With the holiday season comes cooler weather, twinkling lights, and cheerful excitement. Channel that excitement and holiday energy into some festive PE class activities and games! The following ideas are an easy way to inject healthy, heart-pumping physical activity into the potentially low-activity winter season.
Quick Set Up Holiday PE Class Games
Quick setup is an important feature for many PE lesson plans. Whether you called in sick and need an activity suggestion for a substitute teacher or you’re running short on time between class transitions, there’s no need to skimp on fun. Check out these activity ideas for students to engage in and enjoy this holiday season.
Holiday-Themed Movement Stations
Movement stations are easy to set up and can be made into a fun activity when used to run a relay or by giving groups a series of steps to follow to achieve a certain number of points. Set up movement stations with classic physical exercises like push-ups, sit-ups, star jumps, etc. Give the activities and stations holiday-themed names like “Elf Explosions” for star jumps, “Gift Grabs” for sit-ups, etc. For more complex holiday activity station ideas, check out these ideas from Gopher.
Winter Weather-Themed Obstacle Course
Obstacle courses don’t require expensive equipment, but a holiday-themed course might require a little extra brainstorming and creativity. Set up a path for students to follow with a start and finish, and include a variety of stations and obstacles along the way. The quick setup version of this might mean that some of the obstacles are based on performing a task rather than simply trying to get past a difficult obstacle.
Some ideas for holiday obstacles:
- A “frozen” pond with specific stepping stones to get across safely.
- Build a snow fort by stacking items to reach a specific height without tipping over.
- Holding holiday gifts – have students carry a certain number of items to a finishing point without dropping any of them.
PE Supplies & Tools to Put On Your Wish List
These teacher favorites make great gifts for the active learners in your life and also make for fun PE lesson plans. Don’t hesitate to throw these ideas and inspiration on your wish list!
Shop All PE Teacher Favorite Products
More Holiday Activity Ideas for Kids
If you’re searching for more ideas to keep students active and engaged this year, check out the other group activities and games on the Schoolyard blog. We have ideas for every season and plenty of great tools to make PE class more fun and exciting.
Leave a Reply