These warm ups are intended for the the Kindergarten level. Each warm up is intended to take 5-10 minutes worth of class time. Feel free to mix and match activities for the ultimate warm-up!

Photo by Artem Kniaz on Unsplash

Red Light, Green Light Materials: Hula Hoops

  • All students will receive a hula hoop. The hula hoop is their “car”. Students stand on a line on the gym floor holding their hula hoop.
  • When the teacher says “green light” the students run, holding the hula hoop, on the line of the gym floor. 
  • If the teacher says “red light” all students must freeze where they are. The game resumes when the teacher says “green light”.
  • If the teacher says “yellow light” students stop running and try to move as slow as they can. The teacher can then say “red light” or “green light”.
  • Note: This game can also be enhanced with other cues such as “out of gas” where students must stop, drop their hoop, and pretend to fill their car with gas, or “it’s raining” where students stop, drop their hoop, and pretend their arms are windshield wipers.

Shark Materials: Hula Hoops

  • The teacher will lay out 5-7 less hula hoops than the number of students across the gym floor. 
  • To begin the game students are spread out in the gym. When the teacher says “Swim!” students run around the gym (the can put their hands in front of them and swim like fish if they want to).
  • When the teacher says “Shark!” students must run to a hula hoop and stand inside of it. There will be less hula hoops then students so not every student will get a hula hoop. There must only be one person per hula hoop.
  • The students who do not find a hula hoop must do a static locomotor movement of the teachers choice. Ex. 5 jumping jacks.
  • Once the students complete their locomotor movement, they are back in the game and the teacher can say “Swim”. The game can continue for as many rounds as the teacher likes.
  • Note: The difficulty can be increased by removing 1 or 2 hula hoops each round. You can also play so that their are enough hoops for each student and each student then performs an exercise in their hoop.

Builders and Bulldozers Materials: Cones

  • Distribute a bunch of cones around the gym floor. Have half of the cones standing up and half of the cones flipped over.
  • Divide students into 2 groups. One group will be the “builders” and the other group will be the “bulldozers”.
  • When the teacher says go, the builder team must try to put up all of the knocked over cones, while the bulldozer team tries to knock over all of the cones. Bulldozers are not aloud to kick the cones over. Each round can last for about a minute.
  • At the end of the round the team with most cones properly set up wins. Continue to play for as many rounds as you like.
  • Note: You can change up the locomotor movement each round. For example one round might be running, the next might be skipping, and the third might be jumping.

Fruit Thieves Materials: Bean Bags, Hula Hoops

  • Divide students in 4 groups and give each group a hula hoop and about 10 bean bags.
  • Dedicate a corner to each group and instruct them to put their hula hoop on the floor with the bean bags inside the hoop. The hula hoop is the “basket” and the bean bags are the “fruit”.
  • When the teacher says “Go!” all teams run to the other teams corners and try to steal the fruit out the basket and bring it back to their basket.
  • Students must only take one piece of fruit at a time and teams can not guard their basket.
  • Each round can last for about 1 minute with as many round as you like.
  • Note: You can use music as a motivator during this game and instruct students to stop when the music stops and starts when the music starts.

Garbage Collectors Materials: Scarves, Bean Bags, Foam Balls, Hula Hoops

  • Scatter the scarves, bean bags, and balls around the gym floor. These materials are the “garbage” In the middle of the gym place 3 hula hoops. These are the “garbage cans” Have students scatter themselves throughout the gym.
  • When the teacher says “Go!” students must run around the gym collecting all of the “garbage” and bringing it back to the garbage can.
  • Students can only pick up one piece of garbage at a time.
  • After all the garbage is picked up, change the locomotor movement to skipping, hopping, jumping, walking, or galloping.
  • Start the next round and play for as many rounds as you like.
  • Note: To add a challenge, time the class each round and encourage them to try and be faster each time.