25 PE games for small spaces
When the gym is taken or it's raining, a classroom or a hallway is enough for real movement. These games need little or no equipment, use soft balls and beanbags only, and nobody sits out for long: in games with an "out", a caught player does a quick move and rejoins. Each says how to set up, what you need and the grades it suits.
In the classroom, desks stay put
1. Simon says, nobody out
Play Simon says standing beside desks. A player caught moving without "Simon says" does three jumping jacks and keeps playing, so nobody spends the game sitting down.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
2. Silent ball
Students stand at their seats and toss a soft ball to each other without a sound. A drop or a noise means sitting for one round, then standing again for the next throw.
Grades 2–8You need A soft foam ball
3. Four corners workout
Label the corners one to four and give each an exercise: jumping jacks, arm circles, march in place, toe touches. Students walk to a corner, you roll a die, and that corner leads everyone in ten of its move.
Grades K–5You need Four signs and the diceUse Dice roller
4. Wall push-ups
Students stand an arm's length from a wall, put their palms flat on it and do ten slow push-ups. Make it harder by stepping a little further back.
Grades 2–8You need A clear stretch of wall
5. Mirror partners
Partners face each other. One leads slow movements: reach up, crouch, wave an arm. The other mirrors them exactly. Switch leaders every thirty seconds.
Grades K–8You need Nothing
6. Fitness dice
Roll one die for the move (1 squats, 2 jumping jacks, 3 arm circles, 4 lunges, 5 toe touches, 6 run in place) and one for how many sets of five.
Grades 1–8You need Two diceUse Dice roller
7. Red light, green light in place
Students stay at their spot. Green means jog in place, yellow means march slowly, red means freeze. Change the colors faster as the game goes on.
Grades K–3You need Nothing
8. Spell it, move it
Spell a word letter by letter. For each vowel the class does a jumping jack; for each consonant, a squat. Then a student picks the next word.
Grades 1–5You need This week's spelling words
9. Would you rather, with moves
Ask a would-you-rather question and give each answer a move: "Fly? Flap your arms ten times. Swim? Ten swimming strokes." Everyone moves and nobody has to explain.
Grades K–5You need Nothing
Push the desks back
10. Balloon keep-up
Each group keeps its balloon off the floor, counting touches, with nobody touching it twice in a row. Try again with only elbows, or only one hand.
Grades K–5You need A latex-free balloon per group of four
11. Beanbag balance walk
Students walk the tape line with a beanbag on their head. If it falls, they pick it up and carry on from the same spot. Next try walking backward.
Grades K–5You need Beanbags and a line of tape on the floor
12. Freeze dance, nobody out
Students dance while the music plays and freeze when it stops. Anyone still moving does one stretch and keeps playing. Call out a freeze shape: tall, tiny, wide.
Grades Pre-K–5You need Music you can pause
13. Pass the ball, answer a question
Pass a soft ball around a circle while music plays. Whoever holds it when the music stops answers a review question or picks a move for everyone, then the music starts again.
Grades 1–5You need A soft ball and music you can pause
14. Rock, paper, scissors workout
Pairs play rock, paper, scissors. The player who loses does five jumping jacks, then both find new partners. Nobody is out, and partners change every round.
Grades 2–8You need Nothing
15. Animal stretches
Lead slow stretches named after animals: stand tall like a giraffe, arch your back like a cat, stretch up on your toes like a flamingo, crouch like a frog. Hold each for five slow breaths.
Grades Pre-K–3You need Floor space
16. Cup stack relay
Teams line up. The first player walks to the cups, stacks a three-two-one pyramid, unstacks it and walks back to tag the next player. Walking only, so the room stays safe.
Grades 2–8You need Six plastic cups per team
Hallway or a corner of the gym
17. Beanbag target toss
Set out targets at different distances worth one, two and three points. Each student tosses three beanbags and the team adds up its points.
Grades K–5You need Beanbags and three hoops or taped circles
18. Beanbag spoon relay
Teams carry a beanbag on a spoon down the hallway and back. A dropped beanbag goes back on the spoon where it fell. Walking only.
Grades 1–5You need Large spoons and beanbags
19. Crab walk race
Students sit, put hands behind them and lift their hips, then crab walk a few yards to a line and back. Keep the distance short; it's harder than it looks.
Grades 2–5You need A short stretch of clean floor
20. Line jumps
Students jump side to side over the line with feet together ten times, then forward and back ten times. Count together. Add one-foot hops for older students.
Grades K–5You need A line of tape on the floor
21. Tape hopscotch
Tape a hopscotch grid on the floor. Students toss the beanbag into a square, hop the grid without landing in that square and pick it up on the way back.
Grades K–3You need Painter's tape and a beanbag
22. Catch and step back
Partners toss a soft ball back and forth. After five catches in a row, both take one step back. After a drop, both take one step forward.
Grades 1–8You need A soft ball per pair
With the timer
23. One-minute stations
Make four groups and set up four stations: jumping jacks, wall push-ups, line jumps, balance on one foot. Each group works one minute per station and moves when the timer ends.
Grades 2–8You need Four station signs, the 1 minute timer, the group makerUse 1 minute timer, Random group maker
24. Hold it
Students hold a plank, a wall sit or a one-foot balance for thirty seconds while the timer runs. Each tries to hold a little longer next time, beating only their own time.
Grades 3–8You need The 30 second timerUse 30 second timer
25. Brain break card draw
Draw a card from the small-space get moving deck and do it together for its suggested time. Draw three in a row for a five-minute movement break.
Grades K–5You need The get moving brain break cardsUse Energizing brain breaks for small spaces
Making it work
- Clear bags and chair legs from the floor first, and space students an arm's length apart.
- Soft balls, beanbags and balloons only. Walking only in relays indoors, and no tackling or pulling.
- Give every move a seated or smaller version, and check students' medical notes and any doctor's limits before vigorous games.
- Instead of sending players out, have them do a quick move and rejoin, so the students who most need the exercise don't spend it sitting down.
- Use the timer for stations and the group maker for fair teams.
Questions teachers ask
- What PE games work in a classroom without moving desks?
- Simon says, silent ball, fitness dice, wall push-ups, mirror partners, red light green light in place and the four corners workout all work beside desks, with students staying near their own seat.
- How do I avoid elimination games?
- Keep the rules but change what happens to an "out": the player does a quick move, such as three jumping jacks, and rejoins right away. Everyone keeps moving, and nobody is singled out at the side of the room.
- How do I include a student who uses a wheelchair?
- Offer a seated version of every move (arm circles, seated marching, ball tosses from a chair), and pick games where position doesn't matter, like mirror partners, balloon keep-up and catch and step back. Ask the student which moves work for them.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.