Our Program
The PE by Design Program
PE by Design is a resource for elementary schools seeking to increase opportunities for their students to receive physical education. If you’re a classroom teacher of grades K–5, and you want to create a PE program for your students, we’re here to make this essential subject manageable and to support you.
While a dedicated PE curriculum has many pieces, classroom teachers can create an effective program just by incorporating a few simple activities into their students’ day. There’s no need for elaborate, expensive equipment or complicated facilities. The most important thing is to get the students moving—make sure they get at least 60 minutes of activity each day (as recommended by the CDC) and help them meet any state-mandated PE requirements.
Our resources for teachers include downloadable PE by Design activity PDFs; a softcover book with step-by-step instructions for exercises and activities, lesson plans, and more; and staff-development presentations.
Downloadable Activities
The PE by Design website offers activities that focus on building students’ aerobic endurance and muscular strength. Many of the activities have a game component that helps students develop important cooperative skills. The activities require little setup and minimal equipment. Step-by-step directions and illustrations make these activities easy to teach. The activities on this site are in PDF format. You can save the PDFs on your computer (then print them as needed), or view the PDFs on a mobile device (a smart phone or tablet) as you work through your lesson.
PE by Design—The Book
PE by Design: The Classroom Teacher’s Physical Education Program gives teachers a broader perspective on fitness for elementary school children (it includes most of the activities available in our online program, plus a chapter on fitness basics, a set of 40 fun-themed fitness lessons, and a helpful class-management section).
Staff-Development Training
PE by Design offers district-level staff-development presentation for classroom teachers. Teaching physical education successfully begins with understanding the basics of health, not only for students, but for the teachers as well. Our presentation provides an overview of health concepts for teachers, includes a discussion of student wellness, and focuses on implementing the PE by Design program successfully.