The weather is always very unpredictable in the autumn and winter months. A beautiful sunny day can quickly turn into a dark, drizzly one – and you know that as soon as everyone has changed into their kits and made it outside that’s when the heavens will open. And then, there are the relentless downpours that make the day a total washout.
Here at Hey Kanga, we believe that children should be active every day - no matter the weather. We understand it can be hard to come up with fun, lively indoor PE lessons or playtime activities, so we’ve come up with a handy list of classroom PE lesson ideas:
1. Dodgeball
A true classic. But, it’s a classic for a reason. It’s great for accommodating a large group of children in a small(er) area, and children can develop their core skills in hand-eye coordination, teamwork, and balance.
2. Four-square
You only need a 2m x 2m area, plus it’s very entertaining! Four players will need to be picked and given a playground ball. Each player will stand in a square and bounce the ball to their ‘square-mates’. If someone makes a mistake, e.g. drops the ball outside of the outside lines, or the ball lands on the inside lines, then they will be eliminated. Here are the official rules of Four Square. Once eliminated, the player will leave the square and a new player will join. The longest person to last is the winner!
3. Classroom Olympics
This is great for when you really are stuck in the classroom. Separate your children in groups of four and get them to use a corner of the classroom, then get them to complete tasks such as; which team can build the highest tower out of paper? You can have fun using your imagination to come up with fun, challenging tasks for your children to do.
4. Getting through the hoop
(We’re deciding on a more catchy name). Your class splits into two groups and each group stands in a circle and holds hands. Then, they have to pass a hula hoop (without breaking the chain) around the circle.
5. DrumFIT
DrumFIT has an amazing range of indoor activities for children that will get them doing cardio. In our ‘DrumFIT Schools Programme’ there is a series of videos that are an amazing combination of cardio, music, dance, rhythm and drumming! These drumming sessions will engage children of all ages and abilities, and brighten up their day by giving their body and mind a boost. By signing up to our programme you won’t have to worry about ideas for wet weather PE lessons, as our instructors will deliver exciting lessons straight to your class.
6. Skipping games
Grab some skipping ropes and have fun using them in a variety of ways. Here are some our favourite skipping rope games:
a) Jump the river
An easy game that includes two skipping ropes, which will form the banks of the river. At one end, the ropes can be closer together, so pupils can warm up, and at the other end the ropes can be further apart to give children more of a challenge. You could ask your children to alternate their style of jumps, from a two-footed jump to a leap!
b) Limbo
How low can your pupils go? Find out who the limbo-champion of the class is by getting two children to hold out and stretch the skipping rope, and then lower it once everyone has cleared each height (no body parts can touch the rope).
c) Alternate foot jumping
Get your children to run on the spot with their skipping rope and alternate landing on a different foot.
7. Sit down tag
Sit down tag is an active game that can be played inside the classroom. Every player needs a chair or spot on the floor to sit on. A tagger needs to be picked, then the rest of the players will stand up in front of the seats. The tagger will then attempt to tag the players before they sit down. (Pupils can only sit down when the tagger approaches them). If a player has beaten the tagger, and sat down before they could tap them, then they have five seconds to stand back up.
It’s important children don’t miss out on physical activity as it supports their development of social and emotional skills and lets them focus on the present moment through movement. Hopefully this list of classroom PE lesson ideas has shown you that you and your pupils can participate in energising PE lessons come rain or shine. Find out more about the benefits of our easy-to-follow cardio videos and how to get involved, today!