Middle school throws a curveball at everyone. But a well-designed physical education (PE) program can be a game-changer, fostering not just fitness but also social connection, a love for movement, and a sense of ownership. Here’s how to create a winning experience for your students:

Building a Team:

Relationships are the foundation. Learn your students’ names and create opportunities for them to get to know each other. On the first day: I take out my phone and have students introduce themselves and add something they are passionate about. I will study this for two weeks until I know all my students. We need to invest in them before we ask them to invest in us. Taking the time to learn names shows you care, and that sets a positive tone for the year. The next step is to have all your students know each other’s names.  This journey takes longer than two weeks.  It’s all about connecting and creating a positive culture!

Peer Power:

Middle schoolers crave teamwork. Harness that energy by using peer evaluations! Have students assess each other on teamwork, effort, and encouragement, fostering accountability and building stronger teammates. Involve them in creating the evaluation criteria – a student-centered approach boosts buy-in.  When learning new skills, have students peer evaluate each other and give feedback. Letting students help facilitate the learning is empowering for students. 

Fit Lab:

Ditch the traditional test routine! Create a “Fitness Lab” – an engaging space where students choose activities they enjoy and track their progress. Think vertical jumps, med ball throws, dead hangs, challenging agility drills, and jump ropes. Next step, add themed workouts (WODs) to spice up your program.  Then  in the latter half of the year have students create the themed WODs to keep things fresh. 

Student Voices Matter:

Regularly survey students to gauge their interests and incorporate their feedback into the program. This shows you value their opinions. Consider an end-of-year “Roast and Toast” google form. We encourage them to roast us, it helps improve our program. 

Weekly Connection:

Keep parents informed with a short video recap (“PE Minute”) highlighting learning points. Include a question for them to ask their child. Engaging parents in their child’s PE experience is a win-win! This can be done in just a few minutes using a tool like FLIP]. Parents will appreciate the insight and the connection to their child’s class.

Start Small, Make a Big Impact:

These are just a few ideas. If it feels overwhelming, begin with building connections. The positive impact will ripple through your program, creating a space where movement becomes a joy and students feel like champions, both physically and socially.

This microblog post was a featured post in #slowchathealth’s #microblogmonth event. You can search for all of the featured posts here. Please do follow each of the outstanding contributors on social media (including Austin Olson, the author of this post) and consider writing a microblog post of your own to be shared with the global audience of slowchathealth.com

Pair this post with the following:

The Four P’s of Field Day by Drew Burris

A Day in the Life….of a K-12 PE and Health Teacher by Shelby Hosmer

Teach Your Students How to Fail by Patrick Noel

Have you read the latest Book of the Month recommendation?