A lot of younger kids will tell you that their favorite class in school is either P.E. or recess, both of which involve movement and fun. This goes to show how much children—teens included—want to break free from sitting at their desks all day. If you’re a P.E. teacher looking for creative ways to get your kids even more excited about class, check out some of our favorite outdoor gym ideas for P.E. teachers—your students will never be bored!
Gaga Ball
Gaga ball is one of the best outside gym games for younger students, but if you bring up the idea to older students, we’re sure they’ll get just as excited. The gaga ball game is a less intense version of dodgeball, so it works well for all age ranges. Equip your school with a gaga ball pit; it’s an outside gym game that’s fun for everyone and creates an exciting day of gym class.
Kickball
A game that’s been around for ages, kickball is always a fun option. Though you can play it indoors on those rainy days, kickball is best played outdoors. If you’re playing outside gym games, we recommend hosting a tournament that lasts for a few days, as this allows students to get more into that team player mentality. Kickball improves foot-eye coordination and tends to be less competitive than baseball or softball.
Relay Races
Relay races will never go out of style. There are so many different ways to utilize them, and when it comes to fun outside gym games to play, they’re the perfect way to get your students moving. We like hula hoops for their ability to get students to move parts of their body they may not be used to moving, but you can swap out the hula hoops for whatever you desire.
Fitness Circuits
It’s always important to get kids to work on their strength and endurance. Depending on how you set up fitness stations, it should include fun workouts for children. Stations can include running from place to place, hula-hooping, doing sit-ups—the list is endless. Remember to change up your stations every now and then. If you have younger students, you can utilize the various features of your playground in the circuits, as well. An introduction to fitness doesn’t need to be hard for elementary P.E.; set up fitness stations that make the concept of exercise fun for kids.
Net Games
Net games are at the top of our outdoor gym ideas list. Badminton and volleyball are always exciting sports for students to play, and they don’t just have to be indoors. While coordinating the different outside net gym games, set up nets in the grass, and then all you need are the right supplies. Games like these can motivate students to participate in various school sports once they realize how fun they are.
If you need any supplies for your classes, head to Discount Playground Supply. We have all the items you need to run a successful gym class and make all your outside gym games fun—from gaga ball pits to volleyball nets and balls. Have a wonderful school year!