Volleyball Activities for PE: 10 Fun Stations and Small Group Games
Updated: 23 hours ago
Toss a beach ball into the middle of a group of kids and watch what happens. Everyone wants a turn to keep it up! That's what makes volleyball such a great fit for physical education. It's active, it teaches a bunch of skills, and it's easy to adjust for any age or ability. With balloons, beach balls, and volleyball trainers, you can build engaging volleyball activities and stations for elementary, middle, or high school students.
Volleyball is packed with skills you can teach in a PE unit: overhand passing (setting), underhand passing (bumping), overhand and underhand serving, tossing, tipping, spiking, and blocking. Volleyball stations for elementary PE and small group activities for middle school are a great way to keep students engaged while they learn and practice those skills. They help every student, at every ability level, learn and succeed in class.
In this post, I'll share practical ways to use volleyball stations and small group activities in your lesson plans so every student stays involved. Then I'll walk you through ten volleyball activities, six stations and four small group games, to make your volleyball unit fun and active. Let's get your students fired up for volleyball!
Quick Answer: Volleyball stations and small group games let students practice bumping, setting, and serving with lots of touches, instead of waiting for a turn in a full game. Use beach balls, balloons, or soft trainer balls for younger students, keep groups small, and rotate stations on a timer.
Quick Section Links
Click any of the links below to jump to a section of this article:
Pics by BES Block Teachers @block_bes
Can Volleyball Activities Help Students Meet PE Standards?
Volleyball drills, skill stations, and small group activities in physical education make class more fun for students while also meeting district, state, and national standards. Volleyball gives kids great chances to build fundamental motor skills and manipulative skills, which are key parts of any strong PE program.
The PE activities in this post connect directly to SHAPE America's Standard 1: Develops a variety of motor skills. The volleyball activities you choose can easily support your national, state, or district standards.
How Do I Set Up and Manage Volleyball Stations in My PE Class?
Want your PE volleyball classes to be engaging and effective? Here are some helpful tips for setting up volleyball stations that work!
Define the station area: Mark each station clearly so students know where to start and everyone has enough room to play safely.
Set clear rules and expectations: Have safety routines in place, like keeping the ball under control and putting equipment away properly when finished. Explain the rules for each station, including how many reps or rounds to complete.
Pics by Dan @MrBailey2229
Keep it simple and developmentally appropriate: It's tempting to load each station with equipment, but simple setups work best. Make sure each station fits your students' skill level so they don't get overwhelmed or discouraged.
Use a timer: Keep rotations on schedule with a timer, and sound a bell or buzzer when it's time to move to the next station.
Differentiate each station: Offer options for different ability levels so everyone can take part and succeed. Try different ball sizes and weights, like a beach ball task card set, or include a few different tasks at each station.
From My PE Classes
For elementary volleyball, I decided to use beach balls instead of volleyballs. Sometimes I used volleyball trainers with my 4th and 5th graders, but beach balls always made for far more successful stations and games. Students had more time to get under the ball, and because beach balls are so light, volleying mistakes were a lot less of a problem.
Volleyball Station Skills
Give feedback and support: Feedback keeps students motivated. Give lots of positive reinforcement when they get it right, and offer guidance when they're struggling with a skill.
Be open to change: As you run your station rotations, be ready to adjust. If an activity isn't working for your students, tweak it or swap in something new.
Pics by Dan @MrBailey2229
Have fun: Above all, make sure your students are having fun! Kids who enjoy themselves will want to keep learning volleyball skills.
10 Volleyball Stations and Small Group Games for PE
Get your students excited about volleyball with these ten activities! With fun stations and small-sided games, they'll be energized and ready to learn.
A. Stations
Stations focus on one or more specific skills, such as serving, bumping, setting, and court footwork. They give students a chance to practice and build confidence in a small, safe space.
1. Partner Sit Volley: Partners sit facing each other and volley a beach ball, balloon, or volleyball back and forth. They must stay seated and keep control of the ball using one or both hands. For extra fun and fitness, students can do a sit-up between each volley. Adjust the distance as needed.
Video by Christina Fuller @TheCoachFuller
2. Toss and Set / Toss and Bump: Students work in groups of 3 or 4 to practice the set and bump. One student is the tosser. They toss the ball to a volleyer, who bumps or sets it back, and the tosser catches it. Switch tossers after each student has bumped or set at least 3 times.
Toss-Bump-Catch or Toss-Set-Catch!
3. Basketball Goal Volley: Students toss a volleyball up and try to set it into a basketball goal for points. First, they self-toss and set. Next, a partner tosses the ball before they set it to the basket. For an extra challenge, have them try a bump or a serve!
4. Accuracy Partner Serve: Partners practice underhand or overhand serving accuracy by aiming for a hula hoop placed between them. They take turns serving back and forth, focusing on good technique. Students can move closer or farther apart to find success.
5. Keep It Up: Small teams of 3 or 4 work together to keep a volleyball or beach ball up in the air using bumps and sets. They may need a one-handed save or a tip to keep the ball alive! Count the hits out loud:
1-2-3-4!
6. Court Footwork and Jumps: Students take turns moving around a court using locomotor movement skills like running and slide stepping, and they jump up at each corner of the net. After finishing the course, they head back to the line and go again.
B. Small Group Games
Small group games build volleyball skills while giving students a healthy dose of friendly competition. They also give every student a lot more "action" than a regular game of volleyball.
7. Volleyball Wall HORSE: Groups of 3 or 4 take turns volleying a ball off the wall in a game of HORSE. Each student in line takes a turn using serves, bumps, or sets. Miss a shot, and you earn a letter in H-O-R-S-E!
8. 2 vs. 2 Line Volleyball: Two-on-two teams volley a volleyball or beach ball up and over a gym line. A team scores when the ball crosses the line and lands on the other team's side. The ball must be hit upward, so a spike gives the other team a point. Bumps and sets are encouraged, and games go to 5 points.
9. 2 vs. 2 One Bounce Volleyball: In groups of six, two students hold up a jump rope or string as the "net" while the other four play 2 vs. 2 mini volleyball, two on each side. The ball can bounce once between volleys, but players can also volley it before it bounces. The rope holders switch after every 5 serves.
10. Four Square Volley: Students play "volley four square" with a beach ball on a four square court or one taped on the gym floor. They follow regular four square rules but volley the ball into another player's square. The ball can bounce once between hits. If a player misses, they rotate out, everyone moves up a square, and the next student in a short line steps into square 4. Serves, bumps, and sets are encouraged.
Final Thoughts
Volleyball activities and small group games are a great way to keep students engaged while boosting their physical activity. They build real skills and make PE class a lot of fun. And the best part? You don't need a full court or a net to get started, just some basic equipment!
In this post, I've shared 10 volleyball stations and small group games you can easily add to your PE lessons. I hope you enjoy watching your students have a blast while learning the basic skills of volleyball! Get creative, too. Try new versions of these activities or invent your own. Whatever the age or skill level of your students, you can adjust an activity to fit your classes. For more game ideas, check out my volleyball games for kids post, or grab the Volleyball Skills & Games Unit with 10 K-5 lesson plans. Now get out there, have fun, and enjoy volleyball with your students!
Need Resources?
Do you need sport skill stations for your PE program with detailed instructions and eye-catching graphics? Here's a free set to help!
Fill in the form below to download 20 FREE Sport-Specific PE Station Signs. This PDF download includes two cards from each of these sport station sets: 1. Base Games, 2. Basketball, 3. Floor Hockey, 4. Football, 5. Lacrosse, 6. Paddle & Racket Sports, 7. Soccer, 8. Team Handball, 9. Track & Field, and 10. Volleyball.
This freebie set will boost your PE curriculum for years!
If you want even more volleyball station ideas, my PE Stations: 20 Fun Volleyball Activities & Games resource is on Teachers Pay Teachers. For everything volleyball in one place, check out the Volleyball PE Bundle.
If you're looking for a way to really spice up your PE program, Cap'n Pete's PE Sports Stations: 10 Product Mega Bundle is the perfect supplement. It includes over 200 fun, sports-themed station signs and cards (20 stations per sport) to use in your gym or teaching area.
This collection helps you teach important skills and concepts from 10 traditional sports: basketball, base games, football, floor hockey, lacrosse, paddle and racket sports, soccer, track and field, team handball, and volleyball.
You can find this bundle in my Teachers Pay Teachers store: PE Stations: 10 Resource Bundle, Sports Activities & Games
About Pete Charrette
Pete Charrette is a National Board Certified physical education teacher and former Georgia PE Teacher of the Year with more than 30 years of experience teaching elementary PE. He is the creator of Cap'n Pete's Power PE and has developed more than 1,000 PE and health resources used by teachers around the world. Pete loves helping PE teachers build programs their students enjoy.
