, or anyone who wants to have active fun with kids!

Easy to Set Up. No Equipment Needed. Guaranteed Fun for Your Kids.

Each game includes a detailed plan that's easy for anyone to follow. Including skills to emphasize, group size recommendations, step by step instructions and modifications.

You'll Get Instant Access to 20 Printable Game Sheets

Every game is designed for maximum FUN while being EASY to teach.

Rumble Relay

Back-2-back, tag team relay, mirror, mirror, locomotion commotion, calisthenics corner, rock, paper, scissor jumping jacks, creature crawl, escape and evade, fishy fiasco, boogie breakout, cardio freeze, no-rope jump rope, the zen zone, wheelbarrow  warriors, birthday brigade, scuttlebutts, number ninjas, more than 34,392 parents, teachers and coaches trust the american coaching academy, ready to use.

"GREAT ready-to-use resources.  They provide a variety of themed and seasonal activities that you just need to print and/or display.  They kids love them and they are super easy for you as the teacher/coach!"

Barbara Faulkner

Elementary PE Teacher

No More Searching

"No more searching all over the internet, trying to get the material you need, you can get it all here! I would recommend these to any and EVERY coach and parent out there, whether it's for P.E., sports, or just looking for fun activities that will get your kids up and moving!"

Mike Peters

Fortitude Athletic Development and Nutrition

Easy to Set Up

"The lessons and activities are so simple and easy to set up. If you print out the papers, it makes it super easy for a substitute to follow with the step by step instructions and pictures."

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Bradenton, Florida

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"An enormous selection of Physical activities for students of all ages.  As a retired secondary maths teacher often doing relief in primary schools with no experience whatsoever in teaching PE the resources I have got from them are invaluable."

Joan Manson

Waverley, New Zealand

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"I have an entire 3 inch binder dedicated to the American Coaching Academy lessons that I use within my physical education program.  My students LOVE everything I have used.  I highly recommend checking them out to all my colleagues!"

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Upper Sandusky, Ohio

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PE by Design

For Elementary Schools

5 PE Activities That Require No Equipment, For K–5 Classroom Teachers

For many classroom teachers the thought of hauling equipment out and setting it up is a huge roadblock to teaching physical education. It’s enough to prevent some teachers from trying altogether. To counter their concerns, I tell them to focus on activities that use minimal equipment.

Are you wondering how to deal with this issue? Rest assured, there are plenty of fitness-based activities that require little or no equipment.

When you begin teaching PE, I recommend that you just bring your students out to the yard without equipment. Make things as easy as possible. Focus on simple activities, such as running. Once you are comfortable taking your students out, and the simple routine seems familiar and manageable, try adding activities that require equipment.

Here are 5 free activities for classroom teachers from the PE by Design website that require no equipment.  Click on the link to view and download the activity PDF:

•   The Big Tie  (2-5)
• Copycat Run (2-5)
• Bear Greetings (K-5)
• Foursquare Tag (1-5)
• Amoeba Tag (2-5)

Author: mgardner123

Author of the PE by Design program. I'm passionate about helping K-5 classroom teachers teach physical education. View all posts by mgardner123

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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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24 Fun & Inclusive PE Games High Schoolers Love

These inclusive high school PE games are all about fun and fitness.

Michele is a writer who has been published both locally and internationally.

Learn about our Editorial Policy .

Kate is an experienced writer who has written hundreds of articles for publication.

While we all tend to think of gym class as a time to exercise, it's also really a great opportunity for kids to have fun playing sports or other games. From the old favorites we've all played for years to new discoveries, there are so many fun PE games to choose from. We've rounded up some of the best here, so get ready to have a great time. 

Classic Fun Gym Games for High School Students

Over time as physical education programs grew and developed, a few standout games were introduced and became classics because of their wide appeal. People have been playing these for years for a reason, though. They really are super fun.

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There are a ton of reasons to play dodgeball. Gym class dodgeball is highly competitive, requires little equipment, and involves the whole class simultaneously.

The point of the game is to eliminate all the players on the other team by hitting them with a ball or catching a ball they throw. There are two teams with any number of players and only a few balls in play to make the game challenging.

What's fun about dodgeball is you get to hit your friends, or enemies, with a flying object with the permission of a teacher. If you have a teacher who likes to play, it's also fun when the class teams up to get them out.

Relay Races

A relay race is a small team activity with endless possibilities (and lots of potential for hilarity). Essentially, you need at least two teams, each with at least two people. The more teams and players, the more fun and competitive the game.

One player at a time completes their designated leg of the race, then tags the next teammate to complete their leg, and so on until the entire team finishes. Relay races can feature straight running or include a variety of activities like crawling, skipping, and walking backward. Fun Attic offers more than 10 ideas for funny and entertaining relay races like ones using tricycles, balloons, and bananas.

To play handball, you need a large gymnasium with lots of open wall space and some handballs. You can work on handball skills and play games on an individual basis or in groups — whatever works for your situation. Teens use only their hands to hit the ball toward the wall and then keep hitting it back as it bounces off the wall. This coordination game is fun because it involves an individual challenge, and the repetition can be addicting.

Four Square

Everyone remembers this recess favorite! This game is exactly as it sounds, made up of four squares. All you need to make a court is some tape and space where you can tape down a grid featuring four equal, intersecting squares.

The goal is for an individual player to get others out and advance to the fourth square, which is the highest level. There is one game ball that you try to bounce inside another square without the person in that square hitting another square.

Any number of kids can play Four Square because it is super fast-paced and features a line for waiting players who enter the game when someone gets out. This game is really simple to play, but it's highly addictive, which makes it fun.

This version of kickball is a team game that leaves room for individual skills and preferences. Instead of standard bases, Matball uses large gym mats as bases because multiple players can be on a base at one time.

There are two teams — one starts as the kicking team, and the other in the outfield. Each kicking player advances to the first mat and then decides on each teammate's turn whether they think they can make it to the next base without getting out. The team with the most runs at the end of the game wins. Teens have the most fun when they work as a team and run the bases in a large group or create distractions to get the fastest players home.

Obstacle Course

If you want an individual activity, obstacle courses are a great way to encourage each student's skill set. Basically, you want to create a course with various obstacles, then time each person as they attempt to complete the course.

Classic obstacles include crawling through tunnels, funny walks like the crab walk, and zig-zagging through a line of cones. Picking up a bunch of small objects, jumping over something, or having to do the limbo under a bar or rope can also be great.

To get everyone involved in the obstacle course, ask kids to brainstorm obstacles ahead of time. They'll come up with some hilarious ideas, and everyone will have even more fun playing this PE game.

Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag has many versions, but the basic indoor game is like a team game of tag. Each team tries to steal the flag(s) of the other team before theirs gets stolen. To make the game more exciting, start with at least four teams instead of the traditional two. Give each team more than one flag and rule that only one flag can be taken at a time or include bonus point items.

Traditional Sports

There's no reason to leave the classic sports out of PE — after all, these are games too. Comprehensive physical education programs typically involve individual fitness, cooperative games, and an introduction to classic sports . Depending on your specific facilities, include some of the traditional high school PE games:

• Basketball - Learn the basic rules of this two-team game from Basketball Breakthrough .
• Volleyball - The Art of Coaching Volleyball offers standard gameplay and setup, along with relevant terminology.
• Baseball - Dummies.com gives you the simplest breakdown of the complicated rules in this outdoor game.
• Soccer - Learn the history, basic rules , and team strategies of gym class soccer.
• Football - Standard football rules are often modified in gym class with no tackling, like in Flag Football .
• Swimming - Groups with access to a swimming pool teach everything from basic strokes to pool exercises to group water games .
• Lacrosse - When played in PE classes, the game uses modified equipment and lacrosse rules .

If you use some traditional sports, be sure to focus on inclusion and mixing things up. By the time kids reach high school, they've had a chance to experience several sports either as players or spectators. Teens who are die-hard athletes or passionate about a specific sport find these traditional games fun and exciting, but teens who aren't as active may struggle to enjoy competitive sports.

Modern Favorite PE Games for High School

Inclusion is the name of the game these days with PE. In recent years, physical education class standards across the country have seen major changes. The new focus is on promoting health for all kids, not just the ones who excel at or love sports. Teachers now look for ways to encourage individual participation in activities selected by each student or group games with less competition.

These modern games are super fun for everyone, no matter their skill level.

Ultimate Frisbee

With gameplay similar to football, basketball, and soccer, Ultimate Frisbee is a non-contact team sport using a frisbee in place of a ball.

To play, you'll need a large open area like a football field. The best aspects of this game are that anyone can play, and teamwork is essential. To score, teams need to utilize all of their players because once you have the frisbee you can only pivot, not run. The lack of contact also prevents injuries and levels the playing field for kids who aren't as classically athletic.

Frisbee Golf

This slow-paced game is played just as it sounds. Like golf, there are designated "holes," a target of some kind like a safety cone or a tree, you try to hit with a frisbee in the least number of throws possible. Frisbee golf works best in a large outdoor area but can be played inside a large gymnasium.

Those with limited resources can designate found objects like trees and fences as holes outside or tape spots on the wall around the gym indoors. This is an individual game with an element of totally friendly competition when teens play against each other for the lowest score.

A combination of tennis and ping-pong, this super popular and active game features simple rules and a slower pace great for people of all ages and skill levels.

To play you need a court similar to a tennis court with a net, pickleball paddles, and the ball which resembles a whiffle ball. Play a singles game or play with a small team. Teens will feel like they're in a giant-sized ping-pong game.

• 20 Benefits of Pickleball That'll Convince You to Start Playing

When Capture the Flag mixes with a snowball fight, you get Yuki Ball. Based on a Japanese game, teams hide behind barriers and launch small softballs to protect their flag and steal the other team's flag. To play, you need to buy a Yuki Ball kit for around $900 that includes balls, barriers, pinnies, and buckets. Or you can construct your own from things you have in the gym — make your own set with cardboard box barriers and wool dryer balls or the fake snowballs you find around winter in stores.

Two teams of up to seven people each can play at one time, but you can have more than one game going at a time in a gym. Keep score and have fun.

Hunger Games Gym Class Competition

Tie in pop culture with your curriculum when you include this fun game inspired by The Hunger Games novels and movies. The main goal is to be the last person standing in the game. To do this, you'll need to avoid getting hit by "weapons" like dodgeballs and pool noodles wielded by other players. The Hunger Games Competition can be played in a gym, in several rooms, or outdoors.

To start, all the "weapons" are placed in the center of the room and the players are placed in a circle at equal distances from the center. Teens can try to get a "weapon" or choose to run away. Each person hangs a bandana or flag from their waist that, when pulled off, eliminates them from the game. If a person gets hit with a weapon, they aren't out of the game, but they do lose the use of whatever body part got hit for the rest of the game.

Hoop Scrabble

You know how it's great when one game tackles multiple learning areas? This high-paced game gets the whole class moving at once, requires cooperative teamwork, and incorporates other areas of learning.

In Hoop Scrabble , you form small teams and give each a hula hoop to place on the ground in their designated area around the perimeter of the gym. Dump a ton of small balls, like tennis or ping-pong balls, in the center of the room. Teams then have to collect balls and spell a word inside their team's hoop before any other team does or before anyone steals their balls.

What's great about this creative game is teens don't need to be athletic to have fun playing. Once all the balls have been collected, teams start stealing from each other, which makes the game more fun.

This fun PE game is super simple and doesn't require a ton of equipment. You'll need three red dodgeballs. To play, give a dodgeball to each of three kids and tell them to start tagging people. If they hit someone with the ball, that person is temporarily out and should sit down and cover their face.

For tagged kids to get back in the game, another student needs to stand behind them and say the words "Guess who." If the tagged person can guess who is standing behind them just from their voice, they are back in. Keep playing until everyone is out.

Originally a tailgating game, cornhole is awesome in PE class too. Most of the kids probably already know how to play, but you can refresh them on the rules of cornhole if you need to.

You use cornhole boards (or tape out a "board" on the gym floor) and try to see which team can score the highest. Teams take turns tossing bean bags into the hole of the board. Those who make it in the hole are worth three points, and those who land on the board are one. The team that hits 21 points first is the winner.

Original PE Games

Sometimes the best gym games are the ones you and the teens create, so get creative with the old games to make something totally new. These are a few ideas to take inspiration from traditional or classic PE games for high school and make them unique using special equipment or rules.

Shape Shifter

Think of this as an advanced form of following the leader. You don't need any equipment — just an open space, and some creative, willing kids. Divide the group into teams of at least five people on each team and set each team in a line, one person behind the next. Teams will jog together staying in a line. The teacher will call out "Shape Shift" at various points and teams must react appropriately at that time.

To start, the first person in each line forms a shape or pose with his arms and everyone in line holds the same position as they start to jog. When you call out "Shape Shift" the second person in each line forms a new arm pose and all other team members copy it. To do this, the first person in line will need to turn around and will be jogging backward for the rest of the game. Repeat these actions until the entire team is turned backward. This is a fun, non-competitive game.

Flag team is an individualized version of Capture the Flag. Give each student a designated spot in the gym with a hula hoop on the floor and a flag in the middle of the hoop. The goal is for each person to protect their flag but also steal at least one other flag. If your flag is stolen, you choose another person who still has their flag to join. You cannot steal any more flags once you are out, but you can help the other person defend theirs.

The rules are simple in terms of offense and defense. You cannot stand inside your hoop or anyone else's. To stop someone from stealing your flag, you must tag them on the back only. If you get tagged on the back by any player at any point in the game, you are out.

Get Your Game On

Everyone has a different definition of fun. It's awesome to create a physical education class inclusive of every kid when you choose a wide variety of games. The only true way to know if teens will like a game is to try it out, so introduce some new games and see which ones become favorites with your group.

8 Great Outdoor PE Games for Kids

By MK Editor, May 23, 2021

This post is brought to you by CROSSNET, a four-way volleyball net that was designed with the physical education teacher in mind. With just a click of a button and detachment of poles you can easily set up your net to be a variety of heights. This provides gym teachers and volleyball coaches with easy flexibility allowing them to use CROSSNET with both their younger and older students.

There are so many classic outdoor Physical Education games (soccer, kickball, flag football…) that are great for getting kids moving while encouraging teamwork and strategy along with strength and endurance. But that doesn’t mean you have to keep it classic every time the bell rings. Here are eight of the best outdoor PE games, using balls, beanbags, flags, hula hoops or no equipment at all, for keeping things fresh and fun on days when it’s time to head outside and team sports just won’t cut it.

1. Freeze Tag

Great for any age group, freeze tag is just like regular tag, except when a student is tagged, they must freeze with their feet planted widely apart; then they can be unfrozen only when another student crawls through their legs. Teachers can support group cooperation by encouraging students to unfreeze as many of their classmates as possible, and even award points to students who do the unfreezing.

2. Crazy Hoops

While this game works great as an indoor gym activity, it can be even more fun outdoors, where there is plenty of room plus more potential for obstacles and twists. In Crazy Hoops, students build teamwork and strategy skills along with math skills as they work together to grab colored beanbags from a central location and bring them back to drop into their team’s hula hoop. The teacher assigns point values to each color of bean bag: five points for beanbags that match the team’s hula hoop color, ten points for other colors, and one point for white, for example.

If your students are working on fractions or negative numbers, you can incorporate those skills as well (purple beanbags are worth -10 points, for example, or each purple beanbag divides the team’s total points by two).

There are also numerous ways to add twists to this game: You can allow students to use a turn to grab a beanbag from an opponent’s hula hoop and drop it back into the main pile, or instead of locating the main pile in a central spot, divide the beanbags by color and locate the piles in several different areas that students will have to run, climb or crawl to reach.

3. Capture the Flag

This game is great fun when played the traditional way, with two teams, each with its own territory, and one flag per team to guard or steal. Capture the Flag gets even more fun, however, when you switch things up.

Try selecting one spy per team, secretly and at random, who gets one chance to steal the flag belonging to their supposed team and bring it back to their actual team.

Or, for a fast-paced twist, use balls instead of flags and incorporate rules about throwing the “flag” to teammates in order get it back to the home base as quickly as possible. If you have a large PE class, try playing a chaos version of the game by dividing the field or court into multiple sections and having the same number of teams and flags compete for the win.

4. Frisbee Golf

Have students throw soft foam flying discs into buckets, baskets, cardboard boxes and other goals positioned all around your outdoor playing space. This game can be played by taking turns in a big group or in teams, and you can incorporate extra rules, such as having students dance in place for five seconds if they don’t land the frisbee in the goal in three or fewer tries.

5. CROSSNET

This four-square version of volleyball is a super-fun take on the traditional game. Incredibly easy to set up, with adjustable height levels for any age group, it’s a blast for kids from elementary up through high school. CROSSNET targets throwing and catching skills and helps kids develop their hand-eye coordination, while tapping into their competitive natures. It doesn’t take up a lot of room, making it perfect for days when you’re setting up stations outdoors for students to cycle through.

You may also interested in the Best Indoor PE Games for Kids .

6. Hopscotch

This classic game offers great plyometric exercise and balance training along with silly fun. Multiple teams of three or four students each can play at once on multiple hopscotch grids, racking up cumulative team points and competing to win.

It’s easy to switch things up in hopscotch to keep everyone engaged. For example, instead of writing numbers in the squares, have students draw animals, like cats, dogs and frogs, or write down the names of exercises, like jumping-jacks, squats and high-knees, in the squares. When students toss a marker onto a square, they have to make the corresponding animal sound or perform repetitions of the specified exercise before they can begin hopping.

Another twist is partner hopscotch, in which two students hopping along two grids drawn close together must hold hands as they strive to hop with balance and accuracy.

7. Topple Ball

Divide students into teams of four, and set up one cone per team with a tennis or Wiffle ball balanced on top. Have students take turns rolling other balls toward the cones, trying to topple them over. When the ball on top falls, the student who toppled it must try to chase it down and grab it within five seconds to win a point for their team. They also must set up the cone and ball on top for the next teammate to take their turn.

8. Beanbag Relay

Students develop teamwork along with speed and agility in a beanbag relay, which can be held on an outdoor track or blacktop, in an open field, or in nearly any other outdoor space. Set out cones or other markers, divide students into teams, and give each team three beanbags. Teams line up at the starting point with their beanbags, and the first runner from each team runs with one beanbag to drop it at the first marker. Then they race back to grab a second beanbag and run it to the second marker, and finish up by repeating with the third beanbag and marker. When they return to the starting point, they tag the second runner’s hand so the second runner can retrieve all the beanbags in reverse — racing to the first marker, grabbing the beanbag and running it back to the starting line, racing back to the second marker for the second beanbag, and so on.

Bonus: Fartlek Runs

Marathon Kids is all about running, but not necessarily about speed. We believe in getting kids moving by motivating them to cover cumulative distances over time, but we don’t really care about how fast they go — unless they or their coaches want to work on developing their speed. If you have students in track or who are simply interested in improving their running speed and endurance, Fartlek runs are a great way to kick things up a notch.

No, Fartlek training isn’t a PE game, per se — and yes, you’ll have to allow your students extra giggle time to adjust to the silly-sounding name (“fartlek” is a Swedish word that means “speed play”). But soon they’ll recognize the serious fun that Fartlek runs can be. Whereas regular interval training has runners recover between higher-intensity intervals by walking or even stopping altogether, Fartlek training has athletes continue running at a steady pace between bursts of speed, which helps condition both the body and the mind to build speed and endurance. Best of all, the natural challenge and variations inherent in Fartlek training can keep students motivated and engaged.

ABOUT MARATHON KIDS

Marathon Kids is on a mission to get kids moving. The nonprofit organization offers physical education programming and tools through Marathon Kids Connect, a FREE, cloud-based platform that makes tracking and reporting on kids’ physical activity simple.

Make Marathon Kids Your PE Partner 

Sign up to stay connected with Marathon Kids

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Grades 3-5 Virtual Curriculum Outline with No Equipment For Physical Education SHAPE Standard 3: FREE

Struggling to teach virtual physical education classes? Look no further than Detroit Physical Educations free no equipment virtual PE curriculum outline for grades 3-5.

• Virtual Curriculum Outline for K-2
• Virtual Curriculum Outline for Middle School

I have taken the  SHAPE America   standard 3,  The physically literate individual demonstrates the knowledge and skills to achieve and maintain a health-enhancing level of physical activity and fitness , and created a full no equipment virtual curriculum outline for grades 3-5 PE teachers. With all of the resources out there, I wanted to take my favorite ones and compress them into a neat and organized layout.

You’ll be able to use this virtual curriculum outline as a guide to set your students up to understand the importance of health and fitness while having fun. All the videos included do not require equipment, making the content doable for ALL learners.

KEEP READING FOR YOUR FREE NO EQUIPMENT VIRTUAL 3rd-5th GRADE CURRICULUM OUTLINE PRESENTATION.

See how I set up my Google Classroom and layout my Google Meets for my K-8 students below:

• Virtual Physical Education Activities for Grades K-2
• Virtual Physical Education Activities for Grades 3-5

Virtual Physical Education Activities for Middle School

What’s included in your free no equipment virtual 3rd-5th grade pe curriculum.

My 76 slide outline contains 6 units:

• Introduction & Virtual Expectations
• Fitness Knowledge
• Health Related Fitness
• Skill Related Fitness
• Interval Training
• Health & Nutrition

Below are 9 examples of what your curriculum guide looks like:

Each slide or unit touches on standard 3 of SHAPE America for grades 3rd-5th. The slides are a detailed outline, so assessment and physical activity outside of your PE class will have to be added on your own.

For me, I only see my students once a week for 30 minutes. Moving into trimester two (December 7th), I will see my 3rd-5th graders two times a week. So the days I do not see them, they have assignments in their  Google Classroom (see here)  that relate to the other SHAPE standards and Grade Level Outcomes.

You will notice the first unit is Introduction & Expectations. These are my expectation for my classes. Yours may differ, but I included mine specifically to give you an idea of what I expect and how I grade.

Please feel free to use my slides, or use them as a guide to create your own expectations!

Free No Equipment Virtual Grades 3-5 Curriculum Below:

Free Virtual 3-5 curriculum outline

Google Slide Curriculum Outline

You can set your virtual classes up however you’d like, but what has been working for me is I start at slide one and work my way down each class. When it comes to the workout videos, we don’t complete the whole thing. I normally cap the videos at 20 minutes if they are longer than that.

But as you can see my students are learning lifelong fitness knowledge to help them live healthy lifestyles. Once they know and understand the basics, they can improve their fitness and sport skill levels.

SHAPE America Grade Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education PDF  is provided here to cross reference your GLO with your slides. Remember these curriculum slides are to be used as a guide, and to build off of them to enhance your student’s learning experience.  Outside physical activity  should be encouraged in order to hit those grade level outcomes.

Happy virtual PE teaching!!

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Author: Detroit PE

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• Physical education games and activities

No Equipment PE Games

100 Educational Games and Physical Education Activities

Touch the hearts of children with the game and enter the world of children. Believe that both you and the children will be happy. You can make children love sports with games. With the game, you can support the success of children. There are many games you can play now without sports equipment. We organized fun games for children to discharge their energies and relax. You can make your lesson more fun with many group games without material. 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’ll want to make sure to have some staples on hand like balls, Hula-Hoops, bean bags, and parachutes. Regardless of your students’ athletic abilities, there is something for everyone on our list of primary school, elementary school, middle school  and kindergarten PE games! There are many games where you can have a good time with children without equipment.                                                                                                    Pe Games without No Equipment

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