Grade K-3 | Warm up games

Here's 6 awesome ideas to get your lessons started.

Get your kids running, dodging, jumping, and EXCITED for sport. You don't need a lot of equipment, just couple of cones and you'll be all set with these tip & tag games...

elementary school sports ideas gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

(you can also download these game files for free...click to view)

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...and check out these warming up & stretching cards too

...plus view these exercises

Avoid the pacman, stay on the lines

gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Use a sporting area which has multiple court lines marked out - (e.g. tennis, basketball and soccer...)

› Choose 2 kids to be ‘PACMAN’ taggers, starting in the middle

› Also choose 1 kid to be a ‘doctor’

› Kids must avoid getting tagged by the ‘Pacmen’

› You can move in any direction, but only along the LINES

› If you get tagged, sit down on the line where you were tagged

› No-one can get past a tipped player (except the Pacmen)

› The doctor can tip people who have been tagged to save them

1. Change the method of movement: skipping...hopping...side-stepping

2. Add a challenge when tipped to get free: Balance on 1 leg for 20 seconds, then you are free again

‹‹ WATCH the video

Avoid getting turned into a banana

silly bananas PE station gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Kids spread out around the playing area

› Select 2 kids to be the ‘monkeys’ (taggers)

1. Kids run around, trying to not get tagged by the monkeys

2. If you get tagged, you turn into a banana

(hands together, stretched out above your head)

3. You stay a banana until someone else free’s you, by peeling

(pull one hand down, then the other)

1. Change the method of movement:

- skipping...hopping on 1 leg...side-stepping, galloping

2. Change what happens when you are tipped:

- balance on 1 leg for 20 seconds, then you are free again

‹‹ WATCH the video

Avoid getting caught and going to jail

cops and robbers free game ideas gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Mark out a small ‘jail’ area with cones

› Choose 5 kids to be the ‘cops’ (taggers)

› The rest of the kids are ‘robbers’

1. The ‘robbers’ must try to avoid getting tipped by the ‘cops’

2. If you get tipped, the cop takes you to ‘jail’ (coned area)

3. To get out of jail you have to do a challenge - teacher chooses:

› 10 star jumps, or 10 frog jumps

› 5 lunges, or 5 pushes

› Balance on 1 leg for 10 seconds

› Change the method of movement: skipping...hopping...side-stepping

‹‹ WATCH the video

Tipping and evading other players

PE sport teaching games, tag, gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Everyone finds their own space around the playing area

› Everyone is a tipper, working individully to tip everyone else

1. If you get tagged, you sit down where you got tagged

2. Keep watching the player who tagged you...if they get tagged, you get to stand

back up and are back in

3. If 2 kids tag each other at the same time › rock-paper-scissors

(then the loser of rock-paper-scissors would sit down)

› Play multiple rounds (2-3 mins), see who survives for points

1. Change the method of movement around: skipping...hopping...side-stepping

2. Leg tag › This time, you can only tag someone behind the legs/knees, anywhere else doesn't count

‹‹ WATCH the video

Avoid getting stung by the wasps

Waspital PE game, gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Choose 2 kids to be ‘wasps’ (taggers)

› The rest of the class spread out around the playing area

› Mark out a small area with cones to be the ‘waspital’

› Each kid has 2 ‘band-aids’ (2 hands)

1. Kids try to avoid getting ‘stung’ (tagged) by the ‘wasps’

2. If tagged, put a ‘band-aid’ (hand) on where you got ‘stung’

3. Keep running around, holding your hand where you got tipped

(if tagged a 2nd time, put your other hand on that spot)

4. When you run out of band-aids (2 lives), go to WASPITAL

5. In waspital (coned area), you must do a challenge to get out:

› 10 star jumps or frog jumps

› 10 seconds running on the spot

› Balance on 1 leg for 10 seconds

› Change the method of movement: skipping...hopping...side-stepping

‹‹ WATCH the video

Get to the other side without getting tagged

bull rush PE sports game gross motor, movements, co-ordination, elementary, school, class, exercise

› Large coned area tunnel with a ‘safe zone’ at each end

› Choose 2 tippers, to start in the middle of the area

› Everyone else lines up at one end in the safe zone

1. The tippers in the middle call out “BULL RUSH”

2. Everyone tries to run to the other side without getting tipped

3. If you get tipped, you also turn into a tipper

4. Tippers build up and keep calling out ‘bull rush’

5. The last players surviving round by round win

› You are not allowed to run out of the sidelines

› Easier for the runners:

- Make the sidelines wider, tippers must tip with 2 hands

› Harder for the runners:

- Give the tippers a bib to hold, they can swing the bib to tip

‹‹ WATCH the video

Now here's a bonus video - my TOP 5 warm up games for the whole class

If you and your class enjoyed these warm up games, take a look at my most popular, instantly downloadable Complete Kindergarten (K-2) PE Sport Skills and Games pack ›››

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(click to check it out NOW!)

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You’ll feel confident to teach all these skills to your students, even if you’ve never done them yourself! Everything is ready to go, no prep or planning and searching, meaning you can choose a lesson plan or game and setup it up straight off the iPad at your gym or sports field. You can also assess the students with a simple rationale to follow, perfect for your report writing!