PE Warm Up Games Ideas

PE warm up games are a vital ingredient for primary PE lessons. Why? Because they set the tone for the class, get children energised and ready for exercise… plus boost moods!

Warm up activities don’t have to be lengthy – just a few minutes at the start of the lesson, involving some fun exercises that get all the children in your class onboard and enthusiastic about PE.

1. The Atom Game

We’ve covered the Atom Game before, in our blog post about Year 1 PE lessons with no equipment. It’s a popular warm-up that provides lots of fundamental movement opportunities and quick thinking!

How to Play:

• Children move around the area, varying their movements (for example; walking, jogging, skipping).
• At random intervals, call out a number.
• Children must quickly form groups of that number.
• Those who fail to form a group or are the last to do so perform a fun forfeit, like star jumps.

The Atom Game is sure to get heart rates pumping, as well as create a positive, energetic environment for PE! It is also a fun way to quickly split the class into groups, if your next activity requires. On the last number called before finishing the warm up, call the number required for the group size of the next activity, and ask the children to sit in those groups.

2. Do this, Do That

A similar game to Simon Says that emphasises watching, listening and quick response skills. This makes it an excellent choice for warming up!

How to Play:

• Designate one pupil as ‘The Leader’ while the others listen attentively.
• The leader performs actions whilst saying with “do this,” such as jumping on the spot. However – to mix things up, the leader can sometimes perform actions whilst saying “do that”!
• Players must follow the command only if it begins with “do this”.
• Those who follow commands with “do that” must perform a forfeit or lose one of three lives.

This is a great game to get the class focused. An opportunity to improve their strength and coordination, as well as their copying and listening skills! It can also be played with a ball, beanbag, or other relevant piece of sports equipment – incorporating manipulation skills.

3. Dodgeball Tag

Dodgeball lessons are a popular choice for school PE – and dodgeball tag makes a great warming up activity – not only for Dodgeball lessons, but any lessons using ball control. Playing Dodgeball is energetic, and enhances agility, hand-eye coordination and strategic thinking.

How to Play:

• Divide the class into two teams.
• Select 5 ‘taggers’, these pupils require a bib and a softball each.
• In a large, designated area, the rest of the class begin moving around the hall.
• Tagger’s attempt to throw their ball at the moving pupils (aiming below the waist).
• Tagger’s cannot move when they are holding the ball – they must stand still to throw it.
• If a pupil is hit with the ball, they perform a challenge (e.g. 5 burpees) on the outside of the playing area before joining back in the game.
• Change taggers frequently.

You can get more guidance on dodgeball activities by downloading plans from our PE lesson plans section.

4. Skills Circuit

Ideal for sports-focused warm-ups, skills and technique drills enhance ball-handling skills and coordination.

How to Play:

• Set up stations with different ball-related activities.
• Split the class into small groups.
• Below is an example for a football lesson…
  • Pass the ball – split groups into pairs – each pair has a ball and passes back and forth between one another.
  • Keep it up – each player has 1 ball and completes as many kick-ups as they can (this can be differentiated to allowing the ball to bounce).
  • Skill taps – each player has 1 ball and completes as many touches of ball as possible with different parts of their foot – side to side, toe taps, outside touches.
  • Dribble – each player has 1 ball and must complete as many lengths as they can, keeping the ball under control.
  • Keep the ball – the group is given 1 ball between them. One player is selected to be the ‘defender’ – the rest must keep the ball from this player. If the player gets the ball, they swap places with the last player to touch the ball (or rotate every 30 seconds).
  • Through the target – Set out small gates with marker cones for pairs to pass the ball through back and forth. Alter the size of the gate and passing distance depending on ability.
  • Slalom – set up a line of 7 marker cones. One after the other, players dribble the ball down the slalom weaving in and out of the cones, then return to start and repeat.
• Children rotate through stations, spending a set time at each.
• For this warm-up, focus on technique, speed, and accuracy.

These drills provide a comprehensive warm-up, improving sport-specific skills and preparing the class for more structured PE activities that follow!

5. Sharky Sharky

This is a high-energy game – not only does it get children warmed-up for PE, it also helps develop speed, agility, and strategic thinking.

How to Play:

• Designate a large playing area with clear boundaries.
• Select two ‘sharks’ and split the rest of the class into fish, crabs and octopus.
• The sharks call out a sea creature.
• Those chosen run to the opposite end of the allocated space, past the shark who will try to catch them.
• If the shark catches them, they then become seaweed.
• As seaweed the children cannot move their feet but they can reach out with their arms and attempt to try to catch others in the group.
• The game continues in the same way with anyone the shark or seaweed catches becoming seaweed.
• The last person in becomes the shark in the next game.

This warm up game provides an excellent cardiovascular workout, whilst enhancing agility and quick decision-making skills.

6. Mirror and Reflection

Of all our PE warm up games on this page, this is probably the easiest to get students warming up with! Simple yet effective, it’ll get children focused – and needs no equipment, either.

How to Play:

• Pair up the children with a partner. One pupil in each pair is the leader, and the other the follower.
• The leader starts by performing a series of movements, facing their partner as if they are looking in a mirror (maybe jumping jacks, squats, arm circles or side steps). Encourage children to be creative with their choices. The follower (reflection) must mirror them exactly, as quickly as possible.
• After 30 seconds, the children switch roles, so the follower becomes the leader.
• Change partners and play again.

Mirror and reflection helps to develop coordination, focuses attention and also means the children get to warm up many different muscles in their body. It is quick, easy and requires no special equipment, making it perfect for any class size or location.

3 Bonus Favourites – PE Warm Up Game Ideas

What do you do for PE Warm Up Games

Fun warm up games make PE more exciting – and get children ready for the lesson. Plus, they be a great introduction to the lesson and the learning objectives. All you need is an easy activity that the class will enjoy, and gets them focused on the lesson!

What do you normally do for PE warm up activities? If you have your own way of doing things, we’d love to hear them! You’ll find plenty of activities on this website – PE National Curriculum mapped as well as quick and easy PE games. Need some help? Our team are passionate about quality PE and are always delighted to help our schools! You can contact our team here.

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