Curated OER
Rainy Day Physical Education
Out of ideas for what to do with your PE class on a rainy day? Look no further, as this document has over 50 great ideas for indoor activities! Each activity is clearly explained, is engaging, and will give your youngsters a much-needed...
National Association for Sport & Physical Fitness
Indoor Physical Activity Ideas for Kids!
Rainy day schedule doesn't mean you can't stay fit! Use a collection of indoor physical activities during periods of inclement weather, substitute teaching days, or for those afternoons when your class just wants to move around!
PEGAMES.org
Card War
With only a deck of playing cards, you now have the opportunity to add a new game to your repertoire of PE activities! Your class members will be excited to play throughout the activity as they interact with their peers and attempt new...
PhysEdGames
Keeper of the Castle
Set up four Hula Hoops in each corner of the gym that will be used as a base for each team. Use the center circle of the gym as the "castle" with a bunch of "treasure" in it. The treasure consists of a variety of pieces of equipment....
PhysEdGames
Secret Agent Tag
Have the whole class sit down on the floor with their eyes closed. Pick a few people to be the "bad guys," which are the taggers, and a few people to be the "secret agents," which are the freers, by tapping them once or twice on the...
PhysEdGames
CandyCane Tag
Choose a tagger. The rest of the class runs around the gym. If a runner is tagged, they must freeze and stand in the shape of a candy cane. To get back into the game, another runner must run underneath the arch of the candy cane.
PhysEdGames
Skunk Tag
Choose two taggers to be the "skunks." Set up five hula hoops in the gym; one in each corner and one in the middle. The hoops in the corners are the safe zones for the players while the middle hoop is the skunk's home. The skunks start...
American Chemical Society
Flame Out
Add a little heat to your science lesson. Young experimenters work to understand the chemical reaction taking place when a candle burns. They experiment with both oxygen and carbon dioxide to make conclusions about the reaction.
National Gardening Association
Migration Mishaps
Elementary ecologists pretend to be migratory hummingbirds. They fly between wintering and nesting grounds, trying to reach a habitat haven. In a musical-chair fashion, some birds will miss out, and are removed from the game. To further...
PEGAMES.org
Duck Duels
If you're stuck inside on a rainy day for PE, or just want to give your class a body break, try out this fun game involving quick mental math and movement. Waddling around the classroom as ducks, learners compete in math duels, trying to...
PEGAMES.org
Perfect Switch
Time to switch up the seating arrangement in your class? Need to form random groups for an in-class activity or project? The object of this game involves class members switching seats precisely according to your directions and varying...
PEGAMES.org
Alphabet Aerobics
Whether using the alphabet, songs, poems, or rhymes, give your learners an opportunity to get their minds and bodies moving with this fun activity. This can be adapted to a range of movements or topics that you might like to incorporate,...
PEGAMES.org
What Am I?
Looking for a fun transition activity or game to play at the end of the day? Try a game that is very similar to charades but instead, every class member can play at once as performers! The activity also involves movement as a whole group...
PEGAMES.org
Confusing Compass
This is a very simple PE game that can be performed indoors or outdoors, and will help your learners develop a sense of direction! If playing this game outdoors, identify north, south, east, and west, and consider varying the type of...
Phys Ed Games
Four Corners
Five groups stand in four corners, with one group in the middle. When the coach says "go!" groups run across the gym to an open available cone before another group gets there. Groups do this all while holding hands, strategizing ahead of...
Bonneville
The Great Marble Drop
Mike and Kellie, a team of electrical engineers, demonstrate how to to design a contraption that accurately drops a marble onto a target. The materials needed and general instructions are provided on the website or via a downloadable...
PEGAMES.org
Lava Field
Working in teams, groups of learners must collaborate to make their way across an imaginary lava field using foam tiles, carpet pieces, hula hoops, etc. This activity would be best if adapted to a larger facility or outdoors!
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Roller Coaster Mania!
Raise the energy level of your physical science class with this exciting hands-on activity. Applying their knowledge of kinetic and potential energy and Newton's laws of motion, young engineers use foam tubing and marbles to create...
Baylor College
What Dissolves in Water?
One of water's claims to fame is as the universal solvent. Young physical scientists experiment to discover which materials dissolve in this special compound. You could never be more prepared for teaching this lesson than by using this...
101 Questions
Basketball Shots
Shoot for greater understanding of systems. Pupils watch a short video of a man attempting basketball shots, both one-point free throws and two-point field goals. Given the total number of shots and total number of points made, viewers...
Teach Engineering
Rocks, Rocks, Rocks: Test, Identify Properties and Classify
Time is growing short. Teams work together to identify physical properties of rocks in order to determine the properties that would best suit their cavern shelter design.
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras—Secondary
Add a little glitter to your Mardi Gras celebration with a packet that includes information about the history of Mardi Gras. It also provides information about how different communities celebrate the holiday, as well as templates for...
PBS
Hands-On Engineering Challenges to Bolster Your Electricity, Sound, and Force Units
Need some activities to go along with your unit? A collection of hands-on activities from PBS offers opportunities to add to your electricity, sound, and force units. The electricity activities revolve around building a pinball-type...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
A Classroom Solar System
Create a scaled model of our solar system in your classroom! Scholars work collaboratively to build paper mache planets and hang them in their proper position to showcase each planet's location in the solar system.