Jazz up your homeschool day with these fun and creative homeschool PE ideas.
Why Should I Schedule Homeschool PE?
PE, or physical education, isn’t simply about staying healthy (although that is important).
When you provide kids with physical activity, you wake up their bodies (and their brains).
Afterward, children are better able to focus on their academic subjects.
It also provides a much-needed brain break from mentally taxing subjects.
Physical activity provides gross motor coordination practice, a precursor to fine motor skills (required for handwriting, cutting, and drawing).
What Types of Activities Count as Homeschool PE?
Homeschool PE can encompass a wide range of physical activities, so pick the ones your child will enjoy.
As long as your child gets moving, it counts as physical education.
These homeschool PE ideas all fit the bill. Some are classic; others are outside the box.
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25 Homeschool PE Ideas to Try
Some of these homeschool PE ideas may remind you of a classic PE class.
Others could only be done as part of homeschool PE.
Backyard Obstacle Course
Kids love an obstacle course. Planning one is just as much fun as racing through it.
Plan obstacles that require “going over,” “going under,” and “threading between.”
You can even set up stations like “complete ten jumps on the jump rope.”
You can time a run through the obstacle course and then see if you can beat the time on your next attempt.
Dance Party Sessions
Dancing makes you smile (and it’s also a great workout!)
Put on your favorite dance tunes and boogie. You should join your kids for this one!
You can make up your own moves or learn the latest dance trend.
Geocaching
Have you ever tried geocaching? It’s the ultimate outdoor learning activity!
All you need is a phone and a geocaching app, and you and your kids can search for hidden caches in your area.
Yoga or Stretching Exercises
Yoga (or even basic stretching) has terrific benefits for kids.
It improves balance, coordination, and mood.
It can even help with injury prevention.
Hula Hooping Competitions
Hula-hooping works the core!
Purchase some hula hoops (ensure they are the right size for your child).
You can buy cheap ones at the dollar store, but if your child is really into it, you may want to invest in a weighted hula hoop.
Balloon Volleyball
Real volleyball requires practice and coordination, but anyone can play balloon volleyball.
You can play an informal game of tossing a balloon back and forth or kick it up a notch using a backyard volleyball net.
Beach Ball Volleyball
If you purchased a backyard volleyball net, you can use also play the game with a beachball.
Badminton or Balloon Tennis
Or buy a badminton set!
Who said that badminton can only be played with a birdie? Swap it out with a balloon for balloon tennis!
Jump Rope Challenges
Jump rope is the ultimate cardio activity! It also takes lots of coordination.
The right jump rope is key. This beaded jump rope is weighted nicely and won’t tangle.
Once your child masters the basic jump, you can add in challenges like cross rope, double jumps, and skip jumps.
Bike Rides or Scooter Races
Feel the wind in your face (and see the neighborhood) with bike rides or scooter races.
Are scooters just for kids? Absolutely not! Join in the fun with a scooter sized for adults.
Frisbee Throwing and Catching Practice
Learning to throw and catch a frisbee is great for coordination.
You don’t have to start with a hard plastic frisbee. This soft disk goes just as far but doesn’t hurt to catch.
Learning to throw and catch a frisbee opens the gates for ultimate frisbee and disk golf.
Mini Golf in the Backyard
Why spend time and money playing at a commercial mini-golf course?
Build your own mini golf course in the backyard with this set.
Soccer Drills and Mini-Games
You can complete soccer drills at home like wall pass, cone weaving, ball juggling, and shuttle run dribbling.
You can also get a couple of small pop-up goals for the yard to play short games.
Outdoor Relay Races
Play outdoor relay races like egg on a spoon, the three-legged race, fill the bucket using a large sponge, etc.
You can also try these Minute to Win It style games.
Water Balloon Toss or Dodgeball
Bunch O Balloons have made filling water balloons a snap!
You can use them in water balloon toss or water balloon dodgeball.
Tug of War Competitions
A tug of war rope is surprisingly affordable.
Not only is tug of war one of the homeschool PE ideas, it makes a great birthday party activity.
DIY Mini Olympics with Various Events
You can hold your own mini Olympics across 2 weeks of homeschool PE.
Each day you could hold different events.
A classic Olympic sport? Running! You can prep for the games by training like an Olympic runner.
Jumping Jacks and other Calisthenics Exercises
Get your heartrate up with aerobics or calisthenics.
You can convert a game of Candyland into a calisthenics workout.
Assign an exercise to a color. Choose exercises like jumping jacks, lunges, squats, crunches, and pushups.
When you land on a color, you do the exercise.
Basketball Shooting Practice
Set up a driveway basketball hoop for PE the whole family will enjoy.
Crabwalk Races
Crabwalking is a core workout! Race each other like crabs.
You can add versions like duckwalk and bear crawl as well.
Weight Training for Kids
Some kids love to lift weights. You can make weight training a part of your homeschool PE.
Just be sure to teach proper form while lifting and don’t have kids lift too much.
It’s safer to do more reps than increase the weight.
Nature Walks with Scavenger Hunt Lists
A nature walk is much more fun when you add in a scavenger hunt.
You can make your own list of seasonal items, or you can look for items that fit a description. Here are some examples.
- something red
- something fuzzy
- something shiny
- something sharp
- something sticky
Hopscotch or Four-Square Games
All you need is sidewalk chalk and you can make a hopscotch game.
If you have sidewalk chalk and a kickball, you can play four square.
Martial Arts Practice or Tutorials
You can practice martial arts as a homeschool PE.
If your child is not enrolled in martial arts, certain dojos may offer virtual classes.
Or you may find how-to videos online.
Staircase Workouts or Stepping Challenges
Smartwatches like Fitbits track steps and fitness goals.
You can set up goals like climbing the stairs a certain number or times or walking/jogging a certain number of steps per day.
Homeschooll PE Ideas to Get Your Kid Moving
Homeschool PE may become your child’s favorite subject with these fresh and fun homeschool PE ideas.