5 Simple Warm-Up Games for Your Next PE Class

5 Simple Warm-Up Games for Your Next PE Class

Warm-ups are a great way to prepare and introduce young children to rehearsals or drama sessions. They encourage children to warm their bodies by gradually increasing their heart rate.

Here are 5 simple warm-up games that children can do at the start of their PE lesson. You don’t need any PE equipment for these games, just make sure you have enough space to move around! – so easy to set up and play, your kids will never want to skip a PE class again.

1. Caterpillar Run

  • Divide your class into equal teams and line up at one side of the hall/yard.
  • To move the line, the child at the back must run to the front and join the front of the line.
  • When the team member reaches the front of the line the child who is now at the back can run to the front.
  • Repeat until teams reaches the finish line - the other side of the playing area.

2. Animal Parade

  • Ask students to find their own space in the playing area.
  • Students listen out for the names of different animal characters called out by the teacher.
  • For each character, students move as the animal would;
  1. Mr. Sloth: move slowly.
  2. Mr Cheetah: move quickly.
  3. Ms Frog: bounce around.
  4. Mrs Ant: crouch down low and move.
  5. Master Gorilla: move while pounding your chest.
  6. Ms Elephant: plod slowly.

3. Beans

  • Students find their own space in the playing area.
  • On the whistle students move around the PE space.
  • The teacher calls out different types of beans.
  • Each bean has a corresponding action;

- Magic Bean: skip around, waving an imaginary wand
- Baked Bean: curl up very small on the floor
- Frozen Bean: stand very still
- Runner Bean: jog on the spot
- Broad Bean: puff up and stride about
- Jumping Bean: jump around

4. Chain Tag

  • Students move around the playing area using a hopping action
  • Choose one student to be the tagger. The tagger hops around the PE space trying to tag students.
  • If tagged, that student must join the chain.
  • If escaping and not using a hopping action, the student joins the tagger.
  • If tagged when the chain is broken, the tag does not count and the student is free to go.

5. Bump Tag

  • Students find a partner and sit down shoulder to shoulder to them on the floor.
  • Ask one pair to stand up and label one the chaser and one the runner.
  • On the whistle the chaser will try to catch the runner.
  • Whenever the runner gets tired they can sit down shoulder to shoulder with a pair. In doing so they 'bump' the person at the other end off the pair.
  • That person must then stand up and run away from the chaser.
  • If caught the roles are switched and the runner now becomes the chaser and the chaser the runner who seeks a pair to sit beside and bump off.
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