Trying to find ways to engage your physical education class? Here are some of our top fun PE games.
As a physical education teacher, it can be difficult to find ways to engage your middle school students with PE games and lessons. Want additional lesson plans that will help you leverage wearable technology to keep your students engaged? Become a part of the Smart PE™ movement with the Heart Zones Smart PE lesson plan book. Filled with over 20 lesson plans, this book will help guide your lesson plans that are designed to work with wearable technology. While you’re waiting on your Smart PE book, check out four of our staple PE games and learn how you can incorporate them into your curriculum.
1.) Relay Races
Entertaining, team-oriented, and fun for all, a relay race is one of our favorite PE games. It’s a perfect, small team activity that promotes team building which is important for middle school students to develop. To play, divide the class into at least two teams, each with a minimum of two people—but the more teams and players, the more engaging! Put a twist on the traditional rules by implementing new ways to race! For example, instead of running, try challenging the class to hop, skip, or walk backward to cross the finish line. Of all the physical education lessons, this one really gets hearts pumping and zones working, especially when using Heart Zones Move.
2.) Obstacle Course
Climb, jump, and crawl to get to the other side! Obstacle courses are among the most customizable PE games since the course depends on the equipment you have available, and what skill level you feel comfortable catering to. It’s also a great, timed individual exercise that can help middle school students establish baseline skills and fitness levels to monitor over time using their Heart Zones wearables. Fuse elements of other physical education lessons into your obstacle course by setting up tunnels, cones, hop scotch, ladders, hula hoops, balance beams, limbo sticks, and areas for jumping jacks or push-ups.
3.) Capture the Flag
Much like your typical game of tag, Capture the Flag is a fun physical education lesson that gets students’ hearts pumping and zones fluctuating. Divide the class into teams of at least four. Each team will try to steal another team’s flag before their own flag is stolen. Give each team more than one flag and instruct each team that they’re only permitted to steal one flag at a time for added competition. As far as PE games go, this one is a great go-to because it’s a fun way to be competitive at any fitness level!
4.) Ultimate Frisbee
We love PE games that help students who aren’t on extracurricular teams to understand the benefits of team sports like football or basketball. Ultimate Frisbee is comparable to football, basketball, and soccer, but plays by non-contact rules, which is great for reducing the risk of injury in physical education classes. To get started, grab a frisbee and head to a large, open area like a gymnasium or a football field. All players must work together to score because once the frisbee is passed to you, you can only pivot and pass—no running! This is one of the PE games that gets everyone moving during a game with familiar rules, making it an engaging activity for everyone involved.
Undoubtedly, it can be tough to get middle schoolers to have fun in physical education, but it’s crucial to get them involved in the Smart PE™ movement. Smart PE is personalizing and invidualizing fitness for every student through the Heart Zones School Solution to develop lifelong fitness habits. The Heart Zones School Solution combines technology and methodology to accurately grade every student’s effort. This solution is driven by Heart Zones Move, a simple, portable and customizable iPad enabled wearables system. Engage your students with these PE games while using Heart Zones Move to capture real data that makes physical education fair and measurable. Ready to take the leap and learn how to join the Smart PE™ movement?
Reach out to us with questions, or sign up for a free demo to see Heart Zones Move in action.