Warm Up PE Games
All of these games are designed to be played for between 5 and 10 minutes at the beginning or end of a PE period. When playing tag games, I like to use a specific colour dodgeball (ours is the “Evil Red Ball”), to distinguish who is “It.” This way, after a minute or so, you are able to blow the whistle, give the kids 5 seconds to give their ball to someone new, and re-start the game again with a totally different dynamic. Also, remember how much kids feed off of your energy! The goofy names for each game often lend themselves well to silly sounds, actions and movements. The more buy-in you give to the game, the more the kids will believe in what they are doing and want to play too!
Pirate Ship
Equipment: 3 different coloured hula hoops (i.e. blue, red, green), where you have 3-5 blue and red hoops, and everyone else in a green hoop. Description: Some people are doctors (blue hula hoops), some people are pirates (red hula hoops) and the rest are sailors...
Pirate Game
Equipment: A whole whack of tennis balls (or a bunch of soft balls). A container to hold the balls. Description: Pirates are outside the center circle in the gym, and the sailors are inside (with the container in the middle). Scatter the tennis balls all over the gym,...
Beanbag Dodgeball
Equipment: A whole bunch of beanbags. Description: Split the kids into two teams and put one on each side of the gym. You have to throw the beanbags on the ground and let them slide along the ground. You can not cross the center line unless you are hit. You are hit...
Hot Dog Tag
Equipment: 3-5 evil red balls. Description: Pick 3-5 people to be “it,” and give them evil red balls. If you are tagged, you lie down on the ground with your arms at your sides and legs together (you are a “wiener”). As you are lying there, you can yell: “I NEED...
Starfish Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. Description: Pick 2-5 people to be it, and give them evil red balls. If you get tagged, lay down and spread your arms and legs out like a starfish. To be saved, someone has to jump in and out of your legs 3 times.
Foot Ball Tag
Equipment: Enough tennis balls (or other bouncy balls), that every kid has one. Description: Everyone is on their own team. To tag someone, you have to throw your ball (or roll it), and hit someone else’s feet. If you get hit, you have to sit down and bounce your ball...
Everybody’s it tag
Equipment: NONE Description: Everyone is it. Each game lasts for 1-2 minutes. Make sure to define the playing area. If 2 people tag each other at the same time, then they cancel each other out and continue to play. If you get tagged, sit down where you are and wait...
Surfer Dude
Equipment: NONE Description: Have the kids pick a partner and face said partner at the center line. This game is like a live-action version of Rock-Paper-Scissors. For this game though, the kids pick surfer dude (one hand in front, one hand behind, pretending they are...
British Bulldog
Equipment: NONE Description: Have all the kids line up, shoulder to shoulder, at one end of the playing area. Put 1-3 kids in the middle of the playing area (these are the British Bulldogs). When the kids in the middle yell “British Bulldog,” all of the other kids...
Running on a Scream
Equipment: NONE Description: Line the kids up, shoulder to shoulder, at one end of the playing area. Tell them that when you say “Go,” they are allowed to start screaming and running. When their scream runs out, they must freeze, and can not take another breath. The...