Hello Everyone, my name is Coach Lopez, and I am the Health & Physical Education Teacher at Promesa College Prep – West Corpus Christi. In this blog I will talk about a soccer P.E activity I created that you can use indoors in your classroom.

I first came up with the idea for rainy days. What inspired me to turn this idea into a full lesson that all P.E teachers could use was reading other teachers’ stories and situations online. Many P.E teachers are currently faced with the reality of having P.E class primarily in a classroom. My motto as a teacher is you must work with what you have, even if you do not have anything, nothing can stop a teacher except for themselves.

I’ve used this lesson in my K through 5th grade classes with every class and child participating and having fun. I love this activity for the simplicity, because the activity does not allow the students to overthink anything. Instead, the activity allows the students to only react to the item that is kicked to them and work on their kicking skills and coordination.

Equipment:

• 2D Soccer Ball
• Exercise Cards (make your own OR use pre-printed ones)

Alternatives:

• Bean bags
• Indoor soccer ball (low bounce)
• Inflatable soccer ball
• Frisbees
• Crumpled up paper balls

The S&S 2D Soccer Ball works great for this activity, and especially if you have limited space or just need a quick brain break for the classroom. If you don’t have the funds to purchase equipment, that is a common challenge for teachers and those who are teaching virtually. You can use alternative equipment like bean bags or even if kids have paper at home and crumple it into a ball. Use what you have or what works best for you. Depending on how many students you have add more items at your own discretion.

Instructions

Start with one item of your choosing and with all students standing by their desks the entire time. Start the music! The students will kick the ball closest to them to any other student in the classroom. Remember your in a classroom, so do not kick as hard as you can, be quick and kick with the side of your foot. If one of the balls or items is closest to you when the music stops, you get to do an exercise or task of the teachers choosing. Then once the exercise is completed, the students who completed their exercises or task can restart the game once the music starts. The time limit for each round is up to the coach or teacher of this activity. Remember to use the equipment that you think is best for your classroom.

Key points to remember is to remind your students to keep their masks on and always stand by their desks which are a minimum of 6 feet or more apart. The only time students can move away from their desk area is to retrieve an item that may be stuck or in a neutral area where no one can reach from where they are standing.

My students loved this activity for the constant participation and reaction to the item that would come their way. The most enjoyable part of the activity was coming up with fun and entertaining tasks – like having to do the chicken dance during this next game or having both arms up during the next round.

I have learned that developing simple but fun ways to keep your students active is one of the best parts of my job. Wherever you P.E class is being held, online, in the classroom, in a gym, or outside. In my opinion P.E hasn’t changed at all, only the location, but not the fun.

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About the Author

My name is Dominic Lopez but I you probably know me as Coach Lopez. I am 26 years old and this is my third year teaching Physical Education and Health at Promesa College Prep – West in Corpus Christi. I was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. I played baseball for Saint John Paul II High School and was a part of back-to-back state champion teams. I received a baseball scholarship to play for my hometown school at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi where I received my Bachelor of Science degree in kinesiology with an emphasis in physical education. I am engaged to my beautiful fiancé Lauren Rodriguez soon to be Mrs. Lopez this coming April 2021.