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!
Submarine Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. Description: 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. If you get tagged, lie down flat on your back and put one leg straight up in the air ( you are a submarine with your periscope up). To be saved, someone must gently push...
Octopus
Equipment: NONE Description: Select one student to be the octopus and place them in the middle of the gym. Have all other students line up beside one another at one end of the gym, facing the octopus. When the octopus shouts “Octopus,” all of the students try to run...
Duck Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. Description: 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. If you are tagged, put your feet together, freeze on the spot, and turn you hands into ducks by opening and closing your fingers and thumbs and quacking. To be freed, one...
Trash Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. 1 pinnie per student. Description: 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. All other student are each given a pinnie. If you get tagged, put both feet together and, holding your pinnie in one hand, make a giant circle...
Cat and Mouse
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. 2-5 yellow balls. Description: 2 - 5 people are it and are given evil red balls (these are the cats). 2 - 5 people are savers, and are given yellow balls (these are the cheese balls). All other students are mice. If a mouse gets tagged...
Turtle Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. Description: 2 - 5 students are it and are given the evil red balls. If a student is tagged, they must lie down on their back and stick both hands and both feet straight up in the air (they are a turtle flipped on its shell). To be...
Restaurant Wars
Equipment: 1 frisbee per student. 1 bean bag per student. Description: Give each student a frisbee and tell them that they must practice carrying it the same way a waiter/waitress would carry a tray in a restaurant (i.e. their hand must be completely under the tray...
Twirly Tag
Equipment: 2-5 evil red balls. Description: 2 - 5 students are it and are given evil red balls. If you are tagged by an evil red ball, you must sit down on your bum and put your hands behind your knees so that your bum is the only part of your body touching the floor....
Clean Your Room
Equipment: As many “throwable” objects as you feel are appropriate. Description: Split students into 2 even teams and put one team on each side of the gym. Scatter objects around the gym. Tell students that they are not allowed to cross the center line. Tell students...
Egg Toss
Equipment: Enough throwable/catchable items (i.e. dodgeballs, bean bags, rings...etc.), so that each group of 2 students has one item. Description: Have students pick a parter and have them face each other at the center of the gym. Give each group of 2 students their...