- Most school gyms contain sporting equipment. Divide the class into two teams and play some basketball. Alternately, set up a volleyball net and have a game of volleyball. You could also play some badminton or even indoor soccer. Depending on the size of the class, you may have to rotate in players after every few minutes in order to give everyone a chance to play. Most school gyms are large enough so that you could have two games going at the same time. Some students may like to work as the referee instead of playing, which not only helps you but cuts down on the number of students who need to take a turn playing. Some gyms even have hockey sticks for floor hockey. See what types of equipment your school gym offers, and go from there.
- Lead the students in some traditional exercises. Put on some music and do some aerobics, or run some laps around the gym. Give each student a jumprope and see who can do the most jumps in a certain amount of time. Let the students take turns being the leader, and play a game of follow the leader using traditional exercise moves, such as jumping jacks, sit-ups and other similar exercises.
- Games are a great way to teach large and fine motor skills, as well as building teamwork skills. In addition, most students love to play games, which is not always true for playing sports or exercising. Games can be done as a whole group, or with partners. They can range from the simple (play duck-duck-goose or musical chairs with a group of young children) to the very rowdy (play "freezapalooza" with your fifth-graders). For directions on playing freezapalooza and other active games, see the link in the Resources section below.
