P.E. For Homeschoolers: 30 Ideas For Health And Fun

What does P.E. look like for homeschoolers? There are no gym showers or locker rooms. Physical education can look like a lot of different things for homeschoolers.

Discover 30 ideas for health and fun that are conventional and outside the box. These exciting homeschool P.E. activities incorporate fantasy, sports, gardening, and treasure hunting for excitement and physical education in your homeschool. You won’t want to miss all the eclectic learning adventures on this list!

Physical Education Is Different When Homeschooling

Physical education is different when homeschooling and that’s okay. It’s just one more area where we can celebrate the differences. No gym showers, no smelly locker rooms, and no forced participation.

On the other hand, there aren’t a ton of kids to play kickball with, and learning how to play a sport can be more challenging without a big group of kids to form “teams.” Fortunately, with a few adaptations, physical education can be effective and fun even when you’re homeschooling.

As homeschoolers, we can embrace a unique and flexible approach to physical education. Without the constraints or schedules public schools face, homeschool families can personalize fitness and physical education to achieve an interest-led P.E. experience. We can go hiking, and swimming, take a yoga class, or join a community sports league for physical education.

It’s easy to weave P.E. into everyday activities too. For example, gardening and biking are fun everyday activities that can contribute to your child’s physical education. Homeschooling P.E. is an excellent way to encourage kids to meet individual health and fitness goals throughout their lives while working toward family health and fitness goals together.

30 Ideas For P.E. In Your Homeschool

There are so many unique and fun ideas for teaching P.E. in your homeschool. Here are 30 of our favorite ideas for interest-led physical education you can pursue at home:

Archery

Archery has quickly become one of our favorite P.E. activities. We love competing together as a family. This sport has lots of great benefits for kids beyond just learning to shoot. Archery teaches hand-eye coordination, coordination, balance, and fine motor skills.

Participating in archery has improved Emily’s strength, endurance, focus, and discipline. This sport is perfect for homeschoolers because anyone can participate and compete in archery. It’s adaptable for lots of different ages, skill levels, and physical abilities.

Archery has had a profound impact on our family. That’s why it’s one of our homeschool must-haves for 2024.

Bicycling

Riding bikes is an excellent way to practice physical education in your homeschool. There are tons of health benefits and it’s a sport kids can participate in individually, making it an ideal activity when you’re homeschooling an only child.

Bicycling engages so many different muscles in the body, building leg strength and cardiovascular endurance. Plus, it’s a fun way to stay healthy for homeschoolers.

Box Wars

Combine STEM learning and P.E. by participating in box wars with your homeschooler. Kids will craft their own armor and weapons from cardboard. Then, engage in safe mock battles.

Box wars promote creativity, teamwork, STEM skills, practice math, and physics concepts, and encourage physical education. As kids run, dodge, and engage in strategic exercise, they’ll be building coordination, strength, and endurance.

Community Sports & Classes

Local parks and recreation departments and community businesses offer a wide variety of opportunities for kids to participate in classes and sports teams outside of public school. Engage your homeschooler in a seasonal softball, basketball, football, or volleyball team for physical education.

Dance Parties

Don’t underestimate the power of a great dance party in the kitchen… or anywhere really. You can use dance parties for physical education by incorporating a daily or weekly dance party into your homeschool schedule. Dance to your favorite tunes while boosting heart health, developing coordination, improving flexibility, and having fun together.

Family Fitness Challenges

Sometimes we all need a little challenge. Family fitness challenges can bring a competitive spirit to physical education for homeschooling families. You can compete against one another or work together toward a family physical education goal.

First, come up with a family fitness challenge plan. Then, create a way to keep track of your efforts. Finally, don’t forget to think of a great reward to make this family fitness challenge fun for everyone!

Fencing

Fencing is another fun P.E. activity for homeschoolers because it combines physical and mental agility. Kids can build strength through precise movements and develop strong hand-eye coordination. They’ll learn to problem solve and think critically as they formulate strategies.

Additionally, fencing encourages kids to practice discipline and focus, adhering to strict rules and techniques. Homeschoolers can practice fencing at home with the right equipment or join a local club for professional instruction and socialization.

Fitness Apps

Fitness apps can be a great way to use screens to your advantage. There are lots of excellent training apps, tracking tools, and guided workouts available. These apps give us the opportunity to engage in physical education at our own fitness level, encouraging consistency and helping us to meet our goals along the way.

7 Minutes Workouts with Lazy Monster
Iron Kids
Fitness Kids
Fit Quest Life
Go Noodle
Pokemon Go
Super Stretch Yoga
Sworkit Kids

They provide diverse options, ensuring variety in workouts. Interactive features, progress tracking, and encouraging coaching enhance motivation and keep kids accountable. It’s a great way to encourage physical education and healthy physical activity every day.

Gardening & Outdoor Chores

Did you know gardening and yard work can be great for physical education too? Encourage your kids to weed and water the garden, rake leaves, and complete other outdoor chores for healthy physical activity. Along the way, they’ll be improving gross motor skills and learning real-world skills they can use throughout their lives.

Geocaching

Finding a geocache combines the best parts of hiking with treasure hunting and navigation for an exciting physical education experience that’s perfect for homeschoolers. There are caches hidden everywhere!

Geocaching with kids is a fun way to explore at home and in new places when you travel. You can look up cache locations anywhere you’re traveling. Then, use clues and coordinates to find the secret cache and hide a new treasure for the next person to discover.

Hiking

Hiking is one of our favorite family activities for fitness and fun! We love exploring national parks and state parks, and learning as we hike the trails. You can discover more about how we combine hiking with history, science, and literature using our Traveling the Parks curriculum.

Horseback Riding

Team sports like baseball and volleyball aren’t for everyone. Fortunately, there are lots of individual sports you can incorporate into your homeschool lessons for physical education.

Horseback riding promotes balance, core strength, and flexibility. It’s a good way for kids to learn about caring for animals and build confidence as they learn to work with the horses.

Ice Skating

Whether you live in a city with cold winters or somewhere it’s always warm like Florida, ice skating is a fun physical education activity to add to your homeschool lesson plans. Ice skating can be a lot of fun for kids of all ages and it’s relatively easy to learn how to skate on the ice.

Skating helps kids develop strong muscles, balance, practice coordination, and it’s great cardio. Whether you’re spending a day on the ice as a family or signing your homeschooler up for ice skating lessons, this physical education activity is an excellent way to boost your child’s confidence and physical health while having fun.

Jump Ropes, Hula Hoops, and Hopscotch

Simply playing with jump ropes, hula hoops, and hopscotch boards can be an excellent way to incorporate physical education for homeschoolers. These activities can all be done with one or more children, making them ideal for small homeschool families.

Hopscotch, hula hoops, and jump ropes are budget-friendly. Playing with toys like jump ropes and hula hoops is great for building gross motor skills, and coordination, and encouraging heart health.

Karate

Karate classes are great for teaching homeschoolers discipline and encouraging physical education. You can find a local karate instructor or community class that’s affordable. Many offer trial classes so you can see if this sport is a good fit for your child before committing.

Nutrition Class

P.E. isn’t just about sports and healthy movement. Many physical education classes incorporate nutrition lessons too. Discover My Plate is a free nutrition program for early elementary learners that’s perfect for teaching kids about healthy eating habits and nutrition in your homeschool.

Obstacle Courses

Making an obstacle course for your homeschooler to navigate is a free physical education activity that’s tons of fun! You can use sidewalk chalk to designate physical activities for kids to participate in and add as many fun physical elements as you can imagine. Then, compete to see who can complete the obstacle course as a family.

Paddling

We love paddling. Canoes, kayaks, and paddleboards offer a unique and engaging way to practice physical education at home. Plus, it’s a great way to build upper body strength and endurance.

Getting out on the water is fun for the whole family! You can rent canoes or kayaks at local parks to explore the waterways in your community if you don’t own your own.

Parkour

Parkour is all about moving quickly and efficiently from one place to another using only your body. Engaging in parkour involves running, jumping, climbing, swinging, vaulting, rolling, and sometimes acrobatics. The goal is to overcome obstacles without equipment.

Homeschoolers can practice parkour safely at home by jumping, rolling, and balancing on soft surfaces. Using furniture and designated obstacles can be a great way to engage in physical education while having fun with this popular new sport. If you’ve ever played “The Floor Is Lava,” you’ve probably engaged in a little parkour.

Quidditch

Harry Potter fans know Quidditch is a must-have for homeschool P.E. This fictional sport is filled with physical activity. While certain magical elements like flying broomsticks aren’t possible, fans have reinvented the sport for muggles with running, passing, scoring, broomsticks, and a modified ball called a Quaffle.

Quidditch encourages teamwork, strategy, and physical fitness, making it a fun and creative way to engage in physical education while homeschooling. You can play as a family, join a local team, or start your own. It’s the perfect physical education companion to our Wizards & Wands unit study.

Rebounding

Did you know playing on the trampoline could count as physical education? Rebounding is an exciting form of exercise using a miniature trampoline.

Rebounding is low-impact, making it a gentle option compared to activities like jogging. It’s also a fun and effective way to strengthen muscles throughout the body for people of various fitness levels and ages. It’s one of my favorite ways to stay healthy as a homeschool mom and it’s perfect for homeschooling P.E.

Scavenger Hunts

Scavenger hunts are another easy way to incorporate P.E. into your homeschool lessons. Themed hunts require kids to search for specific items and complete physical activities like running, jumping, crawling, and walking along the way. This promotes gross motor skills, problem-solving, and physical endurance.

Scavenger hunts can also bring together different academic subjects by including clues related to science, history, or geography. It’s a versatile and engaging activity for any homeschool PE curriculum.

Skating

Roller skating and skateboarding are excellent activities for homeschool P.E. too. These activities improve balance, coordination, and lower body strength. Plus, they can be done outdoors or indoors, making them excellent rainy-day physical education activities.

Surfing

If you live near the ocean, surfing is a fun choice for homeschool P.E. too. You can also plan to take surfing lessons on vacation for an exciting family physical education activity. Surfing combines balance, core strength, and agility.

Participating in surfing is also a good way to encourage kids to learn more about the ocean and local beaches. Surf schools offer a fun and engaging way to teach kids about ocean environments and healthy physical activity. Then, learn more about the ocean and conservation efforts with our Ocean Unit Study for homeschoolers.

Swimming

We are big fans of pool school! Homeschooling in the pool is an excellent way to beat the heat and learn all kinds of fun things during the summer months. Swimming in the pool is an excellent physical education activity too.

Whether you’re learning to swim, swimming around a backyard pool, or joining a competitive swim team for the summer, this activity is filled with physical education benefits. Swimming utilizes almost every muscle in the body and it’s lots of fun!

Virtual Walking Tours

Virtual walking tours are an easy way to sneak in homeschool learning and they’re a good idea for homeschool P.E. too. These tours can be done while you walk on the treadmill via YouTube or using programs available through exercise equipment brands like Peloton. Virtual walking tours are available for national parks, ancient cities, and world landmarks.

Walking

Walking together as a family is something we do every day. A family walk in the morning or after dinner is one of our favorite ways to engage in healthy physical activity together. This is a time when we can connect, get moving, and explore nature study as a family.

Wii Games

If your homeschooler loves video games, embrace their passion and incorporate Wii Games into your P.E. lesson plan for the year. These games all involve motor skills, balance, and coordination. Plus, a family game of Wii bowling is a great way to decide who does the dishes!

Yard Games

Bocce, croquet, and corn hole are just a few examples of yard games you can use for physical education in your homeschool. They are easy to set up, encourage healthy activity, and they’re accessible to many different ages. Playing a yard game together is a great way to get the whole family involved in physical education.

Yoga Classes

Yoga classes are available at local libraries, parks, and online. It’s easy to add yoga to your homeschool physical education program without lots of experience or expense. Yoga combines physical activity and mindfulness, making it a great way to encourage mental and physical health for the whole family.

Additional Eclectic Resources For Homeschoolers

Homeschooling P.E. can be eclectic and fun! If you’re searching for additional eclectic resources for homeschoolers, you’re in the right place. Discover more of our favorite eclectic learning experiences and resources for homeschooling below.

How are you incorporating physical education into your homeschool lesson plans this year? Do you have a fun P.E. activity idea that didn’t make my list? Share it in the comments so we can all discover new ways to encourage healthy physical activity together.