Transfer of Learning in PE: Why It Matters and How to Teach It

Pete Charrette
Aug 10, 2025
11 min read

Updated: Apr 16

Helping Students Build Skill Connections That Last

Transfer of Learning in Physical Education

✅ Quick Section Links

What Is Transfer of Learning in PE?
Why Transfer of Learning Matters
Types of Transfer: Positive, Negative, and Zero
Real-Life Examples of Transfer in PE
5 Teaching Strategies to Encourage Transfer
Visuals That Reinforce the Concept
Final Thoughts: Make Learning Stick

What Is Transfer of Learning in PE?

Have you ever watched a student nail a skill in one activity and then completely freeze when that same skill shows up in a different context? Or on the flip side, seen a kid just get it in a new unit because something clicked from a previous one? That's transfer of learning at work — and understanding it can genuinely change the way you teach.

At its core, transfer of learning in PE refers to the process of taking knowledge or skills gained in one setting and applying them in another. In physical education, that means helping students recognize how the movements, techniques, and strategies they learn in one game or activity can benefit them in others — and even in life outside of school.

Picture a fourth grader who's been practicing underhand tossing in a beanbag target game. Weeks later, during a bowling unit, they instinctively use that same smooth underhand motion to roll the ball toward the pins. They didn't have to be retaught — they made the connection themselves. That's transfer of learning in action, and it's one of the most satisfying things to witness as a PE teacher.

This concept sits at the heart of developing physically literate students. It's about helping kids understand that the skills they work so hard to build in PE don't exist in a vacuum — they have real value across many sports, games, and everyday physical activities. When students start to see those connections, something shifts. Their learning sticks, their confidence grows, and their engagement goes through the roof.

Here's the thing though — transfer of learning doesn't happen by accident. It's something we have to intentionally nurture through our instruction, our feedback, and the environment we create. And the good news is, it doesn't require a massive overhaul of what you're already doing. A few deliberate moves can make all the difference.

Why Transfer of Learning Matters

Once you start seeing transfer of learning through this lens, it's hard to unsee it. It shows up everywhere — in the way a student approaches a new unit, in the confidence they bring to recess, in the way they carry themselves during a game they've never played before. Understanding and applying this concept is a genuine game changer for physical education, especially at the elementary and middle school levels. It transforms your gym from a place of isolated skill practice into a space where real, lasting learning happens.

Here’s why it matters so much:

1. It Deepens Understanding

When a student can take a skill they learned last month and apply it to something new today, that's not just repetition — that's real comprehension. They understand the mechanics, the purpose, and the why behind the movement. That kind of understanding is what separates a student who can perform a skill in one context from one who truly owns it.

2. It Builds Confidence Across Contexts

Think about the student who realizes that the dribbling control they developed in soccer is helping them in basketball or floor hockey. Suddenly they're not starting from zero in every new unit — they're building on something. That confidence compounds over time and carries well beyond your gym, showing up at recess, in after-school sports, and in the way kids approach physical activity for the rest of their lives.

3. It Supports Lifelong Physical Literacy

This is the big one. Transfer of learning in PE isn't just about helping students do better in the next unit — it's about preparing them for a lifetime of movement. When kids learn to generalize skills across different settings, they develop the kind of physical literacy that sticks. Whether they end up joining a team, hiking a trail, or just staying active as adults, the foundation you help them build in your gym matters more than most people realize.

Types of Transfer: Positive, Negative, and Zero

Not all transfer of learning in PE looks the same. As you plan your units and observe your students, it helps to know the three different types of transfer you're likely to encounter — because each one calls for a slightly different response from you as the teacher.

➡️ Positive Transfer

This is what we're always working toward. Positive transfer happens when a previously learned skill supports the learning of a new one. A great example is a student who has developed solid throwing mechanics in a target throwing unit — when they move into volleyball, that same arm action gives them a real head start on learning the overhand serve. The motor pattern is already there. Your job is simply to help them recognize it and refine it in the new context.

➡️ Negative Transfer

Negative transfer is trickier — and worth being aware of, because it can catch both you and your students off guard. This is when a previously learned movement actually interferes with a new one. The classic example is a student who has spent time swinging a baseball bat and then tries to swing a tennis racquet with that same wide, horizontal motion — when what's needed is a much more vertical path. The old habit gets in the way. When you spot negative transfer happening, name it for your students. Helping them understand why the adjustment is needed makes the correction a lot easier.

➡️ Zero Transfer

Zero transfer simply means no meaningful connection exists between two skills or activities. A student might be an excellent swimmer, but that ability won't give them any particular advantage when they lace up roller skates for the first time. And that's completely fine — not every skill crosses over, and understanding that is part of building physical literacy too. Zero transfer is a good reminder that we always need to meet students where they are, regardless of what they've done before.

Real-Life Examples of Transfer in PE

Sometimes the best way to help students understand transfer of learning is to show them exactly what it looks like in practice. These are the kinds of connections that come up naturally in a well-sequenced PE program — and when you point them out explicitly, students start looking for them on their own. Here are some of the most common skill examples that lend themselves beautifully to transfer across units, sports, and games.

Throwing

Throwing is one of the most transferable skills in all of physical education. The mechanics students develop through throwing activities show up in football passing, baseball pitching, ultimate frisbee, and even overhand serving in volleyball. Once a student develops a solid overhand throw, they're building a foundation that will serve them across a huge range of activities — in PE and beyond.

The Transfer of Learning throwing visual is a perfect example of how one simple skill reaches far and wide. Students can see exactly how learning to throw in PE connects to real games and experiences they already love — like backyard football or skipping rocks at the lake. It's one of the most impactful posters in the series.

Dribbling

Students who develop strong ball control with their hands in basketball don't have to start from scratch when they move into team handball or even soccer. The sense of timing, spatial awareness, and body control they've built carries right over. It might look a little different sport to sport, but the underlying skill is the same.

Striking with Implements

Once students learn how to coordinate a swing with a bat, that fundamental movement pattern opens doors to tennis, pickleball, badminton, and hockey. The grip changes, the implement changes, the context changes — but the core mechanics of tracking an object and making clean contact transfer remarkably well.

Rolling and Tossing

Underhand rolling and tossing might seem like simple, beginner-level skills — but they show up more than you'd think. Bowling, shuffleboard-style games, fitness circuit stations, and target practice activities all draw on these same foundational movements. Don't underestimate how much mileage you can get out of teaching these well early on.

Catching

A student who can confidently catch a soft foam ball is better prepared for flag football, flying disc activities, and cooperative group challenges like parachute games than they might realize. Catching is one of those skills that quietly underpins a huge number of PE activities — and students who struggle with it often hold back in games for that reason alone. It's worth giving it the dedicated practice time it deserves.

5 Teaching Strategies to Encourage Transfer

The good news is you don't need to reinvent your program to make transfer of learning happen more consistently in your gym. A few intentional shifts in how you instruct, question, and set up your learning environment can go a long way. Here are five strategies that work — and that you can start using right away.

1. Explicitly Point Out Connections

This is the single most impactful thing you can do. Students — especially younger ones — don't always make skill connections on their own. They need us to name them out loud. Get into the habit of drawing the line between what students already know and what they're about to learn. Something as simple as:

“Remember how we practiced tossing last week? That underhand motion is exactly what we’ll use today in bowling.”

It takes ten seconds and it changes everything. Pair it with a visual — pointing to a Transfer of Learning poster when introducing a new activity, for example — and the connection becomes even more concrete and memorable.

2. Use Skill Progressions That Build Over Time

Transfer happens most naturally when skills are introduced in a logical sequence and built upon gradually. If you just jump from one unrelated unit to the next, students don't get the chance to layer their learning. Instead, think about how skills can scaffold on top of each other:

Rolling → Underhand tossing → Overhand throwing → Striking with a paddle

When you sequence your units this way, transfer isn't something you have to force — it happens organically because each new skill has roots in something students already know.

3. Incorporate Games That Blend Multiple Skills

One of the most effective ways to reinforce transfer is to put students in situations where they have to draw on several previously learned skills at once. Modified games and station setups are perfect for this. A small-group game that requires tossing, catching, and running simultaneously mimics the kind of gameplay students will encounter in ultimate frisbee, handball, and flag football — often without them even realizing they're making those connections.

A word of caution here: resist the urge to introduce complex game situations before students have a solid foundation in the individual skills involved. Without that base, transfer breaks down and frustration sets in quickly.

4. Prompt Student Reflection

Don't underestimate the power of a good question. When you take a moment at the end of a lesson — or even mid-activity — to ask students to think about connections, you're actively building their transfer mindset. Try questions like:

“Where else have you used this skill before?” or “What other sport might use this same type of motion?”

You'll be genuinely surprised at how insightful even your youngest students can be when you give them space to think out loud. And when a student makes a connection you weren't even expecting, make a big deal of it — that kind of recognition goes a long way.

5. Display Skill Transfer Posters in Your Space

Your gym environment is a teaching tool, and transfer of learning posters are one of the easiest and most effective ways to use it. When students can look up and see a visual that shows exactly how catching, throwing, or kicking connects to a dozen different sports and activities, the concept stops being abstract and starts feeling real and relevant.

Refer to these visuals during your lessons — don't just hang them and forget them. The more you point to them, the more students internalize the message that what they're learning in PE matters well beyond today's class.

Check out the full poster bundle here: Transfer of Learning Poster Series on TPT

Visuals That Reinforce the Concept

If you've ever tried to explain an abstract concept to a group of elementary students using only words, you already know how quickly eyes can glaze over. Visuals change that. They make the invisible visible — and when it comes to transfer of learning in PE, that's exactly what students need. A well-placed poster can do in three seconds what a two-minute explanation sometimes can't.

That's exactly why I created a set of Transfer of Learning visuals specifically designed for the PE environment. Each poster highlights how a core manipulative skill connects to a wide range of other activities — using student-friendly language and vibrant action images that kids immediately recognize and respond to.

Skills Featured:

Catching
Dribbling & Ball Control
Kicking
Rolling
Striking
Throwing
Tossing
Volleying/Striking with Hands

Each visual is built around one simple, powerful phrase:

“Learning to [Skill] in PE Can Help You…”...followed by 9 different application visuals that kids recognize and can relate to. The idea is to make the connection between what they are ding in your gym and the broader world of physical activity feel obvious and exciting - not theoretical.

These posters work hard in a lot of different settings. Hang them as part of a bulletin board display, use them as station markers during skill units, or simply point to them at the start of a lesson when you're introducing a new activity that builds on a familiar skill. However you use them, they serve as a daily visual reminder that every skill students practice in PE has a life beyond your four walls.

View the Transfer of Learning Poster Bundle on TPT

Tranfer of Learning in PE Visual Poster Bundle

Final Thoughts: Make Learning Stick

Here's the bottom line — if we want to develop truly physically literate students, we have to think beyond the individual lesson. We have to think about the bigger picture. Transfer of learning in PE is the bridge that connects a child's early movement experiences to the sports, games, and physical activities they'll participate in for the rest of their lives. And as PE teachers, we're in the best possible position to build that bridge.

It doesn't require a perfect program or a brand new curriculum. It requires intentionality. Point out the connections. Ask the reflective questions. Set up your environment to make the links visible. And when a student has one of those lightbulb moments — when they realize that what they learned three units ago is helping them right now — celebrate it. Those moments are what this is all about.

Pro Tip: When you spot a transfer moment happening in real time, call it out immediately. A quick "Did you notice what just happened there?" can turn a fleeting moment into a lasting lesson.

Whether your students are tossing beanbags, dribbling a basketball, or taking their first swing with a paddle, you're doing more than teaching a skill. You're helping them build a movement toolbox they'll carry with them for a lifetime. That's worth showing up for every single day.

Let's make every movement count — and every lesson transfer.

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