Start Strong: Energising Warm-Ups with Purpose for PHE (Incl. Simple MYP Links)
Pedagogy & Curriculum
Singapore 2025
Overview:
This active session introduces a series of fun, fast-paced starter games & activities designed to kick off lessons with energy and intentional learning links. From decision-making to body positioning to performance skills to key behaviours, this range of games and activities have the ability to connect to meaningful and purposeful learning for specific skills as well as concepts and behavioural skills (and links to ATLs).
Whether you are running net games, invasion games, movement classes, striking & fielding lessons or units with behavioural or interpersonal skills focus, these short, purposeful activities can help to create a fun and engaging start to your lesson — and provide you and your students with a springboard into deeper thinking linked to sport and movement.
Key Takeaways for Participants:
- Experience a range of engaging warm-up games & activities that are easy to set up and adapt
- Demonstrating how each activity can be purposefully connected to sport-specific outcomes, key concepts, or ATL skills.
- Understand how to use starter games to introduce, reinforce or review key skills (e.g. reaction time, balance, passing accuracy, team communication).
- Receive a resource pack with game instructions, variations, and sport-specific applications
Sample of Games:
- Bounce Battle is a group or whole-class warm-up that challenges learners to move in unison through a series of jumps. It focuses on agility, coordination, and rhythm, helping students develop quick feet and body control. This game is ideal for movement units – dance, athletics, and invasion game units where timing, footwork and teamwork are essential. No equipment is needed, making it a simple yet powerful way to energise the start of any lesson.
- Bodyguard is a fun game: learners work in groups where one player protects a teammate (the target) from being hit by a soft dodgeball thrown by an opponent. It encourages spatial awareness, throwing and catching, and lateral movement. This game links well to sports like dodgeball, touch rugby, basketball, and fielding games, where protection, positioning, and tracking are key. One or two dodgeballs are all that’s required.
- Base Breaker & Power Press are partner challenges where learners perform a specific challenge – one works on aiming to force their partner to move their feet, whilst the other works on strength and force. Improving elements such as postural strength, balance, and disguise builds the foundation for effective movement and body control across a variety of sports and activities. This activity is great for gymnastics, movement units, and sports like basketball and netball that rely on defensive stance and balance. No equipment is needed.
- Pick & Pursue is a team ‘tag’ game where groups must identify and chase another opponent from a different group. It develops agility, decision-making, spatial awareness and teamwork and team coordination — all vital for invasion games. The game requires one bip for each team; apart from that, no other equipment is required.
The above are short samples of some of the games. My workshop will include a wider range of adaptable games and variations, all designed to show how purposeful starter activities can spark energy, build skill, and connect movement to meaningful learning in every lesson.
Conference Edition:
Singapore 2025
Singapore 2025
Job Role Applicability:
- Primary Years
- Middle Years
- Secondary Years
- Athletic Directors
- Outdoor Education Specialists
Tags:
- Coaching
- Fundamental Motor Skills
- Game Sense
- Movement
- Physical Literacy
- Sports Education
Type of Session:
Presentation
Presentation
Most applicable to educators working in the following areas:
- Upper Elementary [Age 8 - 10]
- Middle School [Age 11 - 13]
- High School [Age 14 - 17]
