When it comes to keeping students active in PE class, scooter boards are a great way to do just that. They are fun for students of all ages and can be used for a variety of activities, relays and games. Not only are scooters a complete blast, they also offer several positive health benefits! Riding scooters can help build leg strength and work wonders for improving focus, coordination and even teamwork. Scooter boards are a revolutionary piece of gym equipment, providing children an engaging and fun way to move. Kids can lie on their stomachs, backs or even pull off some tricks as they scoot along the ground!
Pics by Bo Phillips @BoPhillips10 and Pelham Oaks PhysicalEd @PelhamOaksPE
In this blog post, I am going to discuss the benefits of using gym scooters in a PE class, as well as provide some tips for implementing them in a PE lesson successfully. I will also illustrate several ways students can ride scooter board in stations or relays and provide several large group games and events that you can use in your next PE lesson!
Let's scoot to it!
Why use scooter boards in PE?
Physical education classes can be transformed with the inclusion of scooter boards; they provide an engaging, low-impact way for students to get moving and stay active throughout the entire lesson. What's more, teachers can easily plan activities that accommodate students at all levels -- whether they're riding it on their bottoms, knees, stomach or some other way! Scootering in class allows students to be creative while they scoot around the gym or classroom in various ways. Moreover, scooters provide an excellent opportunity for students to engage in exciting games, stations and relay races with both small and large groups. This helps foster teamwork among them while having fun at the same time!
Does implementing scooter boards help address PE standards?
Not only are scooters fun for students to ride on, but they also engage them in activities and games that address SHAPE America's Standard 1 which states: The physically literate individual demonstrates competency in a variety of motor skills and movement patterns.* The scooter activities and games you choose to use during your PE lessons can easily meet any national, state, or district standards.
Pic by Bo Phillips @BoPhillips10
Tips for using scooter boards in a PE lesson?
When using scooter boards in a gym class on gym floors, safety is key. Make sure your scooters are in good working order and the students know how to properly them before they start scooting around. Here are some tips for implementing scooter games and activities successfully:
1. Provide instructions on how to scoot safely, such as scooting in the right direction (away from walls and other students) and scooting at a safe speed. Discuss how to use the safety handles (handlebars) while riding.
2. Incorporate scooter activities into your PE lesson plan to create fun, engaging stations that keep kids moving.
Pic by Bo Phillips @BoPhillips10
3. Create scooter relays and races for small or large groups of students. These can be altered to suit any class size and age group.
4. Utilize scooter games and events that require scooting in a certain pattern or completing specific tasks while riding on the scooter board.
Pic by Bo Phillips @BoPhillips10
5. Make sure your scooters are properly stored after each use, so they're in good condition for future scootering sessions! A scooter cart is a great investment.
Fun Ways to Ride the a Scooter Board
Your students can ride the scooter boards the following ways:
At stations set up in and around your playing area
As a large group, teacher-led activity
In small group relay lines
As relay races against other teams
Video by Kyle Bragg @ElemPE1
Basic Riding Methods
Driver's Seat - Start from a gym line and ride your board on your bottom. Travel in either a forward or backward direction. Propel yourself with your legs going backward and pull yourself with your legs going forward.
Alligator Crawl- Ride the board on your stomach and move like an alligator. Push with your feet and pull with your hands at the same time.
Pretzel Ride- Sit cross-legged on the board. Push yourself forward using your arms on both sides of the board.
Cat Walk- Start from a gym line and ride the board on your knees. Move by pulling your board forward with your arms.
Bear Crawl- Place your hands on the scooter board. Use your legs to push the board forward as you walk behind it.
Advanced Riding Methods
Superman Fly- Take a few steps with just your hands on the scooter. Then place your body in a flat, lying position and glide as far as you can.
Cat Walk- Start from a gym line and ride the board on your knees. Move by pulling your board forward with your arms.
Walrus Walk- Place your shins or toes on top of the board. In a push-up position, pull with your arms and drag your scooter behind you.
Lame Dog Hop-Place both hands on the scooter and put one leg up in the air behind you. Propel yourself forward with the other leg by hopping on it as you travel.
Crab Walk Scoot- Place your feet on the board and your hands on the ground. Push the board forward or pull it backward using your arms.
Mix it Up With Other PE Equipment
Row Your Boat- Using 2 plungers, noodles or short sticks as oars, move your board by pushing down on them and propelling yourself forward or backward.
Scoot and Tap- Sitting on a board, scoot forward or backward as you tap a balloon up in the air, with your hands and feet. Travel to a cone and back.
Scoot and Toss- Sitting on a board, scoot forward or backward as you toss and catch a ball. Travel to a cone and back.
Scoot and Shoot- Start at a gym line and travel on your scooter board to the shooting area. Pick up a ball and shoot it into a bucket or at a target. Go back and do it again.
Rescue 911- Pull yourself along a rope that is being held by 2 people or is attached to a fixed item. Turn around and go back to the start.
Partner and Group Riding
Side-by-Side- Sit side-by-side on your scooter board with a partner. Link arms or hold your partner’s board handles as your travel forward or backward around the cone.
Back-to-Back Sit back-to-back on your scooter board with a partner. Link elbows and travel to the cone and back. With your legs, push going backward and pull going forward.
Uber Driver- Take turns sitting on 2 boards or pushing the person on the boards. Push on their back and keep your hands there the whole time.
Horse and Buggy- Take turns sitting on a board cross-legged or pulling a person on the board. Use a rope around your waist or in your hand to pull them.
Boat Ride- Take turns sitting on a mat with 2 boards under it or pushing the person on the mat. Keep them under control and away from the walls.
Scooter Board Games
There are many fun games that can be played using scooters. Most games that can be played on foot can be played using scooter boards in a gym or hard-top playground area.
Here are 5 ideas that work well in a PE class.
Scooter Tag Games- Just like regular tag, scooter tag involves scooting around the gym in order to catch or avoid other players. Many regular locomotor-based tag games work great with scooters with some slight modifications. The following 3 scooter tag games are easy to implement and are fun for the students:
Pic by Bo Phillips @BoPhillips10
Scooter Freeze Tag: Assign a few students to be the taggers. Everyone is riding on a scooter board. If tagged a player is frozen! That person tagged must get off their board, flip it over and wait until another player rides by to "give them 5" and unfreeze them.
Scooter Gotcha: Assign a few students to be the taggers and they have a ball. Everyone is riding on a scooter board. If tagged by a ball by a tagger, a player automatically becomes the new tagger. The old tagger drops the ball once they tag another player and they scoot away fast!
Shark Attack: Assign a few groups of 3 or 4 students to be sharks. They stay on their feet and will work together holding a blanket or small parachute to raise over a fish and catch it. They can run or use some other locomotor movement. The rest of the students are fish and are riding on PE scooters. They scoot around and avoid being caught by a shark. If caught (blanketed), the fish must go off to the side of the playing are and perform a teacher-designated exercise or skill to come back into the game.
Scooter Basketball- Players try to score points by shooting a basket while scooting around the court. Baskets could be trash bins or large cardboard boxes. Teams play on scooters and attempt to pass the ball to their teammates. The goal is to make a basket while maintaining a seated position on the scooter. Players in possession of the ball are not permitted to move as the rest of the players scoot around, searching for space to receive a pass.
Video by Kyle Bragg @ElemPE1
Scooter Soccer- Students test their skills by kicking large beachballs or slow-mo balls into imposing goals placed around the playing court. By incorporating multiple goals and balls, the game can become even more exciting! Players scoot around the area, passing and receiving passes with their feet. The scooters are used to maintain a possession of the ball while moving around the playing area. Players scoot around, looking for space to shoot! If using large goals (like a section of a wall), goalies can be on their feet rather than on a scooter.
Scooter Hockey- Players try to score points by shooting a ball into a hockey goal while scooting around the court. Small hockey sticks, half pool noodles, or lollipop/pickleball paddles can be used to stick handle and shoot. More than 2 goals can be used and goalies can be placed in front of the goals. For maximum enjoyment, it is recommended to use at least two balls for this game. Gator skin or Nerf balls are perfect choices that will enhance the experience. For safety reasons, taped off creases provide an ideal boundary around the goal that only goaltenders can enter.
Pic by Ms. Zarzycki @MsZarzycki27
Hungry, Hungry Hippos- Break your students into groups of three or four and have each group take their place on the baselines of the gym. Provide each team with a scooter board, as well as a fishing net, bucket or laundry basket, then scatter balls throughout or in the middle of the space. Now you're all set to begin! One student gets on their stomach and lies down on the scooter board while the other player, who is acting as the driver, grasps both of his/her feet (the "hippo"). As soon as the signal sounds, the driver must quickly push and pull their hippo to the center of the course. Using a bucket in hand, they attempt to gather as many balls scattered throughout or until there is no more time left on the clock. Ensure that the third and fourth student counts all of the objects as they are collected. The team with the most balls wins! Continue playing until each participant has had a chance to be the driver, picker-upper, and counter.
Pic by Mr. Rosado @MrCoachRosado
Scooter Board Events
Scooter Obstacle Course- is a great way to get your students thinking and moving. It can be as simple or complex as you'd like - from weaving in and out of cones, to scooting around chairs and under mats. You might also want to add scooter-friendly manipulative skills such as throwing balls through hula hoops or volleying a beach ball up in the air while scooting.
Pics by Pelham Oaks PhysicalEd @PelhamOaksPE
Scooter Board City- As an alternative to the scooter board obstacle course, scooter board city provides a creative and fun way for your students to scoot around in PE. Ideal for your younger-age students, this activity gives learners the opportunity to move about the room riding their scooter boards safely, while following directional, caution, speed limit, and parking signs set out throughout the movement area.
Have them scoot around objects such as cones, chairs, mats and hurdles while navigating through imaginary streets, alleys and buildings. Students even learn to use traffic lights, round-a-bouts and stop signs. Watch out for the blue lights! As in any city, students can park and take part in activities along their routes…they really LOVE that part of the class!!!
Video by Veronica Brand @CoachBrandPE
If you are interested, a scooter board city resource with PE activity visuals and detailed plan is located here.
Final thoughts
Scooter boards provide a fun and exciting way to get your students active while developing their muscular strength & endurance. Through activities specifically designed with your students in mind, you can help to improve their agility, balance, and coordination. Using relays and games not only provides fun for everyone in your class, but it also strengthens great team building skills.
Scooter boards provide an exciting way for physical education teachers to engage their students in active play and promote physical activity among all students, regardless of age and abilities. This article highlights the numerous ways scooters can be incorporated into physical education classes, offering an array of enjoyable and engaging activities. Be sure to try out some of the activities and games mentioned in this article to add excitement to your next PE class!
Happy scooting!
Do you use scooter boards in your physical education classes? What are some of your favorite activities and/or games? Share your ideas with all of us in the comments below!
*SHAPE America. (2013). National Standards for K-12 Physical Education. Reston, VA: Author.
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