With the holiday season comes cooler weather, twinkling lights, and cheerful excitement. Channel that excitement and holiday energy into some festive games and activities for PE class. The following ideas are an easy way to inject some healthy, heart pumping physical activity into the potentially low-activity winter season.
Quick Set Up Holiday PE Class Games
Quick set-up 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/stations a holiday-themed names like “Elf Explosions” for star jumps, “Gift Grabs” for sit-ups, etc. For more complex holiday activity station ideas, check out this post.
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/obstacles along the way. The quick set-up 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.
- Building a snow fort by stacking items to reach a specific height without it 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-favorite supplies make great gifts for the active learners in your life, but they’ll 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 blog posts in the PE and Out of School categories at the Schoolyard blog. We have ideas for every season and plenty of great tools to make PE class more fun and exciting.
