PE Games for Kids

PE games significantly impact kids’ physical, psychological, and social development. These games make them move their bodies, increase their strengths and endurance, focus on the rules and learn how to be a team members. In our post, we’ll share the best online PE games for kids, as well as other outdoor PE game ideas and fun exercises for kids worth discovering. Let’s find out how to get fit for kids.

Online PE Games for Kindergarten

Finding beneficial PE games is quite essential for kindergarteners. Playing PE games support kids’ motor skills, bodies, and minds’ improvement. We've collected the most favorite online PE games kindergarten level that 5 and 6-year-olds can enjoy a lot, even on their own:

Online PE Games for Elementary School

Discovering the most effective PE games elementary level can look hard at first, but it’s not! Aged 6 to 11, kids can develop their balance, stretch their muscles, and enjoy using up their energies through funny PE physical education games elementary friendly.

Online PE Games for Middle School

There are so many PE games for kids that can be considered PE games middle school friendly, but which ones are the best for their development? Check our suggestions full of stretching and cardio moves that aged 11 to 14 kids love a lot to do!

Online PE Games for High School

High school teens take advantage of physical education games! Some PE games high school level make teens love doing workouts for the rest of their lives as a healthy daily habit. These games also have a massive impact on teens' psychology. That’s why choosing the correct exercises and PE games for kids, like the ones we offer on MentalUP, is crucial.

Indoor PE Games for Kids

Indoor PE games for kids are especially needed for rainy, freezy, or too hot days. Making daily workout routines should be done without any excuse for a healthy body; that’s why exploring the best PE games at home and PE games in the classroom can be a lifesaver!

1. Shark Zone

Here is one of the simple and funny PE games in the gym, but by using some creativity, you can play this game even at home or in the classroom.

Use preferably blue mats to specify the wild sharks’ zone. Then, add items around them like cushions, bars, chairs, etc. Tell the kids that mats represent waters full of sharks, so they should arrive at the arrival point you determine by using the other materials you add around the mats.

Divide them into 2 groups, then let them use their strategic thinking and teamwork skills to decide which way is the best for the final point!

2. Red Light - Green Light

Red Light - Green Light is one of the very known indoor physical education games. The game increases kids’ attention and memory skills as well as their strength and endurance.

To play this game, you need to set beginning and ending points. Kids should wait for your command to be on the starting line. When you say “green light,” they should run towards the finish line, and when you say “red light,” they must freeze.

Even if the game is in the easy pe games with no equipment suggestions, you can make it more complex! For example, add “yellow light” for standing on one foot, add “blue light” to walking, or “pink light” for jumping!

3. Musical Chairs

It’s not surprising that the Musical Chairs PE game is so popular all over the world!

As one of the best examples of cardio exercises and PE games for kids, Musical Chairs offer so much fun while children build their strength and spend energy.

Even if it’s hard to find PE games for small groups, this can be played even with 3 kids and more. All you have to do is set up chairs, one less chair than the number of kids involved.

Then play music, and let kids move around the chairs by walking, running, jumping, or more advanced exercises like push-ups. When you pause the music, they should sit as soon as possible. The one who cannot sit is out!

4. Cats and Mice

You may be familiar with different versions of Cats and Mice because it’s one of the best PE games in the gym or any indoor place.

Split kids into two groups: cats and mice. Give them some scarves or any fabrics that they can use. Both cats and mice should tie the scarves to their waistbands like tails.

The cats should chase the mice. When the cats hold mice’s scarves, the one who gets caught is out!

5. Jump Race

Here is another good example of effective PE games for kids of all ages. Don’t forget that these kinds of balance exercises for kids are both improving and fun for your children.

Run races can start to be boring at some point, but what about jump races? Set two lines as beginning and ending, then let your kids start racing by jumping!

You can make the directions more complicated like they should make 3 jumps, 5 push-ups, 2 tumbles, and then run!

Outdoor PE Games for Kids

Physical education games are fun, especially if the weather is warm enough to enjoy playing them! Picking PE games outside no equipment is so easy with only some stuff that everyone has. Let’s check the best PE games outside and outdoor activities for kids!

1. Popcorn

Let’s start with a good warm-up PE game for kids! Popcorn is one of the simple yet funny warm up games for kids to help prepare their bodies and minds to follow the next complicated directions of other games.

Let kids jog around the playground freely at the beginning. When you say “popcorn!” followed by a number, like “popcorn 5”, the nearest 5 kids should be a group of popcorn together fastly.

2. Clap and Catch Ball

Here is an excellent example of outside PE volleyball games.

Directs kids to make a large circle on the playground. Then, one of them should throw the ball to a random player. The ones who will catch the ball have to clap their hands first. If they drop the ball or forget clapping, they are out.

You can direct them to jump instead of clapping to make this game more challenging.

3. Making Shapes

If you look for PE games for kids, this one must be on your list! Making Shapes is a fun and beneficial activity in many ways.

As one of the great PE games outside, kids need to be in a large playground to play this. You, as an adult, can be the leader, or assign one of the children.

When the leader calls out the shape's name, kids should start running to draw this shape with their paths. For example, if the shape is a circle, they have to run on an imaginary circle-shaped path.

To make it harder, the leader can give complex directions like “circle, 3, jump,” and the kids have to be ready to take a circle-shaped path three times by jumping!

4. Minefield

Kids will love this activity, which is one of the most entertaining games to play outside. Gather up the kids and let them choose their partners to group two by two. Partners should be really careful to direct each other to win this game.

You need to have a beginning point and arrival point at the first stage. Then, one of the partner’s eyes will be tied up in every group. After that, you should randomly place some objects like ropes, balls, school bags, or anything available around the playground.

The first blindfolded player should try to go to the arrival point without touching the objects you placed. To do that, the player has to listen to his/her partner’s verbal directions very carefully!

5. Land the Plane

Who wouldn’t want to enjoy one of the best PE games for small groups? This alternative is also one of the most effective stretching exercises for kids.

As an adult, you will be the director of this game. When you call out the following actions, the kids should perform them:

• Take Off: They have to walk around with wide-open arms.
• Cruise: Jog around the playground freely.
• Turbulence: Make different jumps to create the turbulence effect.
• Descend: Walk around the playground slower.
• Land: Sit on the playground but keep the arms wide-open.
• Stop: Down the arms slowly.

These were the best PE games for kids of all ages! With these activities, kids can strengthen their bodies while having fun. Plus, these games can make them have the habit of doing physical exercises every day!