TWO “FAN FAVORITES” FROM 2025: Free Lessons!

Below are two of our “fan favorites”— activities my students LOVED from this past year!:

P.E.—TAP YOUR TURN!: A POPULAR GAME—TURNED WARM UP GAME

The interactive word game Tapple® has been all the rage!

Try it PE style!

Print out and laminate the cards below, and set them up in a circle around students.

Put a cone in the middle of the circle.

Relay-style, students will run up to the card and turn it over as they yell out a word that begins with the letter, respective to the category. They will then run back and tap the cone to signal it is the next players turn.

You can add one of these recordable buzzers found on Amazon to the top of the cone saying “Your Turn.” [A Gym With Less Words, Inclusive tip-I have older siblings/friends of kids who do not speak English record the word “Go” or “Your Turn” in their languages on the button"]

Continue until each team has completed their cards.

For a challenge set a timer and see which team can complete the most cards in a certain amount of time!

Category Suggestions:

• Colors

• Animals

• Body Parts

• Fruit

• Things you have at school

• PE equipment

• Movie characters

• Lunch Room Food

• Snacks

• Things Outside

• Letter Sounds

Click Here for the free printable letter cards full size 8.5” x 11”

Click Here for the free printable cards that will fit on a poly spot or bucket

LA TOMATE: A GAGA BALL ALTERNATIVE:

This is a game is a mash up between a cultural game called “La Tomate”, found in the book Let’s Play: Children’s Games from Around the World Striker Ball by Nancy Dickmann, Striker Ball, and Gaga Ball. We play this with all grade levels (K-4) but it is great for the littlest ones-because it never really ends!

Here is how it works:

Choose someone looks ready to start with the ball. I took a regular 6 inch gator ball and used some stick on vinyl to make it look like a tomato.

Have students arrange standing in a circle with their feet in a straddle position-their sneakers should be touching.

They are to keep the ball on the ground and try to use their hands to hit the ball between someone else’s legs. When the ball goes out of the circle all students should yell “TOMATE!”

• If the ball goes through someone’s legs:

  That player loses ONE Arm (Behind Back) and continues to play using one arm.

• If ball goes through legs again:

  That player loses Both Arms (Behind Back) and continues to stand in the circle with both arms behind their back.

• If player who is still “in” (has one or both arms) pushes the ball through a players legs who is “out” (has two hands behind their back)

  The player who hit it loses arm- and “gives” it to the other player. (Meaning they earned an arm back and can continue to play with one arm)

• If ball “hops” over in between striders:

  The player that hit it loses an arm.

  *Whenever the ball goes out of the circle the person closest to it starts game play again!

I hope your students like these games as much as mine did!

Keep on,

Katie