There are endless PE lesson plans to choose from for your physical education class. We break down the importance of physical education lesson plans and highlight some of the best places to find physical education lesson plans for your age and audience.
Physical education as a subject in school has always battled stereotypes. Unfortunately, many wrongly assume that a pe teacher just “rolls out the ball” for a typical PE class. But anyone who has observed or taken part in a quality physical education program knows that the subject of PE is one of the best opportunities for students’ physical health development.
Per the CDC, physical education is an academic subject just like math, science, or social studies,
“It (PE) is an academic subject characterized by a planned, sequential K–12 curriculum (course of study) that is based on the national standards for physical education. Physical education provides cognitive content and instruction designed to develop motor skills, knowledge, and behaviors for physical activity and physical fitness.” (CDC Healthy Schools – Physical Education & Physical Activity)
Therefore, physical education lesson plans are essential to developing a sequential curriculum. At every grade level, PE lesson plans can provide students in physical education class opportunities to develop lifelong fitness, health, and wellness skills.
There is no shortage of activity ideas for PE. Historically, most ideas for PE were shared at professional development trainings and state/national conferences. And while these are still great opportunities to check out new ideas for PE, the rise of social media has created a new avenue for physical education teachers.
Now, any PE teacher can log onto Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms and find countless great ideas for PE. For example, the PE Central Facebook Group has over 34,000 members and has daily posts from PE teachers across the country. In this group, teachers share fun games and activity ideas for every grade level and type of unit.
But taking these one-off activity ideas and turning them into pe lesson plans that fit with the entire year-long curriculum plan can take time and effort. But as a pe teacher, you don’t have to go at this lofty task alone!
Check out all the videos, lesson plans, and resources I share each week HERE: https://t.co/vCmaPk80Eg pic.twitter.com/9m9YpXNsnI
— Mike Graham (@pe4everykid) December 9, 2022Check out this article on what’s going on in PE at Evergreen.
When it comes to lesson planning for PE, many teachers find themselves trying to do it alone. And when it comes to trying to fill an entire year full of lesson plans for PE from scratch, it can become an overwhelming process.
But just like in any other subject, there are lesson plans for PE that can be utilized at any grade level.
For instance, when a math teacher has to teach a unit on multiplication, they don’t typically create lesson plans on their own. Instead, they turn to professionally designed lesson plans and curriculum.
Physical education should do the same! For example, a PE teacher might aim to introduce different movements like the squat, lunge, hinge, press, and pull in a foundational human movement unit. Instead of creating physical education lessons from a blank template, they can tap into grade-level appropriate programs and units that cover these skills in a series of physical education lessons.
At every grade level, there are tons of great PE lesson plans that teachers can utilize. And PE lesson plans are just that: PLANS. From a framework and structure, PE teachers can still adjust and modify lesson plans for PE to fit their time, setting, and student experience levels. But finding quality PE lesson plans can be a great starting point to save time and energy while still creating a physical education class to be proud of.
