Playground Ball Games for PE: 25 Activities for Tossing, Catching, Dribbling, and Small Groups
Updated: 21 hours ago
Walk into almost any elementary gym and you'll find a bin of playground balls. They're one of the most useful pieces of physical education equipment you can own. Playground balls are ideal for teaching hand-eye coordination along with basic throwing, tossing, dribbling, and catching skills. They also work great for fun games like four square, wall ball, kickball, and even basketball. Use them as a warm-up tool before more complex tasks, or for cooperative learning and group games where students work together as a team.
Pic by Mrs. Martin @egepemrsmartin
In this post, I'll share why playground balls belong in your PE classes, give you simple tips for getting the most out of them, and walk you through 25 playground ball activities and PE ball games you can plug right into your lesson plans.
Quick Answer: Playground balls are one of the most useful pieces of PE equipment because they teach tossing, catching, dribbling, rolling, and kicking with one ball. Use them for warm-ups, fitness, balance, partner work, and small group games like four square, five pass keep away, and catch ball.
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Why Use Playground Balls for PE Ball Games?
Playground balls give students a lot of benefits in physical education. They come in a variety of sizes and colors, so they work for activities that call for different levels of coordination and skill. They're durable and lightweight (but heavier than a beach ball), which makes them easy for kids to handle during class. They're also affordable, so you get a great return on your equipment budget.
Pic by Mrs. Martin @egepemrsmartin
Playground balls also set the stage for cooperative learning and teamwork as students play fun games together. Kids build social skills through play while working on hand-eye coordination and tossing and catching. A rubber playground ball bounces well, is easy to catch and control, and holds up for years. That makes it one of the best tools in your equipment closet.
Do Playground Ball Activities Help Address PE Standards?
Playground balls are a great way to address physical education standards. They're perfect for activities where students practice basic movement skills like throwing, kicking, and catching.
Playground ball activities and games line up perfectly with SHAPE America's Standard 1, which states: Develops a variety of motor skills.* Partner and small group games also support Standard 3: Develops social skills through movement. You can read more about the 2024 SHAPE America standards on my blog.
Whichever playground ball activity or game you choose for your PE lessons, it can easily be connected to national, state, or district standards.
Suggestions for Using Playground Balls in a PE Class
1. Use them for warm-ups and cool-downs: Playground balls are easy to hand out and put away, so they're perfect for warm-ups. Have students roll or toss a ball back and forth with a partner to get moving. For a cool-down, students can do gentle stretches while holding the ball.
2. Use them for fitness activities: Have students complete squats and burpees while tossing a ball back and forth with a partner, or do lunges while holding the ball out in front of them. A playground ball is soft and easy to grip while exercising.
3. Use them for balance activities: While dribbling or tossing and catching, have students stand on one leg and try to hold their balance. They can also try balancing the ball on different body parts while standing or sitting.
4. Use them for coordination activities: Playground balls are great for all kinds of hand-eye coordination tasks. For example, have students toss the ball up, then clap, twist, or tap the ground before catching it. My 10 Ways to Use a Playground Ball poster is a handy visual reminder for your wall.
5. Use them to teach manipulative skills: Playground balls are perfect for teaching manipulative skills like throwing and catching, rolling, fielding, dribbling with the feet, and kicking at a target. With practice, students become more and more skilled at each one. Young kids learn best in skill-based stations, so set up a few and let them rotate.
6. Use them in traditional games: Bring playground balls into traditional games. For example, play a half court game of basketball or indoor soccer using playground balls instead of basketballs or soccer balls. They're lighter and more forgiving for young learners. And for kickball, a playground ball is the best choice.
7. Use them to create new games: Make up games designed just for playground balls. Set out a variety of targets or baskets and have students toss or throw the ball into them in different ways. You can also have students build obstacle courses or play simple problem-solving games with the balls.
8. Use them for team-building activities: Have groups of students work together to pass a playground ball around a circle without dropping it. They can also complete a relay or obstacle course while dribbling or passing. Use short lines so kids spend more time moving and less time waiting for a turn.
25 Practical Ideas for Using Playground Balls in PE
Looking for ways to keep your students active and engaged? These 25 playground ball activities are quick, fun, and easy to set up. Students can work on their own, with a partner, or in small groups at stations to complete each task. They're a great way to turn any gym or blacktop into a busy, focused learning space.
1. Tossing and Catching Skills
Toss and Catch: Toss and catch a ball in your own personal space. Toss and catch with 2 hands, or try catching with only 1 hand.
Bounce and Catch: Toss a ball in the air and let it bounce before you catch it. Catch with 2 hands, or try catching with only 1 hand.
Toss, Clap, Catch: Toss the ball in the air, let it bounce once, and clap before you catch it. Start with 1 clap, then try multiple claps before the catch.
Toss, Turn, Catch: Toss the ball in the air, let it bounce once, and turn all the way around before you catch it.
Rainbow Toss: Toss the ball across your body from one hand to the other so it travels in a rainbow shape. Start with a tennis ball first to help learn the rainbow motion.
2. Ball Handling Skills
Seated Spin: From a sitting position, use 1 or both hands to spin the ball in front of you. Try spinning it clockwise and counterclockwise.
Waist Circle: Roll or pass the ball hand to hand around your waist. Go one direction, then reverse it.
Leg Circle: Roll or pass the ball hand to hand around your legs. Go one direction, then reverse it.
Figure 8: Roll or pass the ball hand to hand in a figure 8 around one leg and then the other.
Finger Spin: Spin the ball on one finger or several fingers. Use one hand to spin it and the other to help hold it up while it spins.
3. Dribbling Skills
Stationary Dribble: Dribble the ball in your own personal space. Show off your basketball skills, but remember to use one hand at a time, never both hands together.
High and Low Dribble: Dribble the ball at different heights in your own space. Dribble slowly up high near your chest, then quickly down low near the ground.
Dribble Around Your Body: Dribble the ball around your body in one direction, then dribble it back around the other way.
Dribble Through Your Legs: Dribble the ball through your legs from back to front, then from front to back.
Dribble and Move: Dribble the ball around your station area while slide-stepping, switching between leading with your left foot and your right foot to keep control.
4. Partner Activities
Partner Roll: In your own personal space, roll a ball back and forth with a partner. Keep it under control and try changing the distance between you. One partner rolls while the other fields.
Partner Pass: Test your passing skills with a partner. See how well you can do a chest pass and a bounce pass.
Partner Wall Ball: Throw the ball off the wall while your partner reacts to the rebound and fields or catches it.
Partner Challenge: Show off your best playground ball tricks. Take turns leading each other with fun, creative ideas and see who can come up with the most impressive moves.
Shoot Some Baskets: Find a partner and a basketball goal. Take set shots, jump shots, or layups. Rebound the ball and take turns shooting.
You can find the playground ball activity visuals shown above in my Playground Ball Task Cards on TPT. For even more ball control ideas, check out my Playground Ball Activity Task Cards: Ball Control.
5. Small Group Fun Games (Indoor or Outdoor Ball Games)
Knock Down, Pick Up: Students dribble inside a set area. One team dribbles and knocks down cones with their hands while the other team dribbles and stands them back up. It's a fast-moving game of agility and teamwork. Switch roles every minute or so, or add some ball tag twists to the game.
Circle Star Catch: In small groups (5 is ideal), students pass and catch a ball across a circle. Players can't pass to the person right beside them or back to the person who passed to them. To add more fun, put more than one ball in play at the same time.
Four Square: Students play standard four square with a playground ball, striking the ball with their hands into another player's square. A player is out when they can't hit the ball into another square or it goes out of bounds. A ball that lands on an outside line stays in play. If it lands on an inside line, the player who hit it leaves the court and waits in line to return. Players rotate up from Square 4 toward Square 1, where the server starts each rally. Set up more courts to keep lines short so kids aren't sitting and waiting.
Five Pass Keep Away: Two teams play 2 v 2 or 3 v 3, trying to complete 5 passes in a row while the other team defends. If a ball is dropped or a player loses control, the other team takes possession. No defensive contact is allowed. Every 5 completed passes earns a point, and the team with the most points wins.
Catch Ball: Two teams of 4 to 6 players stand on opposite sides of a middle line. Teams try to make the ball bounce twice on the other team's side. If a player catches the ball after one bounce, play stays alive. Each time the ball bounces twice on the opponent's side, the throwing team earns 1 point.
Final Thoughts
Playground balls are one of the most useful tools you can have in a PE program. They're a great way to meet skill-based standards, and these activities help students learn to cooperate and work as a team. Use them to practice fundamental motor skills and build coordination, balance, and agility. This post covered activities for tossing, passing, catching, ball handling, and dribbling, plus partner and small group games where students can apply those skills. For more ball skill ideas, check out my posts on throwing stations and basketball stations. With the right activities, playground balls work for every grade level!
Do you use playground balls in your PE program? Which activities do your students enjoy most? I'd love to hear about it in the comments below!
*National Physical Education Standards are used under license from SHAPE America. © 2024, SHAPE America, https://www.shapeamerica.org/. All rights reserved.
Need resources?
Want equipment challenge cards that help you teach activities like the ones in this post? Easy-to-use visuals with clear instructions and colorful graphics make station teaching simple. Here's a set to help!
Fill in the form below to download 28 FREE PE Equipment Challenge Cards with a variety of manipulative and movement skills to use in your physical education classes.
This PDF digital download includes four cards from each of these equipment, skill, and movement challenge card sets: 1. Balloon Challenges, 2. Beanbag Challenges, 3. Pool Noodle Challenges, 4. Hula Hoop Challenges, 5. Playground Ball Challenges, 6. Jump Rope Challenges, and 7. Cup Stacking Challenges.
This freebie set will give your PE curriculum a boost for years to come!
If you want to really expand your PE program's toolbox, check out my 20 Set PE Equipment Challenge Card Super Bundle. It has over 480 PE equipment teaching visuals from 20 unique sets!
You can find this bundle in my Teachers Pay Teachers store: PE Activities Using Gym Equipment - 20 Resource Skill & Movement Super Bundle
This visual collection helps you teach a wide range of movement and manipulative skills using 20 traditional pieces of PE equipment: balloons, beanbags, stacking cups, pool noodles, juggling scarves, hula hoops, tumbling mats, long jump ropes, short jump ropes, scooter boards, cones and poly spots, dice, Lummi sticks, long-handled implements, short-handled implements, basketballs, beach balls, footballs, playground balls, and soccer balls.
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.
