Struggling with classroom management in your elementary PE classes—or just looking for a few tricks to make your gym run more smoothly?

In this episode of CRAZY FUN PE with Mrs. T., I’m sharing 10 practical gym management tips I wish I had known my very first year teaching PE, from simple routines and attention signals to student motivation, Choice Time, and building stronger teacher-student relationships.

These easy-to-use PE classroom management strategies will help you spend less time managing behavior and more time getting your students moving, learning, laughing, and having FUN!

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Welcome to Crazy Fun PE with Mrs. T. The podcast that's on a

mission to make school fun again.

Every Monday morning, I'll wake you up with unique PE games, creative

teaching ideas, and simple management tips that get kids moving, laughing,

and having a total blast, sometimes with a squeaky rubber chicken or two.

I'm your host, Mrs. T. Now let's get moving.

Hey there, PE friends.

Thanks so much for being here with me today.

I appreciate it so, so much.

So I got to thinking, if I could go back and give first-year PE teacher,

Mrs. T, a little bit of advice, I would save that poor girl a whole lot of time,

stress, and probably a few headaches.

Over the years, I've learned that great PE classroom management is

not about having a million rules.

It's more about creating simple routines, setting clear expectations, building

strong relationships, and finding little tricks that help your gym run smoothly.

So today, I'm sharing 10 of my very favorite gym management tricks I wish

I had known from the very beginning.

Simple, practical ideas that you can start using in your PE classes tomorrow

to spend less time managing behavior and more time teaching and having

a total blast with your students.

Let's dive in.

teach routines before you teach games.

Don't assume students know how to enter the gym, get equipment, stop

playing, clean up, or leave the gym.

Explicitly teach and practice those routines starting on day number one.

My first year teaching PE, I kind of eased into teaching routines as the

school year moved on, as I was trying to basically get my poop in a group.

I was kind of in that you don't know what you don't know phase or stage, but

I figured out very quickly that first, you, the teacher, need to be super clear

on what your routines and expectations are for your students before day one.

And then you've got to clearly start teaching those routines to your

students, again, on day number one.

Do not wait.

Even kindergarten students can handle it.

They really, really can.

So just do it.

You will be so glad that you did.

If you want to steal my perfect PE first day of school plan that includes

all of my rules and expectations and routines, you can check out my blog post

on my website, lovetoteachandlearn.com, or you can go back and listen to

episode number two of this podcast, Seven Steps to a Perfect PE First Day.

Um, in that episode, I even offer a totally free way that you can get a, uh,

free first day of school lesson plan.

All right.

Moving on to trick number two, choose and stick to a consistent student

attention-grabbing signal Establishing a simple attention-grabbing signal

helps students know exactly when it's time to stop and listen to

you, the teacher, immediately.

A familiar signal routine established from day number one keeps transitions

calm, saves valuable class time, massively improves student behavior, and it

keeps your PE classes safe and feeling organized, not chaotic or out of control.

Here are a few signal ideas for you.

You could blow a whistle, turn the music off, call out, "Freeze," raise

your hand and have students copy you.

Turn the lights off and then back on again.

Say a class phrase loudly.

Ring a bell.

Clap a pattern for students to repeat.

The actual signal that you do choose is not nearly as important

as making sure that the one that you do choose is used consistently.

So for me, my first year of teaching PE, I was coming off of teaching

four years of kindergarten, and so I was trying to use some of the same

attention-grabbing signals in PE that I used successfully in kindergarten.

Well, honestly, that did not work very well at all, and I also realized

that I was just blowing my whistle all of the time those first few

months to get kids' attention, and that wasn't working too good either.

So about three months into that first year of teaching PE, I transitioned to solely

using music as my signal and management tool, and it really has been one of

my greatest PE game changers for sure.

I have a poster hanging in my gym that reads, "Music on, your

turn. Music off, my turn." It's simple, and it works like magic.

A very simple way to let kids know that if they don't hear fun, upbeat music

playing, it is teacher instruction time, and if the music is on, it's

usually game time, and it's their time to freely talk and laugh and play.

Again, it's simple, and it works beautifully.

The only time I actually blow my whistle is at the end of class

when it's time to clean up.

I quickly stop the music, and I blow my whistle three times.

That signals to my students that it's time to immediately stop

playing and begin cleaning up the gym, getting ready for dismissal.

It is a consistent, super simple routine, and it works perfect

for both myself and my students.

Trick number three: use student numbers, or as I call them, magic numbers.

This is another big one.

Assigning student numbers on the first day of PE class is another game-changing

PE teacher classroom management tip.

It gives elementary students a quick, easy way to identify themselves,

follow directions, and transition smoothly during activities.

Student numbers can honestly help a PE teacher in a million different

ways, like taking attendance quickly, organizing lineup order,

station rotations, and so much more.

Here's what I do.

First, using my class list and going in alphabetical order, I simply assign

each student a magic number that they will have and use for the entire school

year, and I do this on day number one.

Then, if you do get new students as the school year progresses, just give

them the next number in the class.

No worries that they're not going to be in alphabetical order the student

numbers are awesome for taking attendance, keeping track of taggers, lining kids

up at the end of class consistently every class so nobody is fighting

about who is where in line before heading back to the regular classroom.

My two main favorite ways, however, to use student or magic numbers are, one,

for assigning squad spots to students for my group exercise time, warm-up time,

and two, organizing and keeping track of my fitness stars, which brings me to my

next two management tricks on my list.

Let's start with number four, use movable poly spots and squad spots.

Okay.

So it took me a few years to finally settle in on this

system that works awesome.

When I was teaching in the public school system, I seriously spent hours

trying to figure out how I was going to have my students stay in their

spots in the gym for, uh, a group exercises, warm-up routine without

permanently marking up the gym floor.

I tried using removable paint and also ordering number and sports-themed

floor stickers and then covering them with clear packaging tape.

OMG, what a nightmare and so much maintenance, not to mention the

custodians, especially the summer ones who got downright ticked off at me

because I left marks on the gym floor for them to clean over summer break.

So a few years ago, I started something new and it really does work amazing.

So I just use color poly spots.

Uh, I think I used, they're the nine-inch ones, circle ones.

Figure out what your biggest class is and that's how many poly spots you'll need.

So if your highest class has 25 students, you're gonna need 25 poly spots.

I like to use the rainbow pack from Amazon.

It has seven different fun colors I think.

Then I buy a few packs of black number stickers from the, poster

stickers from the dollar store.

Uh, number the poly spots with your stickers in the middle, and then

put some clear packaging tape over the numbers, and you are good to go.

Then what I do is I lay my poly spots out in number order against a wall,

uh, for my first PE class of the day.

The kids come in, they do their one-song warm-up, and then immediately once that is

done, then they come grab their poly spot with their student or magic number on it.

Remember, they're keeping that same number the whole year.

And then they take it to an open spot, drop it there, and they are

ready for group warm-up exercises.

Then after warm-up, I have my fitness star and friends collect the spots and

quickly line them back up in number order so that they are ready for my next class.

I have a few simple expectations set in place for this, like a

boundary area where they must put their spot down, um, for warming up.

But other than that, I give them the ownership and the choice to decide where

they feel like warming up for the day.

Easy-peasy.

I do have a short little video tutorial on exactly how I do this, and

it'll be in the show notes for you.

Okay.

So I just mentioned fitness stars again, and that moves us to trick number five.

And I easily could have put this as number one because honestly,

fitness stars has made PE class so much better in so many ways, truly.

Okay.

So fitness stars, again, are seriously magic.

They increase student engagement, promote classroom community,

and enhance physical fitness.

A PE fitness star is a student leader appointed by you, by the PE teacher,

who gets to feel extra special for the day because they get to lead warm-up

exercises, assist the teacher with equipment setup, choose teams, and help

manage a whole bunch of other tasks.

So here are the five best reasons, in my opinion, to have PE fitness stars.

Number one, no more fighting or complaining about who gets

to lead warm-up exercises.

Number two, no more fighting or complaining about who gets to help the

teacher with game setup and equipment.

Number three, no more fighting or complaining about who gets to be a

tagger first in your warm-up game.

Number four, no more fighting or complaining about who

gets to choose teams.

And number five, no more fighting or complaining about

who gets to be first in line.

See?

Pure magic.

Here are a few quick and simple teacher tips to help you get the

most out of using PE fitness stars.

Um, okay.

So simply rotate your fitness stars in student or magic number order

to ensure everyone gets a turn.

So it's a great system.

It works really, really good.

Super easy to keep track of, and again, another reason why I love

using student or magic numbers.

Um, also display the fitness stars for the day on a large whiteboard or

a bulletin board, something that is posted somewhere in or around your gym,

um, maybe next to your daily agenda.

Um, the kids, first of all, they love seeing their name, and also you won't

get asked 5 million times during the day who the fitness star is.

You can just be like, "Hey, check the board." Um, okay, and then

finally, I like to use the high five system with my fitness stars.

High five two friends to come to the front and help them with warm-up exercises.

High five two friends to be taggers with you for the first

round of our tag game today.

So I do have a whole blog post on fitness stars.

Uh, link in the show notes for you.

Trick number six: keep your rules ridiculously simple.

If you are a drill sergeant and have 100 different rules, you can forget

it because a confused mind says no.

I tell my students that I only have one rule that they need to

remember, and that is to respect four.

Respect yourself, respect the teacher, respect others, and respect the equipment.

Almost every behavior problem can be connected back to one of them.

Okay, moving on to trick number seven: find a unique way to

connect with your students.

Something that is fun, maybe a little quirky.

When your students love you, they want to please you.

They want to try their best, and they don't want to misbehave.

I do something silly that my students think is so cool.

I wear fun food earrings to class, like cheeseburgers on my ears, and

Nutella, and ramen noodles, and sushi.

It's… And candy bars.

It's hilarious.

I seriously buy a pack of 100 super cheap earrings, food earrings, from Temu.

I have some super cool ones like corn on the cob.

Uh, I know it's crazy, but it keeps things so light and fun, and the kids eat it up.

Get it?

Okay, yeah, sorry.

Another corny joke from me.

But just pick something that you love and that's maybe a little quirky

and share it with your students.

It lets them know that it's okay to relax and to let loose, leave

their worries at the gym door, and get ready for some serious fun.

All right, next up, trick number eight: have a calming corner in your gym.

Okay, so I'm gonna do a whole podcast episode on this one in a few weeks, so

I'm not gonna spend much time on it, but I really think in this day and age with

the crazy world that we live in and all of the social emotional stuff that these kids

are dealing with, calming corners in the classroom and the gym just makes sense.

I know that they have been, um, another classroom and student management strategy

that has made a world of difference.

You don't need to have a big area set aside in the gym for this.

Just a simple spot where kids can go take a quick break and calm down before

they get physical with another student or make poor choices in your class.

I have a comfy pillow in my corner with a cute little stuffed animal,

a Rubik's cube, coloring and drawing materials, fidgets, and of

course, a three-minute sand timer.

You don't need anything fancy.

What you do need is to set up some boundaries, uh, with your calming corners.

But once you do, you will be so glad that you did for so many reasons.

And, um, I do have a whole blog post on calming corner ideas that I will leave the

link to in the show notes for you below.

All right, we are up to trick number nine, choice time.

Yes, give students choice time and make them earn it.

One of my favorite parts of my PE class schedule, um, is choice time.

And honestly, one of my favorite classroom management tools is giving

my students about eight to 10 minutes of choice time at the end of class.

And yes, the kids absolutely love it.

During this time, students get some freedom to choose from approved games,

equipment, or activities, and I've found that giving them that little bit

of ownership is incredibly powerful.

They socialize, build friendships, practice teamwork, and simply

get to enjoy moving together in a very low-pressure environment.

And because my students know choice time is something that they earn by

participating and following directions and making good choices throughout

class, it can also be a fantastic motivator for positive behavior.

But here's the important part.

Choice time still needs structure.

From the beginning of the year, I establish very clear boundaries about

what equipment can be used, what the safety expectations are, and that

students must completely clean up one activity before moving on to something

else And PE teachers, don't just stand on the sidelines during this time.

Get in there with your kids.

Shoot some baskets, jump rope, join a game, help a student practice a

special skill, or just have a quick conversation with a kid who might need

a little extra attention that day.

Choice time may look like free time from the outside, but I've found that

some of my best relationship-building and classroom management happens during

those eight to 10 minutes All right, we have made it to trick number 10: build

relationships before you need them.

This is one of those PE management tricks I wish I had truly understood

when I first, um, started teaching.

Classroom management isn't just about rules, consequences,

whistles, and routines.

It is totally about relationships.

Learn your students' names, ask them questions, laugh with them, get to

know what they love outside of school.

Play games alongside them.

Notice when they're having a rough day, and give them that high five

when they walk out of your gym.

Those little moments might not feel like classroom management,

but trust me, they absolutely are.

Because here's what I've learned over the years.

It is much easier to redirect a student when you've already built

a positive relationship with them.

When kids know that you see them, that you care about them, and you

genuinely enjoy having them in your class, they are much more likely to

trust you and respond positively when you do have to correct their behavior.

So don't wait until there's a problem to start connecting with your students.

Build that relationship first.

Have fun with your kids.

Get to know them, and show them every single day that you are

happy that they're in your gym.

Well, there's my 10 tips and tricks.

But honestly, as I was writing and planning out this episode, I

was thinking, "You know, I really have way more than just 10 awesome

management tricks to share with you."

But in an effort to keep this episode on the shorter side, I'll just make

sure that I devote future podcast episodes to those other ideas that I

didn't get a chance to cover today.

My challenge to you is this: pick just one or two of these ideas to try in your

gym in the next few weeks as we head back to school and just see what happens.

All right, my fabulous PE friends.

It is time for my corny sports joke.

Here it goes.

Why was the magician so good at hockey?

Because he always had a hat trick.

If this episode gave you an idea you can use in your gym, I would love

it if you'd follow the show, leave a quick five-star review, and share

this episode with another PE teacher who might need a little PE love.

Until next time, remember, if you had fun, you totally won.

Now get out there and let's make school fun again together.