Balloon Games for PE: 31 Fun Balloon Activities for the Gym and Classroom Brain Breaks
Updated: Oct 26
When most people think of balloons, they think of birthday parties and celebrations. But balloons are also a fun, valuable tool for PE class and a great classroom brain break! You can use them in all kinds of games, activities, and challenges. Balloons are inexpensive and easy to use, and they keep kids active and engaged while they learn important skills.
Pic from Mike Graham @pe4everykid
In this post, I'll share 31 of my favorite balloon activities and games for PE class, recess, special events, or as a classroom energizer. These challenges work for any age group, at school or at home. Let's get started!
Quick Answer: Balloons are cheap, safe, and slow-moving, so they're perfect for building striking, volleying, catching, and coordination skills in PE or as a classroom brain break. This post has 31 balloon activities: hand volleys, solo challenges, volley and move tasks, throw and catch tricks, and partner and small group games.
Click any of the links below to jump to a section of this article:
Why Use Balloons in PE?
Balloon games and activities liven up any learning space and make it easy to teach lots of skills and concepts. Balloons help students build manipulative skills like striking, volleying, kicking, catching, and throwing. They also build skill-related fitness like balance, hand-eye coordination, and reaction time. Because balloons float down slowly, they're perfect for younger students and students with special needs. They're also one of the safest pieces of equipment you can use. Just check for latex allergies first (latex-free balloons are easy to find), and pick up any broken balloon pieces right away so little ones don't put them in their mouths.
How to Use Balloons in PE
Balloons are a staple in elementary PE classes all across the country, and there are lots of ways to use them.
Some balloon activities are done alone, while others have students work in pairs or teams. Balloons are also perfect for stations and relays.
Older elementary students can use balloons in large group games with two or more teams, in the gym or outside, to balance, kick, strike, volley over a net, capture, toss, and catch. You can also send balloon activities home for students to share with friends and family. Getting families involved is a great way to build support for your PE program.
Do Balloon Activities Help Address PE Standards?
Balloon activities are a fun way to help students meet SHAPE America's Standard 1: Develops a variety of motor skills.* The balloon activities you choose can also meet your state, district, and school standards.
Pic from Jimmy Grassano @CLESPhysEd
31 Balloon Activities for PE, the Classroom, or Home
These 31 balloon games and activities will get your students up and moving!
Students can practice these tasks on their own, teach them
to a partner, or work through them at stations.
1. Hand Volleys (5 Activities)
Two-Hand Volley: Volley the balloon up with both hands. If it drops low, use 1 hand to get it back up.
One-Hand Volley: Volley the balloon up with 1 hand. Try switching between your left and right hands.
Fingertip Volley: Tap the balloon up with 1 finger at a time. Switch fingers and switch hands.
Tap High, Tap Low: Take turns volleying the balloon very high and very low. Jump up high, then reach down low.
Jump-Up Volley: Volley the balloon up, and as it comes down, jump up and volley it again. Keep it going!
2. Balloon Solo Challenges (7 Activities)
Seated Volley: Sit cross-legged or in a straddle position. Volley the balloon up with your hands.
Lying Volley: Lie on your back. Volley the balloon up with your hands and feet.
Kick Volley: Volley the balloon up with your feet. Try kicking with your right leg and your left leg.
Head Volley: Volley the balloon up with only your head. If it drops low, use 1 hand to get it back up.
Soccer Volley: Volley the balloon up using soccer contact points: your feet, head, chest, and knees.
Trick Volleys: Tap the balloon under your leg and behind your back. Try clapping or touching the ground between hits.
Head Balance Walk: Balance the balloon on your forehead and move around your personal space without letting it fall.
3. Volley and Move (6 Activities)
Walk and Volley: Walk around the room and volley the balloon with your hands, head, and feet as you move.
Balloon Jump: Squeeze the balloon between your knees and jump around the room without letting it go.
Crab Walk and Kick: Crab walk around the room and kick the balloon up as you go.
Locomotor Volley: Travel around the room and volley the balloon while you gallop, skip, slide, hop, and jog. My locomotor movement post has more ideas.
Short Line Relays: Take turns traveling to the finish line and back while you volley or balance a balloon. Students waiting in line do a fitness exercise.
Volley and Jumping Jack: Volley the balloon up, do a jumping jack, then volley it again before it touches the floor. How many can you do in a row?
Pic from Joe McCarthy M.Ed. @JoeMcCarthy09
4. Throw, Toss, and Catch (7 Activities)
Overhand Throw and Catch: Throw the balloon overhand in front of you. Move to the balloon and catch it before it hits the ground.
Stem Launch (Balloon Rockets): Hold the balloon and pull the knot down. Let go to shoot the balloon up in the air, then jump up and catch it.
Overhand Serve and Catch: Strike the balloon so it spins and flips above your head. Move to it and catch it before it hits the ground.
Under the Leg Toss and Catch: Toss the balloon up from under 1 leg and catch it with both hands. Then switch legs.
Toss, Turn, Catch: Toss the balloon up with 1 or 2 hands, turn all the way around, and catch it in front of your body.
Toss, Touch, Catch: Toss the balloon up with 1 or 2 hands, touch the ground, and catch it in front of your body.
Trick Catches: Toss the balloon up and catch it under your leg, behind your back, or with your elbows or knees.
5. Partner and Small Group Balloon Games (6 Activities)
Partner Volley: Volley the balloon back and forth with a partner using bumps, sets, and one-hand taps.
Balloon Tennis: Volley a balloon back and forth with a partner using a paddle or racket. My racket and paddle post has more striking ideas.
Partner Line Volleyball: Find a gym line and play volleyball across it with a partner (1 vs 1 or 2 vs 2). The balloon must be going up when it crosses the line.
Group Volley (Keep It Up): Volley the balloon with a small group using bumps, sets, and one-hand taps. See how many hits in a row your group can get. My volleyball games post has more ideas.
Create a Move: Use your body and 1 balloon to create a movement, then challenge your partners to copy it. Be creative, stay in your space, and stay safe.
Through the Hoop: In groups of 3, 1 person holds a hula hoop at different heights while the other 2 volley a balloon through it. The hoop holder can move the hoop to help!
Final Thoughts
Balloons add fun and challenge to your PE lessons and make a great brain break in the classroom. Most of the activities in this post need just one balloon per student, and they keep students active while building hand-eye coordination, spatial awareness, and more. The partner and small group games add teamwork and social fun too. If you'd like ready-made visuals, my Balloon Task Cards and 10 Ways to Use a Balloon Poster are on TPT, and my Pool Noodle Balloon Volley Rubrics make assessment simple.
I hope you found these balloon ideas helpful! Let me know which ones are your favorites in the comments below.
Looking for balloon fun for a bigger event? My field day post has lots of ideas for planning the big day.
*National Physical Education Standards are used under license from SHAPE America. © 2024, SHAPE America, https://www.shapeamerica.org/. All rights reserved.
Need Resources?
Do you need PE equipment challenge cards to help you teach activities like the ones in this post? Would it help to have easy-to-use visuals with clear instructions and great graphics?
Fill in the form below to download 28 FREE fun and active PE Equipment Challenge Cards with a variety of manipulative and movement skills for your PE classes.
The set is a PDF digital download with 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.
You'll use this freebie set in your PE program for years!
If you want to add even more to your PE program, check out my 20 Set PE Equipment Challenge Card Super Bundle. It has over 480 PE equipment teaching visuals from 20 different sets!
You can find this bundle in my TPT store: PE Activities Using Gym Equipment 20 Resource Skill & Movement Super Bundle
This visual collection helps you teach lots of movement and manipulative skills with 20 pieces of PE equipment: balloons, bean bags, 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.
