PE Games for KS1: 20 That Need Little Kit

Which PE games can you teach with little kit?

Good physical education (PE) games for key stage 1 (KS1) include Traffic lights, River jumps, Beanbag islands, Mirror moves and Passing gates. Choose the movement you want pupils to practise, then pick a game below. These 20 options need little kit, with a space suggestion and an easier or harder version for each.

In England, KS1 covers Years 1 and 2, usually ages 5 to 7; Reception belongs to the early years foundation stage. The groups below draw on England's PE curriculum: running, jumping, throwing, catching, balance and team tactics. Use them alongside dance and your wider PE programme. These curriculum links apply to England only.

What should you set up before the class arrives?

Choose a skill, pick a game and demonstrate it before distributing equipment. For a class of 30, paired ball games need 15 balls. Try rounds of 2 to 3 minutes, then change the challenge. The adaptations use Youth Sport Trust's STEP approach: Space, Task, Equipment and People.

Follow your school's risk assessment for space, equipment and supervision. Check beanbag seams before use and remove split bags and spilled filling immediately; loose filling can be a choking hazard. Match activity to pupils' age, ability and experience, building up gradually. If a pupil has a health condition, ask their parent or carer to seek medical advice about exercise, following NHS advice on exercising safely.

Which games practise running and changing direction?

Choose these when the focus is moving, stopping and finding a route. Begin at walking pace, then introduce jogging. Watch what happens at a signal: can pupils change their movement without needing another reminder? Keep the same game while you change the instruction.

1. Traffic lights

Kit and space: none; hall or playground.

"Green means jog, amber means walk, red means stop." Everyone stays in after a missed signal. Begin with walking and stopping, then add jogging. Next, ask a pupil to lead using spoken instructions and hand signals.

2. Colour routes

Kit and space: coloured cones; hall or playground.

Set out several cones of each colour. "Visit a red cone, then a blue one, then return to your starting place." Start with a single destination; add a longer colour sequence then let pupils invent routes.

3. Delivery lanes

Kit and space: a beanbag per pair, cones; playground lanes.

Partners wait at opposite ends. "Carry the parcel to your partner, then walk back along the return path." Their partner delivers it back. Begin with walking deliveries; progress to jogging. Mark separate outward and return paths for each pair.

4. Shadow runners

Kit and space: none; separate areas in a hall or playground.

"Follow your partner's route like a shadow." The leader walks along straight and curved paths, then swaps with the follower. Try jogging after the walking round. Next, ask the follower to remember and repeat the route.

Which games make jumping the main task?

Use these for a jumping lesson with a clear pause between attempts. Choose an individual space or a marked route, then demonstrate the action. Your observation is simple: does the pupil finish the movement where they intended? Offer stepping as the starting version.

5. River jumps

Kit and space: chalk or existing floor lines; playground or hall.

Draw narrow rivers. "Choose a river, cross it, then pause on the other bank." Start by stepping across; progress to jumping from both feet. Offer different widths; pupils choose their crossing without racing.

6. Jumping code

Kit and space: none; individual hall spaces.

"Our code is jump, jump, freeze. Can you copy it?" Demonstrate before everyone joins in. Start with a single jump and pause; add a longer pattern when they're ready. Invite pairs to create a code for each other.

7. Frog islands

Kit and space: chalk circles or flat spots; hall or playground.

"Jump to the next island, stop, then choose another." Lay out separate short routes for small groups. Start with stepping between nearby islands; progress to jumps between them. Pupils can choose a route and retrace it.

8. Hopscotch explorer

Kit and space: a chalk grid; playground.

"Travel through the squares, then return along the outside." Begin by stepping into each square. Progress to hopping in single squares and landing with both feet in paired squares. Next, ask pupils to invent and demonstrate another route.

Which games practise throwing, catching and aiming?

Choose a target game for aiming or a partner game for sending and receiving. Demonstrate the task before handing out equipment. Keep your observation on the ball or beanbag: where does it land? Alter the distance before introducing another rule or a different action.

9. Beanbag islands

Kit and space: a beanbag per pair, chalk targets; hall or playground.

"Throw underarm and try to land on your island." Partners alternate throws from a marked line, collecting together after each round. Begin with a large nearby target; make it smaller or move it farther away.

10. Partner post

Kit and space: a soft ball per pair; hall or playground lanes.

"Send the ball when your partner shows ready hands." Start with rolling and stopping. Progress to gentle underarm throws, allowing a bounce before the catch if wanted. Partners can agree when to increase the distance.

11. Clap and catch

Kit and space: a beanbag each; individual hall or playground spaces.

"Toss it a little way up, then catch it." Start without a clap. Add a single clap before catching when ready. Count catches across the round, carrying on from the same total after a drop.

12. Roll through gates

Kit and space: a soft ball and two cones per pair; hall or playground lanes.

"Roll through the gate to your partner." Take turns sending and stopping the ball. Begin with a wide gate; narrow it for another round. Let partners set each other's next gate.

Which balance games work in a smaller space?

Pick these when you want pupils to stay in their own area or follow a short floor route. Give the shape a name and make it a game. Look for whether they can pause before changing position; don't turn holding still into an elimination contest.

13. Statue museum

Kit and space: none; individual classroom or hall spaces.

"Become a tall statue, then a wide statue, then a tiny statue." Let everyone reset whenever they wobble. Begin with both feet down; offer a balance with a foot lifted next. Pupils can name the next exhibit.

14. Mirror moves

Kit and space: none; facing pairs in classroom or hall spaces.

"Move slowly enough for your mirror to copy you." Take turns leading arm movements and changes of shape. Begin seated or standing with feet still; progress to standing balances. Let pairs choose a favourite shape to repeat.

15. Line explorers

Kit and space: existing floor lines; hall or playground.

"Follow the line like an explorer following a trail." Give pupils separate starting points and a shared direction of travel. Begin with ordinary steps along the route; progress to heel-to-toe steps. Next, add a pause at each corner.

16. Beanbag tray

Kit and space: a beanbag each; individual hall or playground spaces.

"Your palm is a tray. Can you carry the parcel across your space?" Start standing still with the beanbag resting on an open palm. Progress to walking a short route, then pausing halfway. Change hands returning.

Which team games introduce simple tactics?

Start with passing together, then add opponents who intercept the ball. Keep groups small and swap roles regularly. Give pupils something specific to notice: where could they move to receive a pass? In defending games, ask which route they could block without touching another player.

17. Passing gates

Kit and space: a soft ball and cone gates per group; hall or playground.

In groups of three: "Pass through a gate to a teammate, then find a new gate." Count completed passes together. Start by rolling through wide gates; progress to underarm passes. Everyone receives before repeating.

18. End-zone roll

Kit and space: a soft ball, marked end zones; playground grid.

Play three against three. "Roll to a teammate in the far end zone to score." Players stop to pass; defenders intercept rolls without contact or snatching. Begin without defenders, then add them. Widen the scoring zone as needed.

19. Guard the island

Kit and space: a soft ball, cone target; hall or playground grid.

"Work in pairs to protect or reach the island." Two attackers pass before rolling at the target; two defenders intercept rolls from a marked strip. Swap roles each round. Widen the target; narrow it for another challenge.

20. Keep the ball

Kit and space: a soft ball; hall or playground grid.

Three passers work against an interceptor. "Pass, then move where your teammate can see you." Players stop to throw; intercept passes without touching players or taking held balls. Begin without the interceptor, then add and rotate that role.

How can you turn a few games into a lesson?

Choose a focus and repeat it across the session. These example 20-minute blocks include demonstration, changes and a finish. Keep the equipment in place between games, and adjust the timetable to your class. The timings are planning suggestions, so leave room to explain or repeat an instruction.

• 3 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Walking Traffic lights; Classroom: making shapes: Marching on the spot
• 2 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Demonstrate ready hands and passing; Classroom: making shapes: Demonstrate leading and copying
• 5 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Partner post; Classroom: making shapes: Mirror moves
• 5 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Passing gates; Classroom: making shapes: Statue museum
• 3 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Slow walking and gentle movements; Classroom: making shapes: Slow seated arm movements
• 2 minutes, Hall: passing and receiving: Discuss where to send the ball; Classroom: making shapes: Share a shape and repeat it

Use our PE warm-up games for another opening and cool-down ideas after PE for a different finish. Next lesson, repeat the game and change the challenge you observed pupils needing.

For a pose-based finish, explore Yogi-Me's mats. Each has 15 numbered poses laser-engraved into the surface, for ages 3 to 8.

What if a pupil doesn't want to join in?

Offer a smaller first step into the same game: copying you, playing with a chosen partner or trying without a score. Ask quietly what they'd prefer to try. Give them an opening that doesn't involve demonstrating in front of everyone, and invite them back after watching a round.

Try saying, "Would you like to roll to me or to your partner?" If they're finding the task difficult, shorten the throw or remove the defender. If they're waiting for a challenge, offer the harder version. Keep the choice within the activity, and notice an actual attempt: "You changed where you aimed."

Frequently asked questions

What are easy PE games for KS1?

Start with Traffic lights, Statue museum and Mirror moves. You can lead all of them with spoken instructions and no equipment. Demonstrate the action, play a short round, then let pupils suggest a change. Keep everyone involved after a mistake instead of asking children to sit out.

Which KS1 PE games work indoors?

For a hall, choose Beanbag islands, Roll through gates or Partner post. For a classroom, start with stationary Mirror moves or Statue museum in each pupil's own space. Pick the activity after checking the room, rather than trying to squeeze an outdoor running game between the desks.

Can I use these PE games for Reception?

Yes, try the walking version of Traffic lights, a stationary Mirror moves round or rolling in Partner post. Demonstrate each action before adding another instruction. Leave out defenders and scoring at first, and let children repeat the same game before introducing a new challenge. Choose the variation by what each child can do.

How can I challenge pupils without changing the game?

Keep the game and alter the task: narrow the target in Beanbag islands, add a clap in Clap and catch, or introduce an interceptor in Keep the ball. Ask pupils to choose a challenge, try it, then decide whether to keep it or change it. You don't need a separate activity for every child.

Sources

• GOV.UK: The national curriculum, overview
• Department for Education: National curriculum in England, physical education programmes of study
• Youth Sport Trust: The Inclusion Spectrum incorporating STEP
• Department for Education: Health and safety, responsibilities and duties for schools
• NHS: Physical activity guidelines for children and young people