Don’t just fill your lessons with random games-choose activities that have a clear purpose and help your students grow in meaningful ways.
Who hasn’t searched for class ideas online?
We’ve all done it at some point. The internet is full of wonderful resources, games, and activities that are, of course, great to incorporate into your lessons. However, most resources like “500 Ball Games” or “300 Racket Sports Games” lack a clear purpose. They are simply activity libraries, some of which catch your attention because of their originality or how much time they save when planning.
The Problem with Activity Libraries
While many of these games are fantastic and, of course, can be included occasionally, your focus should be on designing games and activities that fulfill the objective you set when planning your lessons. Don’t do things just for the sake of doing them, and don’t choose games based solely on whether they seem fun or not. Make them fun, yes, but also ensure they serve a purpose that goes beyond physical improvement.
If you want a practical example of how to do this, you can check this article where I explain how to transform a normal game into an interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary activity [LINK]. You can actually follow this example to transform activities from online resources into something more meaningful
Designing Purposeful Games
To begin with, I suggest selecting a few key physical skills to work on in each unit and designing games to work on them while relating to a much broader concept. Choose these physical skills to work on based on the curriculum of the country where you teach. This way, you can work in the way I propose from The PE Revolution while meeting the requirements of your country’s curriculum—possibly outdated.
For instance, in the resources section, you’ll find a unit where students, through Physical Education, explore the different properties of materials while learning concepts from subjects like Art, Physics, or Math. All of this, of course, while still working on the physical skills we need to develop in them, like running, jumping, skipping, throwing, catching, and more.
This approach ensures a much more comprehensive development for the child, not just physically.
When Are Random Games OK?
Don’t get me wrong—using random games from time to time isn’t a bad idea. They’re an excellent backup when a class isn’t going as expected or to fill those dead moments. After all, kids can’t maintain their attention for long periods, and sometimes the best thing is simply to let them play and enjoy themselves.
Give random games that sound really fun their space in your classes, but be careful—your lessons shouldn’t revolve around them. Creativity and critical thinking are pillars of the Physical Education we want to build, and to develop them in children, we must first set the example ourselves. Think, reflect, and analyze. In the Activities section, you can find many examples, but I encourage you to grab a pen and paper and start designing your own.
The internet is full of great games. Use them. But don’t let them do your thinking for you. Your students deserve lessons designed with intention, not just borrowed to fill time.
