31 Indoor PE Activities – One for Everyday of the Month
We know that keeping kids active and excited about physical education can be a challenge, especially in the winter. That’s why we’ve compiled a month’s worth of fun, energetic indoor PE activities. These PE activities are not just exercises – they’re adventures that will make every day a celebration of movement and joy. From creative games to fitness challenges, we’re here to help you transform your learning space into a hub of enthusiasm and physical exploration. These activities provide a variety of ways for kids to stay active indoors while having a blast. Adjust the difficulty level based on the age and fitness levels of the children participating.
Badges you may wish to earn while staying active may include badges like the Health and Fitness Badge, Obstacle Course Badge, Stretching Badge, Story Movement Badge or Yoga Badge.
31 Ideas for Indoor Active Play
- Balloon Bop: Keep balloons in the air using only your knees, feet, elbows or any other body part besides your hands.
- Animal Yoga: Pretend to be different animals while doing yoga poses. Examples include downward dog, cobra, and butterfly.
- Balloon Volleyball: Pull a string across the room to act as a net and use a balloon for a volleyball.
- Simon Says Fitness: Play a fitness-themed version of Simon Says, incorporating exercises like jumping jacks, squats, and lunges.
- Indoor Bowling: Set up a bowling alley using soft balls or rolled up socks and empty plastic water bottles for pins.
- Musical Statues: Dance when the music plays and freeze when it stops.
- Hula Hoop Contest: See who can hula hoop the longest or learn fun tricks with the hoop.
- Pillow Jumping: Place pillows on the floor and challenge kids to jump from one to another creating pathways through the house.
- Obstacle Course: Create an indoor obstacle course using household items like cushions, chairs, and blankets.
- Play Twister: If you don’t own this classic board game, make one of your own using colored paper
- Indoor Hopscotch: Use tape or colored paper to create a hopscotch grid on the floor.
- Fitness Bingo: Create bingo cards with different exercises. Call out exercises, and kids mark off the ones they complete.
- Balloon Tennis: Play tennis using balloons and fly swatters as rackets.
- Scavenger Hunt: Hide cards with fitness activities around the house. As the cards are found, the kids must do each activity such as 10 jumping jacks, 5 push ups, spin in circles, a forward roll, etc.
- The Floor is Lava: Pretend the floor is hot lava and cannot be touched. Then give a simple task such as “Go get your bedroom pillow” and see how creative the kids can be in getting it without touching the ground.
- Play Red Light Green Light: Make a starting line and finish line with masking tape. Have the caller stand just over the finish line with their back to the players. When “Green Light” is called, everyone can move from the starting line toward the finish line. On “Red Light” everyone must freeze and the caller turns around. If they see anyone moving, that person must go back to the starting line. The caller then puts their back to everyone again and continues calling. You can make it more interesting by requiring specific movements to get from one line to the next like a crab crawl or jumping jacks.
- Mini Golf: Use items found around the house to create a mini golf course. A wrapping paper tube can be used as a golf club and a pingpong ball can make a good golf ball.
- Fitness Dice: Create dice with different exercises on each side. Roll the dice and perform the exercise shown.
- Indoor Soccer: Use soft balls to play a modified version of soccer indoors.
- Indoor Basketball Shootout: Set up a small hoop and challenge kids to shoot soft balls into it or use a small waste basket and rolled up socks.
- Bubble Wrap Stomp: Tape bubble wrap to the floor and have kids stomp on it.
- Play Body Part Twister: Whatever body parts that are called out are the only body parts allowed to touch the floor. For example you might call out “Right Foot, Left Hand” and kids must stand on their right foot with their left hand touching the floor. Call out “Bum” and have them balance solely on their buttocks or get creative and make calls like “Left Knee, Rigth Elbow.”
- Balancing Act: Set up a balance beam using a straight line on the floor, and challenge kids to walk across it in different ways.
- Fitness ABCs: Assign an exercise to each letter of the alphabet and spell out words or names with exercises.
- Animal Movement Relay: Act out different animal movements in a relay race, like hopping like a bunny or crawling like a crab.
- DIY Olympics Day: Create fun competitions and award medals for things like the most jumping jacks, or the longest held plank.
- Play Limbo: Grab a broomstick and see how low you can go!
- Math Jump: Place cards with numbers on the floor. Call out math problems and have kids jump to the correct answer.
- Marching Band: March around the room with homemade instruments, incorporating movements and exercises.
- Story Movement: Act out a story through movement.
- Not in My Backyard: Divide a room with a strip of masking tape. Put 20 balled up pieces of paper on each side. On “go!” each side tries to get rid of all their paper by throwing it to the other side. The first side with no paper wins.
As we wrap up our month-long excursion of indoor PE activities we hope your homeschool or classroom has been transformed into a dynamic hub of energy, laughter, and learning. These activities aren’t just about physical fitness; they’re about fostering a lifelong love for movement, creativity, and staying active. We encourage you to carry this enthusiasm forward, exploring new ways to keep kids engaged and excited about physical education. Whether it’s rainy days or sunny afternoons, let the spirit of active play continue to thrive.
