PE Equipment List for Primary Schools – The Essentials

Published on 4th February, 2025

You can deliver primary school PE lessons without equipment – but for a more effective and rewarding PE lesson (and curriculum) we think you need these 10 items on our ‘PE Equipment List for Primary Schools.’ The right equipment makes PE more enjoyable – and helps children develop motor skills, coordination and fitness more effectively. […]

pe equipment list for primary schools

You can deliver primary school PE lessons without equipment – but for a more effective and rewarding PE lesson (and curriculum) we think you need these 10 items on our ‘PE Equipment List for Primary Schools.’

The right equipment makes PE more enjoyable – and helps children develop motor skills, coordination and fitness more effectively. PE Equipment is essential for a varied and enriching curriculum. Tick off each of the items on our essential PE equipment list for primary schools!

Note – with all the benefits the right PE equipment brings, it is a worthwhile use of your PE and Sport Premium funding.

1. Gymnastics Mats

Gymnastics mats are essential for safe floor exercises in gymnastics lessons and more. They provide a cushioned surface for pupils performing rolls, balances and activities that require landing or support!

Gymnastics is an essential element in Primary School PE. It creates endless opportunities for developing agility, coordination, flexibility, strength, technique and control. Using mats allows for more versatile movements, building confidence and motor competence.

2. Beanbags

Beanbags can be so useful in PE, particularly with EYFS and key stage one children. They help develop hand-eye coordination and manipulative skills. What’s more, they can be used both indoors and outdoors. Plus, unlike balls, they won’t roll away!

They are versatile and durable; have great grip and are easy to catch and balance. They are commonly used during throwing and target games. However, they can also be used to replace the ball when practising hockey skills, used to learn throwing techniques in athletics and even as props in gymnastics and dance. Beanbags are often a staple in sports day activities too.

3. Footballs

Footballs – of course – are needed for football PE lessons. But they can also be perfect for PE lessons focusing on teamwork, coordination and sportsmanship. Having enough footballs for one per pupil, or at minimum, one between two, maximises pupil learning and class activity! Football is also a great way to engage children in group exercises and activities, and is often a firm favorite on the playground!

Some of the lesson plans in our Quick PE Games section require footballs.

4. Cones

A stash of cones in your PE cupboard can be more handy than you think! They are obviously useful for marking boundaries, creating obstacle courses and setting up activities but are very multipurpose. They’re lightweight, easy to store, and can be used in a variety of PE activities to develop agility and spatial awareness. They can be turned into speed ladders, targets or defenders. They also make great goal posts in handball and football.

NB: Always spend a little thought when setting cones out – to have some colour order. Such as, one colour per pitch, or different colours for different size gates. This serves as a visual aid to help children see the set up and understand the activity. When putting cones away, keep them in colour order to help with organisation and next lessons set up!

5. Soft Balls

We mentioned footballs earlier… But actually, sometimes a football can be a little too hard, and a softer ball is a more suitable for the lesson’s activity. The skinned foam balls are perfect for younger children. They are soft and bouncy, safe and pretty hard wearing. Because they are so lightweight and safe to use, they are great for building confidence, motor competence and social skills.

Their versatility will allow them to be used in lots of settings. Team-building activities, EYFS ball skills, Year 5 dodgeball, fitness drills and even lunchtime games!

6. Sport Bibs

Bibs are an important visual aid – whether you’re playing a tag game, an invasion sport, or one of the many versions of capture the flag! A crucial inclusion for team games.

Thinking outside the box, bibs can be used as a throwing tool. They offer a slower flight, making them easier to catch for children struggling with grip, mobility or coordination. Adding a knot into the bib, increases the challenge slightly.

Don’t forget to wash them once in a while though to avoid them getting smelly!

PE Equipment in a Primary School PE cupboard

7. Balance Beam Benches

Balance beams are great for movement development, motor competence and creating challenges and opportunities in gymnastics lessons. They help children develop core strength, coordination and balance. They are a great addition to any PE stock list, (and the curriculum!)

There are lots of different balance beams to choose from. The balance beam benches are a favourite in Primary Schools as they can be stored in the hall and used to sit on in assemblies or performances. They also have 2 beam faces – the top wide one, and a more challenging thin one. This makes it great for use all through school.

8. Hoops

Hula hooping helps balance, flexibility and strength. Different size hoops offer different challenges for pupils, who often love to see the improvements they make over time.

Additionally, hoops can be used in throwing and catching exercises or as targets for accuracy games. They are useful for group activities, team building games and can also be incorporated into obstacle courses or relay races. Hoops can also be used in gymnastics for rhythmic elements. They come in lots of different sizes and colours, and can be stored easily using large hooks.

9. Athletics Equipment

Athletics lessons are among the most popular PE activities for KS1 and KS2 PE lessons. There are some great options of safe and soft equipment, such as foam javelins, lighter shot puts and rubber discuses. So safe athletics activities, but ones your children will love!

There are so many benefits to teaching Athletics in Primary school, including helping children explore and develop their locomotor, stability, and manipulation skills. Athletics also allows children to compare performances and techniques, and recognise and celebrate their successes.

The Athletics equipment will also be very useful – again – for Sports Day activities.

10. Rackets and balls

Rackets are an extremely popular PE resource. They can be used in many different types of sports, such as badminton, tennis, and table tennis! They can also be used in striking and fielding sports such as rounders and cricket, to offer differentiation, and alter the challenge. No matter if they are plastic, tightly strung or short handled, racket sports help to enhance a child’s physical development in several key areas. Improving their hand eye coordination and balance and strengthening the muscles in their lower and upper body. Racket sports are also fun, engaging and rewarding.

Be sure to order extra balls, and keep them in a safe place, as they disappear more than glue stick lids!!!

PE equipment list for primary schools – Bonus Item

Class Golf Set

Golf is so valuable in a child’s primary school PE journey. Besides being outside, and the enjoyment of outdoor activity, the benefits of golf include…

Physical – Coordination, balance and flexibility.

Personal – Focus, discipline and confidence.

Social – Friendship and sportsmanship.

Cross-curricular – Mathematics, problem solving and strategic thinking.

Tri Golf is a fun, accessible version of traditional golf, designed specifically for children. It uses lightweight, plastic equipment and focuses on making the game enjoyable, safe and appropriately challenging for primary school children.

If you are thinking of teaching Golf… PE Planning are excited to launch demo videos to accompany all our golf lesson plans.

PE Equipment List for Primary Schools – Bonus Teaching Essentials

The list below are more teaching aids rather than PE equipment, but are vital to delivering a high quality PE lesson.

1. Whistle

Whistles help manage behaviour, create structure, and can gain the attention of a full class of children, even if they are deep into a competitive game. A whistle in PE is just as important as your trainers.

2. Watch

A watch allows goals and boundaries and targets to be easily created as well as worked to. A watch offers time management, to ensure time doesn’t run away, as it can quite easily do – especially when outdoors. It also allows for pacing and monitoring – to get through each activity and progression efficiently. Using a stopwatch in timed events is also a great way of tracking and showing how well a child is performing in a particular PE activity!

3. Whiteboard

Whiteboards are often mistakenly overlooked in PE. I cannot stress enough how valuable they can be. PE is a knowledge based subject, and a whiteboard can be a great visual tool to help share the knowledge.

It can be used as a visual aid to demonstrate skills, display learning objectives and instructions, or even to explain game strategies and tactics. Whiteboards can also offer…

  • interactive learning
  • diagrams
  • understanding of the lesson structure
  • time and behaviour management
  • keeping track of scores or achievements
  • announcements or things to remember
  • ‘steps to success’
  • safety instructions
  • feedback
  • engagement
  • brainstorming

Incorporate a whiteboard into your next PE lesson. It will enhance the learning and make the lesson more engaging, organised and effective.

Share your PE Equipment list for Primary Schools

Does your school already have some of this equipment for PE lessons – or does your PE equipment look a little different? We’d love to hear from you and hear how you use different equipment to support PE lessons and your school’s PE curriculum.

This list isn’t exhaustive at all – but covers what we believe are maybe the most important items your lessons will benefit from. Again, of course, it’s all down to what your PE curriculum looks like, as well as your pupil needs, school environment and what your budget can stretch to.

As always, if you need help or advice with PE lessons, check out our downloadable PE lesson plans, or get in touch!