Students can get restless inside all day.
What are some ways to release your students’ energy indoors, while also developing physical literacy?
PLAYBuilder, a digital lesson planning platform, offers access to 700+ games and 100+ lesson plans for K-7 educators— including those that are adaptable or made to take place in a gymnasium or classroom!
Here are some great examples of indoor games found on PLAYBuilder:
Follow the Lines (Grade K-7)
What You’ll Need
No equipment necessary!
Setup
- As students enter the gym ask them to find a spot somewhere on a line and stand still.
Activity
- Upon your signal, students can try to move only on the lines. Students can change lines anywhere two lines intersect, but cannot jump between lines.
- Any time two students meet each other when traveling, they must do a dance move, then turn around and change directions without passing each other.
- Emphasize the importance of being able to balance on the lines as they move around the gym.
Beanbag Balance (Grades K-4)
What You’ll Need
Beanbags
Setup
- Have participants spread out.
- Give each student a beanbag.
Activity
- Call out different body parts (e.g., shoulder, back, knee, foot, stomach, thumb, etc.) and have participants balance their beanbag on said body part for five seconds.
- Try to pick funny/challenging body parts to keep it fun.
- You may add a rule that if the beanbag falls off (i.e., they must do five jumping jacks or another appropriate exercise).
- You may also increase the time they have to balance the beanbag.
- For an extra challenge, have them try to move while balancing the beanbag.
Locomotor Relay Race (Grades 1-7)
What You’ll Need
- Cones or poly spots
Setup
- Places participants in groups of three to ensure maximum participation.
Activity
- Tell them which locomotor skill they will be performing each race.
- On your signal, the first student goes to the end line and tags the next student in line, until all three have finished.
- Start off easy and move to more challenging skills each race(e.g., walking, running, hopping, skipping, galloping, sliding, etc.).
- Stress the importance of technique over winning. If they perform skills wrong, teach them and have them do it over again.
- Encourage good sportsmanship.
Looking for more activities and games like these? Sign up for PLAYBuilder today!