physical education lesson plans for 1st grade

1st Grade Physical Education (PE) Lesson Plans

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

Three Legged Relay

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

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

The Human Body and Movement

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

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

Beanbag Relay

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

Cranes & Crows

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

Dessert Island Stream

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

Everyone’s It

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

Share this:

Lesson Plan Sections

• Environmental (1)
• Science (1)

P.E. Lessons

Physical education prepares children for an active and healthy life while improving self discipline and reducing stress. This section includes PE lessons from kindergarten through high school spanning different skill levels and objectives. Lessons are categorized by grade for easy retrieval. These lessons were created by real teachers working in schools across the United States. The section will continue to grow as more teachers like you share your lesson plans. We encourage you! Share your lessons plans Teacher.org, contact us .

Sponsored School(s)

P.e. environmental lesson plans, food chain tag.

Students will learn a brief background about energy transfer between the sun, producers, primary consumers, and secondary consumers. ½ of the students are primary consumers (plants) and ¼ of the students are primary consumers (rabbits) and ¼ of the students are secondary consumers (hawks).

P.E. P.E. Lesson Plans

Aces and exercise.

Using a deck of playing cards, the students will pick the number of reps for various exercises.  

And Freeze!

Students will practice listening skills and basic physical concepts as required in physical education class. Students will also work on balance and coordination.

Animal Laps

Combining information about the speed of animals, the students will run laps in the gym or outdoors.

Basketball Relay

Students will practice teamwork, dribbling, and shooting a basketball.

Bear Hunt Obstacle Course

This plan will combine reading with balance and coordination skills to allow students to navigate a simple obstacle course.

Boom Over Movement Game

Students will play a game in which they need to change direction quickly. Students are to pretend that they are on a sailboat that is in the middle of a storm. They will have to run and change direction based on verbal commands and duck quickly to avoid being hit by the imaginary boom.

Butterfly Stretches

This lesson is designed to help students learn the importance and reasons for exercise through multiple activities and discussions.

Coordination Course

This plan will allow students to practice coordination while staying physical.

Multi-Ball Basketball

The student will participate in a game of basketball using various sizes of available balls.

Music Movement

The students will move to the music based on its beat, words, tune, and other variables.

On Top of Spaghetti

Pe immigration.

The students will research games and activities from other countries to share during a PE class.

Pass It Off

This lesson will allow students to practice passing, dribbling, and bouncing skills using basketballs

Plate Aerobics

Students will practice basic aerobics moves while trying to stay positioned on paper plates, this aids in coordination.

Race to the Answer

This lesson will allow students to practice teamwork, basic math skills, and get exercise through a relay race. Note: Problems/difficulty level can be altered by grade

Ride ‘Em Cowboy/girl

This lesson will allow students to practice gross motor skills.  

Students will practice listening skills and basic physical concepts as required in physical education class.

Ski to the Finish Line

This plan will allow students to practice coordination while staying physical. Students will demonstrate moving straight, backwards, and in a zig-zag pattern.

The New PE Class

The students will create a PE activity to share and demonstrate to peers.

This lesson will allow students to practice teamwork and trust building, as well as working on directionality for younger students.

What Time is it FOX?

The students play a game where they practice different movements including jumping, galloping, skipping, running, jogging, leaping, and walking. Based on National Physical Education Standards, students should have been learning these skills for the last 4 years.

P.E. Science Lesson Plans

Ready to pursue a master’s degree in education make it your time.

Teacher.org’s lesson plans encourage conceptual understanding and lifelong learning skills in students as well as empower and motivate teachers.

Are you currently teaching but have the desire to pursue a Master’s Degree in Education? Follow your passion for teaching but at the same time give yourself the tools to further your career and learning. Whether it’s higher salaries, advanced career opportunities, or leadership positions, earning your Master’s Degree in Education is one worth pursuing. Make it your time!

The World's Most Evidence-Based Physical Education & Physical Activity Programs!

Free Lesson Plans

Spark sample lesson plans, the following pages include a collection of free spark physical education and physical activity lesson plans. if you’re searching for lesson plans based on inclusive, fun pe-pa games or innovative new ideas, click on one of the links below..

Snakes and Lizards Lesson Plan

Field Day Activity

Centipede Pass

Manipulatives Lesson

Partner Hoop Rolling

Parachute Switcheroo Lesson Plan

Catching and Throwing

Catching and Throwing Circuit Lesson Plan

Skill Cards

Skill Cards (Spanish)

Back to School

Back to School (Spanish)

Social and Emotional Learning

Kindness Definition Card and Lesson

Fitness Circuits

Body Composition Circuit Lesson Plan

Mirror, Mirror Lesson Plan

Performance Rubric Assessment

Choice Count (Pedometer Activity)

Cross the Pond

3-Catch Basketball Lesson Plan

SEL Definition and T-Chart Card

Flying Disc

Durango Boot

Zone and Player-to-Player Defenses

Radio Control

Mini Soccer

Soccer Student Self-Assessments

Track and Field

Sprints and Jumps Circuit

Skill Cards (English & Spanish)

Task Cards (Spanish)

Cooperatives

Spartan Adventure Race 201

Spartan Adventure Race 101

Group Fitness

Yoga Basic Training Lesson Plan

Yoga Content Cards

Yoga Content Cards (Spanish)

Basic Training Peer Checklist

Basic Training Peer Checklist (Spanish)

SFI Certification Tracking Sheet

iGames Lesson

iStrike/Field

Boulder Runner

I Got Your Back Lesson Plan

Practice Plan

Practice Plan (Spanish)

Fitness Fun

Fun and Fitness Circuit Lesson Plan

Fitness Station Cards

Fitness Station Cards (Spanish)

Fun Station Cards

Fun Station Cards (Spanish)

Great Games

Balanced Breakfast

Flying Disc Group Challenge Lesson Plan

Task Card (Spanish)

Building Blocks

Starting and Stopping Lesson Plan

Family Fun Activities

Family Fun Activities (Spanish)

Beanbag Bonanza

Station Play Lesson Plan

Station Cards

Have a Ball

Bounce and Catch

Recess Activities

Social studies.

Social Studies Fitness Relay

State Lists

State Lists (Spanish)

Fitness Relay State Cards

STEM Fitness Training

STEM Fitness Training Cards (English & Spanish)

Me Activities

ME: INSIDE (K-2)

ME: OUTSIDE (3-5)

We Activities

WE: INSIDE (3-5)

WE: OUTSIDE (K-2)

3 Activities

3: INSIDE (3-5)

3: OUTSIDE (K-2)

Sample Resources

Group Juggling

Object Control Skills-Underhand Throwing

What Your PE Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder Wishes You Knew

Football Unit Inclusion Strategies 3-6

SPARK Holiday Lesson

Hearty Hoopla

Stop the Grinch!

Zombie Graveyard

Build a Turkey

Let's Be Friends

Stay connected to hear about new upcoming events!

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

📣 Starts in 1 hour! (5pmPT/8pmET) SPARK June Webinar: Units to Invigorate Your PE Program - New SPARK K-12 Activities bit.ly/3TrwoLH #physed pic.twitter.com/H8szuGXm7P

SPARK Enhanced Active Classroom (& Recess) - Lesson Plans Available! Check out all the details here: bit.ly/448ud4r #ActiveClassroom #physed #physicalactivity #recess pic.twitter.com/eMegOhTINX

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

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

About SPARK

Join Our Team

International

Spark partners, private policy, webinar archive, active schools, teacher of the year, upcoming events, covid relief funding, resource sites, sparkfamily.org.

By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy .

Sign Up for our FREE Newsletter!

• Lesson Plans
• Lesson Templates
• Certificates
• Find Grants
• Fundraising

Search for Resources

You are here

Physical education lesson plan template - 1st grade.

Free Physical Education Lesson Plan Template - 1st Grade for classroom use.

Copyright © 2001 - 2024 TeacherPlanet.com ®. All rights reserved. Privacy Statement and Disclaimer Notice

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and receive

top education news, lesson ideas, teaching tips, and more!

No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in education!

Looking for QuaverMusic?

Don’t worry! You’re in the right place.

You can learn more about QuaverMusic curriculum resources, sign into your account, or create a new one all here at QuaverEd.com.

Looking for QuaverSEL?

You can learn more about QuaverSEL curriculum resources, sign into your account, or create a new one all here at QuaverEd.com.

Looking for Quaver MIC?

You can learn more about Quaver MIC curriculum resources, sign into your account, or create a new one all here at QuaverEd.com.

QuaverShop Temporary Maintenance

In order to provide the best shopping experience possible, the QuaverShop is undergoing temporary maintenance. We'll be back with seriously fun merchandise before you can say boom-chicka-boom .

If you're looking to place an urgent order, please contact [email protected].

Looking for a Preview?

You can sign up for your Preview using the links below.

• QuaverHealth•PE

Growing Stronger Bodies and Minds

Comprehensive health and pe curriculum.

Promote wellness and movement with our engaging, standards-aligned K-5 Health and PE curriculum.

• QuaverEd is trusted by 28,000+ schools.

“Having this curriculum helps expand what’s available to me as a teacher, and my students really enjoy it, too.  Everyone wins! ”  – Kera Williams, PE Teacher

Resources to Make Teaching Easy

Discover an extensive selection of Health and PE movement videos, interactive games, and complete lessons. QuaverHealth•PE engages students while offering the flexibility to customize lesson plans as you see fit.

User-Friendly Online Curriculum

Access our browser-based application from anywhere with an internet connection. Streamline your planning, teaching, and assessment process, whether you’re in a classroom, gym, or outdoor setting.

Accessible & Dual-language Resources

Promote inclusivity with accessibility features and Spanish translations. Our curriculum supports diverse learning needs and guides students in their health and physical education journey.

Take Your Health & PE Lessons to the Next Level

Experience a dynamic health and pe curriculum.

QuaverHealth•PE sets itself apart with an innovative platform that unites Health and PE, providing 408 ready-to-go lessons for a full school year. Aligned with SHAPE America National Standards , our curriculum supports various teaching styles and makes learning seriously fun for students.

Get Your Students Moving with Fun and Interactive Lessons

Both Health and PE lesson plans include movement, interactive videos, games, assessments, and more. Each lesson is designed to reinforce students’ understanding of health and physical education concepts. Teachers can search for lessons by theme or skill and customize them as needed.

Access a Wealth of Supplemental Resources

QuaverHealth•PE provides additional resources to create connections across the curriculum. Students can develop their health and fitness knowledge by diving into extra activities, interactive tools, community-based projects, and more.

Streamline Your Classroom Management with Easy-to-Use Admin Tools

Managing your class is easy with our advanced admin tools. Use Resource Manager to create interactive quizzes, slideshows, and video screens. You can even import resources from the internet. Manage assignments, grades, and student accounts with our Student Admin tool.

Scope and Sequence

Our customizable scope and sequences ensure consistency and coherence across classrooms, grade levels, schools, and districts.

Funding for QuaverHealth•PE

Learn how to use your Title funding to purchase high-quality instructional materials.

What Teachers Have to Say About QuaverHealth•PE

Districts that use quaverhealth•pe.

The Power of Music in Health and Physical Education

Help students grow stronger bodies and minds with movement-based music videos! These catchy songs are a powerful way to reinforce understanding at every grade and skill level. Our culturally diverse, interactive resources reach and represent ALL students.

Empowering Health and PE Educators

We are dedicated to empowering educators and students by transforming how health and PE are taught. Our comprehensive curriculum and cutting-edge resources create dynamic learning experiences that support educators in making a lasting impact. Join us in helping to create a healthier and more active future for students!

To inquire about purchasing QuaverHealth•PE, contact sales here . A sales director will reach out to you with your pricing options. Often, they’ll get in touch with your district administrator as well to determine what plan is right for you. Learn how to use your Title 4 funding to purchase high-quality instructional materials by visiting our funding page .

The cost of QuaverHealth•PE depends on the type of license you need. The type of license is determined by factors such as the length of time, the number of teacher accounts, and more.  Once you contact your sales director , he or she will share your options with you. You can also learn about funding options here .

Yes! You can sign up for a 30-day preview here and try QuaverHealth•PE for free.

With each license, you will have access to our Professional Learning Community which includes training, webinars, and more! We also offer implementation services, you can learn more here.

QuaverHealth•PE is user-friendly for both educators and students. We also offer training to make sure you feel comfortable with the product

Yes, QuaverHealth•PE is an online curriculum that provides educators with the tools they need to implement in-person instruction. Being fully online provides many benefits. These include not needing to carry around textbooks, always having access to your resources, and actively updating your lessons as needed.

Whether you’re looking for an elementary health curriculum or PE skill videos, QuaverHealth•PE can be flexibly integrated. Our curriculum can be used by any school professional including physical education teachers, health educators, school counselors, and classroom teachers.

Partners & Certifications

Try QuaverHealth•PE for Free Today

Join over 28,000 educators who use QuaverEd curricula in their schools.

Elementary P.E. Games

Taking P.E. To A New Level

First Day PE Lesson Plan! Rules, Games, & Expectations

It’s official, school is back in session and for the most part everything ran rather smoothly the first week. I had a lot of people ask what I did for my first lesson, so I thought I would write a post to share. I hope this is helpful in planning your first day of PE! 😄

If you need some more information or have questions about anything, please feel free to contact me from the link above or leave a comment down below!

First Day Notes

Planning for the first day of school is tough! You want to play games, but you definitely have to cover, practice, and emphasize your expectations/rules for the year.

It’s a busy lesson and is probably the only day in P.E. where I talk more than what we move around, but it’s important to establish your expectations, routines, etc. from the very beginning.

We cover a lot of information, but I always try to play a small game or two as well

Be Sure To Check Out My Etsy Store:

Introduction.

Once my class arrives, I do a quick introduction of myself for any new students, talk about a few things I did over the summer, and let some students share as well.

This is important! The first thing we talk about as a class is being good listeners. I can’t stress this enough and really like to overemphasize it. We talk about the better listeners we are, do we have more time to play or less? We also discuss how you can help others by reminding them nicely they should be listening if they are talking during directions.

Assigning Floor Spots

I updated this post after our year with covid/social distancing, but I still assign floor spots the same way. I have done it this way for years and think it’s one of the best things you can do to improve your classroom management in PE!

If you haven’t seen my post already, here is how I create a grid to assign floor spots

The only thing students will need to remember is their color and their number. This system will last all year and you will never have to put floor tape down again!

I use a grid system for grades 1st-5th.

Coming Into The Gym

My expectations are students walk in, if they have a jacket or anything that needs to be put on the steps they go ahead and do it, and then take a seat on their spot ready to learn.

Helpful hint: In my experience, if you let your students come running, yelling, and sliding into the gym you are starting your lesson off with an uphill battle in terms of behavior.

Expectations/Rules

Here are my class rules that we discuss as a class. Please ignore the fact I misspelled expectations when I had it printed 😆

**If you want more details on how I use a whistle to improve classroom management, you can find it here: The Best Thing To Use To Improve Classroom Management In P.E.

I highly recommend using music in your class if you don’t already! It’s a great way to motivate students and it can be used for classroom management.

When the music starts that is when the game/activity starts, but when the music stops and you hear 3 whistles you have 5 seconds to take a knee.

Warm up activity for K-2: Would You Rather – Back To School Edition or Traveling Around The Gym

Would You Rather Back To School Edition: If you have a projector or TV in your gym, then this is a fun and easy warm up game! It also allows you and your students to learn new things about one another.

You can find my entire blog post about it here: Would You Rather – Back To School Edition

Traveling Around The Gym: Students work on traveling around the gym while staying on the lines of the gym floor

We always start with walking (this is a good listening exercise) and I tell students the floor is lava, so they will try to balance themselves on the line.

We end up progressing this activity to include walking backwards, shuffling, galloping, hopping, jumping, and skipping.

Warm up for 3-5: Locomotor Challenge

Have your students spread out down the out-of-bounds basketball line

I gave my students 4 rounds, but you can adjust it as needed

To start the round, give your students a locomotor movement for example skipping.

When the music starts, students will skip to the out-of-bounds line on the opposite side and will touch it with their foot. Once they touched the line they just scored 1 point for themselves. Students will then skip back and touch the line they started on. Once they do this, they now have 2 points. Students will continue for a designated time period for example a minute.

Have students keep track of their points.

For each round, provide a different locomotor movement for students to perform

As an incentive, I tell students to earn a bronze medal you need 10 points, a silver medal is 15 points, and a gold medal is 20 points.

Water & Bathroom Breaks

Have students return to their spot and help anyone who may have forgot

I don’t allow students to bring a water bottle because our classes only last 40 minutes and I’ve never had good luck with it. When I’ve tried it before, I dealt with a lot of behavior issues and water spills.

I always tell students to get a long drink before they come to class, and they should be set!

Students can use the bathroom as long as they ask first. I always encourage students to use it before they come that way they don’t miss out on any game time.

By this time I have about 10-15 minutes left of class

Game for grades K-2 : Crazy Free Dance

This is a simple and easy listening activity that will also get your students moving!

The only equipment you will need are dance poses and music. You can easily create your own dance poses, or here is the link to the bundle I’ve created and used for the past several years ➡️ https://bit.ly/35IjcdY

Here is the full video on how to play:

Game for grades 3-5: Noodle Dance Tag

I got this game from Ben Landers and have slightly modified it over the last couple of years.

You will need a couple of long 6 foot pool noodles or 2 smaller noodles taped together

-Select 1 or 2 students to be taggers

-When the game starts, students will try to stay away from the taggers for as long as they can

-If a student is tagged, they turn into a dancing robot machine which means they can no longer move/run in the game, but have to start dancing right where they are

-Students have 3 dance moves to choose from:

-Dance move #1: baby finger fist pump – put your pointer finger up in the air and start bending it up and down like your fist pumping (this is normally for the students who start off pretty shy in the game and don’t want to dance)

-Dance move #2: party fist pump – put 2 fists into the air and start fist pumping to the music

-Dance move #3: create your own dance move – students can create their own dance moves to the music (most students end up doing this)

-If a student is tagged, they must keep dancing till the end of the round. Once the round is over, everyone is allowed to run again.

Teacher Tip: I always write a dance move hall of fame on the whiteboard and usually have a friendly competition between classes for who had the best dance moves 😎

The very last thing we talk about is lining up!

I tell my classes we should be able to line up in less than 60 seconds

Students line up by their row number by walking and standing on the black line

A new thing we have included this year is making sure to put your hand out to measure your distance before standing in your line spot. This helps spread students out accordingly.

Stay Connected:

If you haven’t already, please feel free to join my Facebook Group called The P.E. Lounge and be sure to check out my YouTube channel called PE With Mr G.

Share this:

• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related Posts

Back To School Games For Kids – Freeze Dance!

Back To School Games: Would You Rather?

2 thoughts on “ first day pe lesson plan rules, games, & expectations ”.

This is going to make my year and I am in year 13!!!!

• Pingback: Elementary Ice Breaker Game! Would You Rather?

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Be Sure To Check Out Our Interactive Arcade - Okay, Let's Play! 🏆

Discover more from Elementary P.E. Games

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading

• Browse By Category
• View ALL Lessons
• Submit Your Idea
• Shop Lesson Books
• Search our Lessons
• Browse All Assessments
• New Assessments
• Paper & Pencil Assessments
• Alternative Assessments
• Student Assessments
• View Kids Work
• Submit Your Ideas
• Browse All Best Practices
• New Best Practices
• How BPs Work
• Most Popular
• Alphabetical
• Submit Your Best Practice
• Browse All Prof. Dev.
• Online PD Courses
• Onsite Workshops
• Hall of Shame
• Becoming a PE Teacher
• PE Articles
• Defending PE
• Substitute Guidelines
• Online Classes
• PE Research
• Browse All Boards
• Board of the Week
• Submit Your Bulletin Board
• Browse All Class Mngt
• Lesson Ideas
• New Teacher Tips
• Reducing Off-Task Behavior
• Browse All Videos
• Find Grants
• Kids Quote of the Week
• Weekly Activities
• Advertise on PEC
• FREE Newsletter

PE Central has partnered with S&S Discount Sports to provide a full range of sports and PE products for your program.

Get Free Shipping plus 15% OFF on orders over $59! Use offer code B4260. Shop Now!

• Shop Online Courses:
• Classroom Management
• Integrating Literacy & Math
• Grad Credit
• All PE Courses

• Cooperative Fitness Challenge
• Cooperative Skills Challenge
• Log It (Activity Tracker)

• Instant Activities
• Grades 9-12
• Dance of the Month
• Special Events Menu
• Cues/Performance Tips
• College Lessons
• Search All Lessons

• Paper & Pencil Assessments
• Shop Assessment

• How BP's Work

• Shop Bulletin Board Books

• Apps for PE Main Menu
• Submit Your App
• Ask our App Expert
• Active Gaming

• What is Adapted PE
• Ask Our Expert
• Adapting Activities
• IEP Information
• Adapted Web Sites
• Shop Adapted Store

• PreK Lesson Ideas
• PreK Videos
• Homemade PreK PE Equip
• Shop PreK Books

• Shop Class Mngt Products

• Search Jobs
• Interview Questions
• Interview Tips
• Portfolio Development

• Becoming PE Teacher
• Fundraising/Grants

• New Products
• T-Shirts/Accessories
• Class Management
• Middle School
• High School
• Curriculums
• Limited Space

• Search Our Lessons

Last Updated

Lesson type, sub-category, activity name.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter and receive

physical education lesson ideas, assessment tips and more!

Your browser does not support iframes.

No thanks, I don't need to stay current on what works in physical education.

PE Central� Copyright � 1996-2020 All Rights Reserved

PE Central � 2516 Blossom Trl W Blacksburg, VA 24060 E-mail : [email protected] Phone : 540-953-1043 Fax : 540-301-0112

Copyright � 1996-2016 PE Central® www.pecentral.org All Rights Reserved Web Debut : 08/26/1996

• Skip to main content
• Skip to footer

Additional menu

The PE Specialist

Awesome Resources for Physical Education Teachers

My First Week of School Lesson Plan

What do you do on your first week of school.

The first day is tough – you want to play some games, have some fun, but you know that you  need to establish the procedures and class expectations as well.

How do you accomplish all of it and what kinds of activities do you plan?

Remember, this is a great opportunity for you to establish the DNA of your Phys Ed program and set up the culture of your classroom.

Remember the old saying, “ An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure “.  I think about this every year before school begins and I think it rings true in our classrooms. The better you can setup your class culture at the beginning of the year, the easier it will be for you to avoid future problems and time wasted on management or behavioral issues.  This translates into what we all want – more teaching time for us and activity time for our students. 

Note that Kindergarten is a little different since most of them are brand new to school – Here are My Tips for Teaching Kindergarten

This is what I do with my 1st – 5th Grade students on their first day of Physical Education Class:

Let’s break down the first 2 weeks in PE below:

• Note : Feel free to use the presentation linked above, you’ll need to copy it to your Google Drive first.  Do this by going to “File” – “Make a Copy” you can then edit the copy in your Google Drive.   I can’t grant you access to edit it, since it’s the master copy 🙂
• You could also just throw up a few pictures on a slideshow to show kids some adventures you went on or some pictures of your family to help them connect with you and learn a little bit about you

Normally I try and shoot for 2-3 minutes for a video, but the one below I had to give myself 5 minutes because I had too much fun stuff to share  😁

• Create a video or slideshow showing students what activities they will be learning throughout the year
• Show them Part One of this 3 part Physical Literacy Series (check it out if you haven’t seen it) – We will have a short discussion about the student’s thoughts on the video and them move on to the next activity.

• Go over the 6 gym rules and consequences, talk about why they are important and ask students if they agree that they are fair, and make sure they don’t want to add any more or make any changes (Get them to buy-in).

My Management Overview and Rules Posters can be found here

• Mention and explain orange form to be filled out if students get injured , forget their tennis shoes or have to go to time out after a Strike 3.
• Go over stopping signal “1,2,3 signal” before beginning activity and then practice Walking and Jogging for 1-2 minutes – use the “1,2,3 signal” and “music off” to freeze students (see the example video below)

• Go over all the rules quickly, explain rules if needed.
• Summarize  – When the music is on you can get water or use the  bathroom, when the music is off, you need to be listening or lining up to leave the gym.

• Fire, Tornado/Earthquake, Code Red/Intruder Alert
• Note : Usually if I’m short on time I’ll save this part of the lesson for the next week so we can have time for the game – you know we gotta get moving 🙂
• Explain how the daily self assessment works and why we do it
• It is part of our GATOR Goals (Our school’s Mission/Vision Acronym – the T = Take responsibility for what you say and do)

• Play a Game for the last 15-20 minutes – Noodle Dance Tag ,   Adventure Bingo   or The Crazy Cards Challenge Icebreaker Game
• Preview Week 2 – Review the Gym Rules and Talk about the Conflict Corner , Get Home Base Spots and learn about the Daily Self Assessment, before the team building activity (usually a super fun team building activity called Hula Hut Relays or learning how to play Four Square so kids will know how to play at recess )

That’s it.  It’s definitely a full lesson and a lot to pack in, but I want to set expectations up front and lay the groundwork for a successful year.  I try to help the students have fun by moving them around a lot, making jokes and getting their feedback on the routines and procedures that we have in place.

Also, since I’ve been at my school for 15+ years, most of the kids are familiar with the routines we have so I can move through the content pretty quickly.   If you’re brand new to your school, you might want to break this lesson up into a 2 part lesson, since it will be the first time your students are being exposed to new routines/procedures/activities.

If you want to use the Google Slides that I use for my presentation on the first day you can copy   them HERE:

You can also download a free printable first week of school lesson plan below:

A Couple of My Favorite First Week Games

Adventure bingo.

If we have time, one of my favorite First Week of School Games is “ Adventure Bingo ” – you can check out the video and also download it below if you’re interested.

The Crazy Cards Challenge

The crazy cards challenge is a super fun activity for any students that can read, I normally use it for 3rd grade and up.  You can see an example of the game being played in the video below:

• You can see a more detailed breakdown of the game and get a link to purchase the cards on this post

P.S. If you’re interested in checking out all the Posters and Visuals I have up in my Gym you can find links to everything and a walkthrough of each poster here

Want to take a deep dive with us? 

Check out our Q & A Show episode below on tips for the first week of school:

Show Notes and Links from the episode above available here

Week 2 of PE Class

During Week 2 I usually hit all the rest of the procedures and routines that we didn’t cover during week one and then we play a fun team building game

• Instant Activity – Walking Lines and Jogging Lines
• You can check this post out for more info on Home Base Spots and to print the ones I use
• * I used to do this on day 1, but now I wait until week 2 to assign home base spots since many times our rosters aren’t very accurate until the first day of school and need more time to look at seating accommodations and see which kids I want to separate etc
• Learn our Daily Warmup Stretching Routine
• Discuss The Conflict Corner
• Discuss the Daily Self Assessment / Reflection
• Play a Game like Hula Hut Relays or Cross the River

Free Yearly Plan Template

Now that you’ve got your first couple weeks ready to go, knock our the rest of your year too!

To see an example of how I plan my entire year of PE and download a sample yearly plan Click the Link Below

Take 15 Minutes and Plan Out an Entire Year of PE Class

What do you do differently for your first week of school?

If you have some good ideas leave them in the comments.  Have a great first week!

Have Fun and Teach On!

• Subscribe to our Free Newsletter to stay connected
• Become a Member of the Community!

Reader Interactions

January 8, 2024 at 4:09 pm

As a senior student that’s about to graduate and start Elementary PE. Thank you so much for posting your blog on how you specifically address the rules, etc in your gym. From watching and learning from you, I already started making my own unique set of rules and self assessment.

Apart from seeing your classroom, I would like to know:

1. How many days p/wk do your students have PE and is it spread throughout the week, depending on the grade? 2. Compared to your gym, how many posters is appropriate for Elementary gym? 3. When it comes to elaborating the rules to students, how long should each definition be as far as time limit? 4. (Lastly)What website do you use for your go to PE music or does it really matter, it just has to be age appropriate.

January 9, 2024 at 6:41 am

Hey Jonathan,

Thanks for reaching out! Congratulations on your graduation! We look forward to you joining the PE world!

To answer your questions: 1. We see our students once a week for 50 minutes. We see one or two classes from each grade level a day. 2. The number of posters vary. We just use the posters as visuals for students. Probably the most important posters are the rules and expectations, skill cues posters, and standards. 3. We spend the first week going over the rules and review them again after winter holiday. Rules should be simple for elementary students to understand. You can spend about a minute or so explaining and giving examples. 4. You can find out about our music and the link below: https://www.thepespecialist.com/music/

Hope this helps!

August 22, 2023 at 5:04 pm

Hey Guys, its my first year HELP!!!

August 23, 2023 at 4:20 pm

Hey Elijah,

Thanks for reaching out! You got this!

Check out our podcast episode: Advice for First Year Teachers

Also if you’re interest, you should check out our membership community. You can find passionate teachers who can also help you navigate your first year!

All the info can be found at the link below:

https://www.thepespecialist.com/info/

August 9, 2023 at 8:28 am

This has been a huge help to me being a first year PE teacher and AD

August 9, 2023 at 6:58 pm

Awesome Brent!

Glad you’re enjoying the resources!

June 7, 2023 at 10:39 am

Great content. First timer here. I will be teaching middle school 6-8 next school year. Would you say almost all of this is appropriate for that 6-8 band as well? Just curious on your opinion on what you’d modify/take out for those age levels. Thanks

Respectfully,

June 7, 2023 at 9:41 pm

Thanks for reaching out! Glad you’re enjoying the resources!

Our content is geared for K-5th but we have middle school teachers who use the resources as well. They just increase the difficulty and rigor for their age groups.

We would modify the games and activities and maybe take out the locomotor movements since those are geared for primary students.

October 8, 2021 at 3:29 pm

So as with most other teachers, we spend time introducing or reviewing PE guidelines and procedures. I try to make it a little interactive instead of just sitting and listening. I also love to utilize the Physical Literacy video you shared above. The students seem to “get it” after watching that video. Thanks for sharing it.

October 11, 2021 at 3:42 pm

Glad you’re enjoying the resources Traci!

Tough to balance establishing rules and setting expectations. Students want to move and play but we need to structure it so it doesn’t spark chaos!

Thanks for sharing!

August 11, 2021 at 11:58 am

Dear P.E. Specialist! I LOVE your lessons. You helped me all last year through COVID and you are my definitely my GO TO this year. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

August 11, 2021 at 4:32 pm

You’re welcome Louise!

Glad you’re enjoying the resources! Good luck this year! Stay safe!

August 10, 2021 at 8:15 pm

Ben can’t seem to access your stuff. Can you reset my password?

We will email you password reset information!

August 10, 2021 at 12:05 am

I’m interested in buying the membership. But I have a few questions about it. 1. Are all the resources based on Shape America standards? If they are, do they cover all Shape America standards? If not, what standards are you using? 2. What grade levels of resources do you offer? Do you have resources for individual grade level? I’m new to PE so if there are grade level resources, it will be really helpful for me to understand how the same contents/similar standards different in each grade.

August 10, 2021 at 4:08 pm

Great questions! Thanks for reaching out!

Our resources are based on Shape America Standards which are aligned with our standards here in South Carolina.

We offer resources for K – 5th grade students

Info about our membership can be found at the link below:

https://www.thepespecialist.com/info

Hope this helps! Let us know if you have any other questions!

July 28, 2021 at 4:29 pm

Ben this has been an excellent PD. I have learned so much and I know it will enhance my teachers, but more importantly, my students’ learning! Thanks!

July 29, 2021 at 2:53 pm

Hey Tricia,

Thanks for the kind words! Glad you’re enjoying the resources!

August 20, 2020 at 10:02 am

Hey Ben just wondering what measures your district is taking and what PE will look like at your school ? As of now, if we begin hybrid or an attempt at all in, the gym is being used as a classroom so we will be outside with 12’ social distancing (not sure what that will look like) or pushed into classrooms with little movement allowed which will not be good. Just looking forward to seeing what kind of curriculum to come up with and see what your doing during all this. Thanks man appreciate all you do.

August 20, 2020 at 3:04 pm

Hey Michael,

Social distancing guidelines and what PE will look like is going to be different from school to school, district to district and state to state, but below are a few ideas to get you started.

Take it day by day until you find out more specifically what the situation will look like at your school and be ready to respond to whatever situation arises and do what’s best for kids.

Be flexible and realize that the guidelines/requirements will most likely change week by week as we go back to start and figure things out – check out this video for my take: https://www.instagram.com/p/CDO66jpBkRh/

Once I get some kids in the building, understand what our numbers of attendance will be and get a feel for what it’s going to actually look like I will let you guys know what I’m doing.

Some no equipment resources and ideas the top of my head (you could also do many of these in a classroom):

Teach some Line Dances or Have a Dance Unit Line Dancing Resource E-Book: Link to the E-book on TPT Teach different exercises and show students how to do circuit training based on their goals Exercise Posters and One Page Workouts: https://www.thepespecialist.com/exerciseposters/ Here’s my Daily Warmup Routine: https://www.thepespecialist.com/dailywarmup/ Modified for social distancing Fitness Testing / Self Assessment: https://www.thepespecialist.com/fitnessgram/ Do a “Social Distanced Olympics” (Idea Here from my friend Coach Pat) Integrate some Health Concepts to fill in the gaps: https://www.thepespecialist.com/health/ If you are allowed to use equipment, but need to stay socially distanced:

Teach a soccer unit and modify to have everyone spaced out Jump Rope Unit (modify to be more individual focus and allow social distancing) https://www.thepespecialist.com/jumprope/ Gymnastics Unit (modify to allow social distancing and be more individual focus) https://www.thepespecialist.com/gymnastics/ Paddle Skills or Tennis Unit Teach students how to juggle (never made time for this before, but might try it out this year) Play Noodle Dance Tag with a 6 ft Noodle: https://www.thepespecialist.com/noodletag/

August 31, 2019 at 9:17 pm

What would be a fun and appropriate ice breaker game for kindergarten and first graders!? I’d love to hear your opinion!

September 2, 2019 at 1:13 pm

Adventure Bingo – it’s linked up in the post above

August 29, 2019 at 2:19 pm

lesson plan will not down load says having trouble with receipt

It’s working on our end, just tested it out.

Usually, this issue is related to a school filter, pop-up blocker, or browser caching issue – so we’d recommend trying from another computer, switching browsers, clearing your cache and making sure all pop up blockers have been turned off.

As a another option you can also find some of our products on our Teachers Pay Teachers Page Here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Pe-Specialist

August 25, 2019 at 5:44 am

Professor Ben, Thanks for the email in regards to the first week of school. All is well and much is appreciated Sir. You are awesome and may God bless you and your family.

August 26, 2019 at 3:43 pm

Thanks Randy!

Not a professor, I teach P.E. at an elementary school

August 13, 2019 at 5:13 pm

Hello, Thank you for your awesome ideas. It really shows that you are passionate about what you do. Please continue doing what you are doing.

August 17, 2019 at 3:12 pm

Appreciate that! Glad it’s helpful

August 6, 2019 at 5:44 pm

Thank you…Period!!!

October 11, 2018 at 3:02 am

Hi the PE specialist, would you come to Riau Province please!!! I have so many problem here..

October 17, 2018 at 5:32 pm

🙂 not sure if I could fix any of your problems, but I’d love to check out Indonesia one day!

September 7, 2018 at 3:37 pm

Love your stuff but the self assessments won’t open. Can you email them to me.

September 17, 2018 at 5:23 pm

Sorry about the issue

Usually, this issue is related to a school filter, pop-up blocker, or browser issue – so we’d recommend trying from another computer, switching browsers and making sure all pop up blockers have been turned off.

As a last resort you can also find some of our free download on our Teachers Pay Teachers Page Here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/The-Pe-Specialist

September 3, 2018 at 2:28 pm

Thank you so much for this in depth post. I am teaching Primary Physical Education and have been in search of some suggestions on how to have a fun first class that isn’t all about rules… your website is SO helpful! All the best!

September 6, 2018 at 8:40 pm

Glad you can use some of the info!

August 11, 2018 at 10:02 am

I just want to say how grateful I am to you. You have helped me more than you will ever know.

August 13, 2018 at 4:44 pm

🙂 Thanks Amy! So pumped to hear that

August 10, 2018 at 7:01 am

Great lesson and presentation. I see on slide three that you have your students find their number and letter for their home base spots. How do you share with your students their assigned spot? Do you tell it to them as they come in, a sheet posted for them to see or do you have an activity where they find out?

Would love to know as I plan to do the same to make it a smooth transition in helping the kids find their home base spot on the first day.

Thanks, Nick

August 10, 2018 at 2:06 pm

Yep – I just tell them the letter and number on the first day after a quick intro.

August 9, 2018 at 7:51 pm

Do you always have the kinders meet in a circle in the middle instead of the home base spots? Or is that just for the beginning of the year.

August 10, 2018 at 2:05 pm

Yep, my Kinder classes are 25 minutes so we don’t do assigned spots with them. Everyone else is 50 min, so we do Home Base Spots with 1st – 5th.

July 30, 2018 at 10:23 am

Hi, Ben! First of all, I am so thankful for your website and resources. I’m moving to the gym from the classroom this year and would be lost without your blog! I’m wondering, do you have any resources about how to work with Kindergarteners the first few weeks of school? I have no idea where to start with planning for the kindergarten period of my days. I know everything will be so new and overwhelming – for them and for me! Could you point me to any resources on how to prepare for Kinder specifically? Thank you!

July 31, 2018 at 4:22 pm

I normally focus on stations with K-1. (I’ll do a lesson for a brand new skill sometimes like Jumprope or Hula Hoop – but for the majority of the time we do station work, or “centers” as the Kinder students call them)

Sometimes we’ll warmup with a fun follow along dance to practice locomotors like the Call it Macaroni Dance or The Chicken Dance

I’ve found it really helpful especially with my K students to do mostly station work and I think it’s beneficial for them because they end up getting more practice time and enjoying class more as well. I switch out the station activities according to the unit that my older students are working on. (Here are some tips for teaching with stations)

I mix in stations and super simple modified games and activity challenges with 1st-2nd.

But some of my 1st grade classes I’ll just do stations with bc they can’t handle as much formal instruction, it just depends on the group.

K used to be a class I dreaded each day, but since I switched to station work, it’s one of my favorites. It takes the expectations off the kids and allows them to have more time to build skill and explore different subjects.

I normally just modify the skills we’re working on with 2-5 and put them in station format for the K-1 kids.

eg.) 3-5 is doing Striking with hands (4-square)

K does 4 striking + catching with hands stations (strike a balloon, strike a playground ball, strike a gatorskin ball, strike a noodle)

Also – I start EVERY SINGLE DAY with a quick rules review

Hope that helps!

June 21, 2018 at 2:02 pm

This is awesome! I am a classroom teacher turned P.E. teacher for the first time this year! Your first day/week schedule is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you for all the awesome ideas!

June 26, 2018 at 10:12 am

Cool! Glad you found it and good luck with your first year of P.E.

January 18, 2018 at 1:24 pm

GREAT ideas Ben! I really appreciate all the freebies and ideas to help me get going. This is my first year teaching, so I’m on the prowl for good ideas for games, activities, posters, etc.

One thing I did with my students this year that they absolutely loved is at the end of all the rules and home base stuff, we played a game called Snake, Fire, in the Hole. How it works is I line up all the students on one sideline of the gym (if your gym doesn’t have a basketball court lines, just pick one of the two sides that would be a sideline, must be one of the longer sides though so students can spread out). Whatever line they start at, is the “Fire” line. Aytime I say the word “fire”, the students have to either stay at that line, or go back to that line. The line across the gym is the “Snake” line. Same rules apply to that line. And finally, the three circles in the middle of the gym are called “In the Hole” (the two that make up the elbow of the basketball lanes on either side, and the mid-court circle. You may have to use floor tape if you don’t have the circles, just make them big enough to fit all your students). At first, I’ll do a little warmup round to get the kids used to the commands. After a few times through, I’ll try to start tricking them. For example, if they’re on the snake line, “I’ll say the word “steak” and see who moves. If they cross the line and they weren’t supposed to, they’re out. If they’re out, I tell them to go to the baseline side of the basketball court (I pick one side for them to go) and have them do 1 of 5 different exercises of their choice until the round is over, or I tell them to come back in. I usually don’t make them sit out for longer than 2-3 min so they don’t get bored). As the game goes on and the number of students in the game gets smaller, I will start to limit the # of people that can be in “the hole” at a time, or tell them, say, the first 10 people in the hole are in and the rest are out. You can modify the rules and have fun w/trying to trick the students (they liked that part the best tbh), but this is a great game to get the students used to listening to instructions and see right away who those students are.

January 22, 2018 at 7:51 pm

Hey Sam! I’ve seen the kids in my afterschool program playing a game called “Lions, Tigers and Bears” with basically the same idea – they really like it. Glad you have an additional activity for the kiddos to do once they’re eliminated as well. Thanks for sharing and glad the blog is helpful. Good luck with the First year

January 23, 2018 at 9:20 pm

Oh cool! I’ve never heard of that version of the game but glad they’re playing a similar version. I know the students at my school love it so I’m sure they do too. I appreciate all the advice and help and look forward to continuing to learn a ton from the site!

December 7, 2017 at 7:55 am

Thank you for the great information

December 11, 2017 at 3:39 pm

Glad it was helpful!

September 2, 2017 at 10:23 pm

Your website is excellent. It is always good to see other Physical Education and Health teachers setting the bar high. My question for you is how do you incorporate health topics during the year at the elementary level? Do you just include different health topics within the lessons or are there separate times during the course of the year to cover topics?

September 4, 2017 at 8:37 pm

The classroom teachers at my school cover health, so normally – yes, I incorportate different topics throughout the year that relate to activities that we’re doing. But I don’t do a lot of book work.

Here’s the closest thing I’ve ever done to a “health unit”

https://www.thepespecialist.com/health/

August 23, 2017 at 11:17 am

Hey, Can you tell me what you do with just Kinder on the first day…..other than rules and intro? I usually do basic relays, but that can be tough on day one. If you do relays, what tips and organizational strategies do you use? I am looking for something a little more smooth and organize for the first few weeks of K.

August 23, 2017 at 8:43 pm

Day 1 with K, we do the basic rules – learn to Walk/Jog for warmup – stopping signal. I read them the book “Gym Teacher from the Black Lagoon” and then if there’s any time left we practice locomotors around the room and learn about open space.

After getting rules/procedures down during the first couple weeks I’d say I do stations with K students about 80% of the time.

September 5, 2017 at 12:19 am

Hi! Can you please share the K stations?

September 5, 2017 at 8:29 pm

It just depends on the content I’m doing with the older students – I just break it down to the basics and do stations with my K-1st students so they will develop the skills needed in the older grades, you can see a few examples at the link below from my frisbee unit:

https://www.thepespecialist.com/frisbeestations/

Other examples: – Hula Hoop – Jump Rope – Scooters – Throw and Catch (football, gator ball, bean bag, foam tennis ball) – Spooner boards – Basketball dribble – Wall Bounce and catch with playground ball

August 14, 2017 at 9:41 pm

Your website and passion for PE is inspiring Ben! I am will be starting my 27th year of teaching elementary PE and happy to say I really love what I do!

What are your thoughts on some ideas for SLO’s? Last year we had our 4th graders demonstrate their understanding of the components of fitness through a pre and post test of examples. We used pictures of The Incredibles and labeled them Mr. Muscle, Miss Flexibility and Kid Cardio. Throughout the year we referenced activities according to the characters. It was amazing how even my kinders would shout out, “that is a Mr. Muscle activity Mrs. Simone!”

August 11, 2017 at 12:01 am

Hey Ben, are your bathrooms within eye sight of your playing area? I’m nervous to let my kids have free access to them without being able to keep an eye on them (mine are around a corner). Thoughts? Hopefully they wouldn’t want to stay in there, but we all know how kids are.

August 14, 2017 at 4:05 pm

Yep – they actually retrofitted us a single bathroom and water fountain in our gym about 5 years ago – it’s way better, but I know how it was letting kids go down the hall. I would just do whatever your school policies and the regular practice of the other teachers at your school are doing.

You can always give them a physical pass so that only 1 is gone at a time as well.

August 8, 2017 at 1:30 pm

7th year teacher here! Good job on the website with a lot of great ideas! My lesson back to school is very similar and structured. Keep up the great work and have an awesome school year!

August 5, 2017 at 4:56 pm

Thanks for everything you do, I’ve used several of your lesson plans and resources and they have benefited my students greatly. I am wondering, are you willing to share a bigger image of your two rules posters and the bathroom poster? I’d like to print those on an 8×11.5 for my gym.

Thank you, Mr. Chasteen

August 14, 2017 at 3:55 pm

You can check them out and download them in the “Management Pro Pack” here: http://thepespecialist.com/hacks

August 1, 2017 at 7:22 pm

Hey this is awesome.. ur website is amazing. You have amazing ideas so I have a question for ya! We have a classes from 30-60! They have 5 mins to get dressed for a 45 mins class. Well the guys get in and out in a min and the girls take forever. We stretch first in our stretching lines so the guys are just sitting there and a couple of girls. Any activity we could do with the ones that are always waiting and so eager to play?

August 14, 2017 at 3:54 pm

I would just choose something that your kids resonate with so it’s a motivator for them to dress out quickly. The quicker they get out the more game time they can have.

Maybe 4-square, Knockout, jumpropes… just depends one what your kids are into and can do independently

August 1, 2017 at 5:43 pm

I love the idea of Home Base spots! Do you assign them as they walk in on the first day? How much time does that take? Do you keep a chart of who goes where?

August 14, 2017 at 3:53 pm

Yep, we get them on the first day with 1st – 5th. (I just have my Kinder kids sit in the middle circle). It takes about 2-3 minutes usually, even less with the older kids.

Actually just wrote a blog about this, you can check it out here: https://www.thepespecialist.com/homebasespots/

July 18, 2017 at 5:01 am

I’ll be a going into my first year of teaching PE for 1st-6h graders and wanted to know how you would spread out each lessons for 40 mins each? For example, introduction and rules and polices/expectations etc. Would love any type of feedback.

July 19, 2017 at 11:19 am

I have 50 minute classes, so pretty similar to you. My structure for 2nd – 5th is normally: – Instant Activity + Warmup/Stretch = 5-10 minutes depending on the activity – Get into the lesson introducing new concepts, skill practice with progressions getting more difficult as we go along – 10 minutes – Modified Gameplay – 25-30 minutes – Closure – 5 minutes

Of course that changes depending on what we’re doing, at the beginning of a unit I spend more time developing and practicing skills – towards the end we spend more time playing games.

With K-1: it’s a similar start, but instead of gameplay we work in stations practicing different skills

July 14, 2017 at 9:11 am

This is great! Thanks for posting your ideas!

June 2, 2017 at 10:07 am

On the first day I’ve tried to make learning the rules and expectations an active process. Some years I have put signs around the room with a rule or expectation followed by an activity to perform as they learn the rule. Other years I have written the rules/expectations along with an activity on balloons and scattered them around. After allowing time for the students to get around to all of them I bring them together to discuss the rules/expectations, and consequences. Remaining time is spent with a quick easy tag game. I like what you are doing, thanks for sharing.

June 5, 2017 at 4:27 pm

Good stuff David – thanks for sharing your ideas

January 4, 2017 at 11:47 am

I used your power point today to start my second semester!! Of course with some changes. But I didn’t really read the Emergency Drill page…. There are no hurricanes in Missouri. Oops! My 8th graders thought it was pretty funny. I am so glad I did this though. I have done the same thing for years and it was always boring, for me!! I feel so good about my day.

January 4, 2017 at 1:38 pm

That’s awesome! Really glad it worked for you – Always nice to try something new!

October 25, 2016 at 12:27 am

I’m so glad I found your blog:) I’m on my 15th year of teaching, but I love all these new ideas. I haven’t had a gym all year because the floor is being replaced. I’m supposed to get back in next week and I need to start all new again with procedures and management. This would be the perfect time to start new. What teacher evaluation system do you have?

October 26, 2016 at 7:07 pm

Hey Stephanie – Glad the blog has been helpful. In SC, we are under ADEPT, we go through an SLO process every year and do recertification every 5 years.

October 26, 2016 at 7:17 pm

Thank you. The school has started a new evaluation system (Danielson). I just didn’t know if there many others out there using it.

August 25, 2016 at 6:36 am

I really like your home base idea but was wondering if the numbers and letters are already on the floor or walls?? Thanks for clarifying

January 27, 2017 at 5:01 pm

Yep, it’s like an excel spreadsheet. Numbers (1-5) on one wall and Letters (A-F) on the other wall, so I can accomodate up to 30 students.

We have another set of numbers on the other side of the gym as well for double classes.

August 18, 2016 at 12:29 pm

Great Advice for the first week…awesome

August 12, 2016 at 9:27 am

Question on Home Base spots….what if 5 students are not present that day? That would throw everything off…especially making groups/teams for the day’s activities…what do you do in this situation? Generally I put my students are different colored teams each class to not only deal with this problem, but to give them an opportunity to play/work with a different set of students each class…instead of the same team each week…thoughts?

August 17, 2016 at 3:39 pm

I normally group teams myself or use an app called Team Shake – super cool app, Google it for some tutorials.

I use home base spots as a way to check my attendance, or get warmed up or stretched out quickly.

August 29, 2015 at 1:33 am

Great lesson. My first lesson has very similar content. I use Power Point presentation to illustrate my information. After the presentation, For reviewing the safety rules I integrate introduction to orienteering. I created 20 stations around the gym, each with a number and different safety rule. Each pair of partners got a gym map and specified route to follow. They have to travel to each post of their route choosing different locomotor movement. After reading a rule, they have to discuss it. If they think something needs to be added, they leave their comment on sticky note. They also place a sticky note with a new word to be added to our word wall.

August 29, 2015 at 2:14 pm

Thanks for sharing. That’s a very cool idea, I’ve never ventured into orienteering, but it sounds like a lot of fun. Sticky note comments is a good one too.

August 25, 2015 at 5:58 pm

My 1st day is very similar! We use an activity called People to People for discussing summer activities and meeting new classmates. Here is a link that demonstrates the basics. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuJE9Uhqgno Of course, I make it age appropriate. When they meet a new partner we start with- name to name, and a discussion question, i.e. What did you do this summer. We also use different locomotor skills when searching for a new partner. We build up to bigger groups as well.

Thanks for the post!

August 25, 2015 at 6:40 pm

That’s awesome – great game idea. Thanks for the comment.

August 18, 2015 at 2:46 pm

Thanks Ben for the ideas!

August 13, 2015 at 2:51 am

Great break down of a first day lesson and thank you for the physical literacy video as a resource! Have a great school year!

August 13, 2015 at 3:58 pm

Thanks, there are 2 other videos in the series as well – worth checking out. Have a good one.

July 18, 2017 at 8:39 pm

Hi Ben, I love the video. I was wondering do you show these videos to all grades K-5? And do you fit in the other two videos sometime later in the year?

July 19, 2017 at 11:22 am

In the past I showed it to K-5, but since then I only showed it to K-2 because the 3rd-5th graders remembered it and didn’t really want to watch it again.

I showed the other videos to my 3-5 classes one a week the following weeks.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Top Resources

• Awesome Music for PE Class
• How to Teach Gymnastics (Unit Plan)
• 25 Exercise Posters
• The PE Poster Tour
• How to Teach Jumprope (Unit Plan)
• How to Plan an Awesome Field Day

Top Blog Posts

• How to Plan a Year of PE in 15 Minutes
• 5 Awesome Warm-up Activities
• How to Setup a TV in your Gym
• 5 Great Classroom Management Tips
• How to Motivate and Inspire Students
• You might be a PE Teacher if…

• Try for free

1st Grade Physical Education and Fitness

• Most Popular
• Most Recent

All Formats

Resource types, all resource types.

• Rating Count
• Price (Ascending)
• Price (Descending)
• Most Recent

Free physical education resources

Fitness Circuit Station cards - 36 PE gym activities: Elementary & middle school

THE HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION CLASS BUNDLE

PE Unit Plan Bundle | Grade 2, 3, 4 or 5

PE Unit Plans Bundle | KG1, KG2 or Grade 1

Field Day Fun FREEBIE Coloring and Writing Sheets

FREE CLASSROOM RULES POSTERS

Super Bowl 2024 Graphing Activity Freebie

Sports Pack (JB Design Clip Art for Personal or Commercial Use)

Book Madness: A Tournament of Books Bulletin Board Display

Food Label Reading Lesson FREE! "Is This Product Healthy?" NOW ON GOOGLE DRIVE

• Google Apps™
• Internet Activities

Yoga Cards and Posters - BUNDLE - Sets #1 and 2 - Savvy Apple

Health & Wellness: The 4 Dimensions of Health Activity

• Word Document File

Sports Figurative Language Activity, Coloring-by-Number

Would You Rather: Summer Edition- FREEBIE

• Google Drive™ folder

FREE SPORTS Word Search Puzzle Handout Fun Activity

Correct-A-Sentence Game - Grammar - ELA Game - Correct Sentence - Elementary

8 FREE PE Sport LESSON Warm Up Games - Grades 3-6

6 FREE Kindergarten - Grade 2 PE Sport lesson Tip & Tag Elementary Games

Movement Break Sensory Hallway Posters

Personal Hygiene Life Skills Seek and Find Activity Printable & Digital FREEBIE

• Easel Activity

Break Time Choice Board Freebie

100 Fun Exercises for the 100th Day of School

PE Quick Movers and Games! - “9 Free Activities”

Winter Games P.E. Stations

100 Exercises Printable Freebie

FREE Exercise Posters for Gym Class

Nutrition Activity Sugar Digital Escape Room - Health - FACS- Culinary

Brain Break - Freeze Dance {FREEBIE}

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think