Flexibility Teacher Resources

Flexibility is a key part of physical fitness. Exercises and activities that promote limberness contribute to muscle, joint, and cardiovascular health. Lesson Planet has a full range of reviewed and rated resources designed to increase awareness of the importance of flexibility.

Activities and exercises increase range of motion and physical performance and decrease chances of injury. Lesson Planet’s collection of resources includes activities, presentations, and lessons, that teach warm-ups and stretches contributing to flexibility and physical fitness and are appropriate for the classroom, the gym, or even the dojo.

21st century learners are spending more and more time sitting in front of computer screens and tapping on their cell phones. Get them up and moving with activities that keep their bodies and their minds nimble.

Showing 38 resources
+
Handout
US Department of Veterans Affairs

Sample Flexibility Plan for Beginners

For Students 6th - 12th
Boost flexibility with a set of stretches designed for beginners. Pictures and descriptions guide readers through a variety of stretches while standing, sitting, and lying on the floor. 
+
Lesson Plan
Santa Cruz School District

Black Tiger Academy Martial Arts Fitness Unit – Lesson 1

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Build unity in the dojo or the gym with an activity that not only teaches the importance of stretching and flexibility but also offers class members an opportunity to get to know one another. After warming up and engaging in a Medicine...
+
Handout
Purdue University

Healthy Body Image: Healthy Exercises for Every Body

For Students 9th - 12th
From three-way neck rolls to a figure-5 hurdler's stretch, this is an ultimate guide to healthy exercises. It begins with a bulleted list of general guidelines on cardiorespiratory exercise, flexibility, resistance exercises, and range...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stretching Muscles Properly

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Tootsie rolls as a teaching aid? Absolutely. Demonstrate to young athletes the importance of warmups and stretching  with an activity that asks them to try and stretch a piece of cold taffy. Class members hold the taffy in their hands...
+
Activity
1
1
Primary Resources

Warm Ups & Cool Downs for Children

For Teachers K - 5th
What makes an effective warm-up and cool-down activity? as well as tips for leading stretches. Find detailed activity plans, as well as tips for leading stretches, for elementary school, tag-based games (including one game called "Toilet...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Muscle Flexibility and Strength

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders listen to the definition of muscle strength and observe the teacher demonstrate how to do an abdominal crunch. They then do abdominal crunches for 20 seconds. They gather information about flexibility and strength and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Haunted House Challenge Fitness Stations

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students rotate through ten physical fitness stations. They perform various stretching and strengthening activities for three minutes at a time.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fitness Lab

For Teachers K - 5th
Students complete several physical fitness stations. Students identify which activities increased their heart rates from a resting level. Stations include jumping jacks, sit-ups, running in place, stretching, and body fat measurements.
+
Lesson Plan
Champions for Change

How Many Minutes Should I Get?

For Teachers 7th - Higher Ed
Thirty minutes of physical activity a day maintains health and keeps chronic disease away! Your class will learn and discuss the number of minutes of physical activity needed every day to maintain good health, as well as the short- and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scarf Juggling

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students participate in three different activities in a PE instructional activity. Students warm-up by dancing and following instructions in a song, stretch and work on flexibility by playing a game of Steal the Bacon and finish up with...
+
Unit Plan
Odell Education

Building Evidence-Based Arguments: "Cuplae poena par esto: Let the punishment fit the crime."

For Teachers 11th Standards
Should a criminal's punishment match the crime? An argumentative writing plan explores this question as class members investigate a variety of mixed-medium sources by experts in the field, form evidence-based claims, and support them...
+
Lesson Plan
Kids Yoga Stories

Valentine's Day - LOVE

For Teachers K - 3rd
Open your heart with a refreshing yoga session designed for Valentine's Day. With visual cues of hearts and other festive decorations, participants begin a series of yoga poses designed to open their heart chakras and to reflect on the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decorate A Tree

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Young scholars decorate a tree with ornaments which represent different locomotion skills such as crab walk, stretches, jump rope, and jumping jacks. Great for holiday week.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Effects of Drugs and Alcohol

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine how drugs and alcohol impair athletic performance They discuss the reduction in aerobic activity through drug use and discover what is most affected by abuse. In their journals they write about how maintaining...
+
Activity
Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc.

10 Rainy and Snow Day Activities for Indoor Recess and PE

For Teachers K - 6th
Don't let the rain and snow put a damper on your PE lessons. This collection of indoor activities is a perfect way to keep students active regardless of the weather outside.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Problem Solving

For Teachers K - 1st
Students participate in completing various locomotor skills. In this physical education/literacy lesson, students explore the gym searching for Halloween items to return back to their "home". Additionally, students must be engaged in the...
+
Lesson Plan
Teaching Adapted PE

Locomotor and Object Control Stations

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Develop children's basic locomotor and object control skills with an invigorating Adaptive PE lesson. A series of four, timed stations engaged the class in playing a game of Twister, walking on a balance beam, throwing bean bags, and...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Energy Out

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
How much activity is appropriate for elementary school youngsters? What kind of activities do they need to do? Check out the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. Look to see what are age-appropriate activities for each grade...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Tiger Academy Martial Arts Fitness Unit – Lesson 2

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
”If you think you can, you can. And if you think you can't, you're right.”—Henry Ford. Black Tiger Academy’s martial arts lesson two of 20 continues with the class getting to know each other. There is review of the crane stance, the cat...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Tiger Academy Martial Arts Fitness Unit – Lesson 5

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." Black Tiger Academy’s martial arts lesson plan five of 20 has a great team building activity in which a small group...
+
Interactive
Curated OER

English Vocabulary Skills: AWL Sublist 6 - Exercise 1a

For Students 9th - 12th
In this online interactive English vocabulary skills activity, students answer 10 matching questions which require them to fill in the blanks in 10 sentences. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Energy Out

For Teachers K - 5th
What kinds of physical activity should youngsters do more of? What kind of activities should they do enough of? What kind of activities should they do less of? Studies say that children should be doing about an hour of vigorous activity...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary PE Lesson

For Teachers K - 1st
Students divide into two groups facing each other; tossing the bean bags to each other. The teacher calls out names of unhealthy food and students start to throw beanbags back and forth to their partner. When students hear a healthy...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Boat Safety and Water Sports - Lesson 18 - Wake Board Terms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Boat safety lesson 18 is all about the wake board.  The class learns the terminology about wake boards and discusses the different types of ropes used. Much of the information regarding boating basics, personal floatation devices, and...

Browse by Subject


Flexibility