What are the best school sports to teach?

After a summer jam-packed with sporting events and competitions, it’s fair to say many of us are feeling inspired by the incredible talent seen around the world, and are keen to give different sports a go. But with so many sports out there, it can be hard to know which ones to introduce your primary pupils to in a way that’s fun and accessible.

As a teacher, you want to give the young people you teach opportunities to experience a range of sports at school during PE lessons, while also meeting curriculum requirements. In this article we’re going to look at why sport at school is so important, and which ones we think are the best to teach to bring the most enjoyment and development benefits to your pupils.

Let’s briefly remind ourselves why school sports are so beneficial to young people:

Health and wellbeing

Physical activity is vital for all children. It helps to build strong bones and muscles and keeps the heart healthy. The Chief Medical Officer’s guidance is that children should participate in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity a day. School sport helps all children to achieve this even if opportunities outside of school are minimal.

Being physically active is also proven to benefit mental health, reducing anxiety and providing a positive physical outlet for emotions.

Social opportunities

Sport is a great chance for children to work together, make friends and learn important social skills around communication, cooperation, leadership and teamwork.

A chance to shine

Not all children are suited to the classroom and to academic subjects that form the basis for school activities. Having regular access to PE and school sports allows those children the opportunity to develop other skills and a passion for sport, giving them confidence and a sense of achievement outside of academia.

Improved behaviour

Research shows that participation in sports has a positive impact on attention in the classroom and academic attainment as a whole. How? Playing sports develops cognitive function thanks to the strategic thinking and decision-making necessary to succeed.

Which school sports should I choose?

Here at Premier Education, we are passionate about all sports, as they each have their own benefits and advantages for every child. When choosing which sports to teach at school, it’s not only important to think about age and ability but also to consider accessibility, skill development, inclusivity, and the promotion of lifelong physical activity.

Ultimately, as long as you’re clear on the outcomes you want to achieve, you can make any sport work for your school. PE planning can be a headache, but there are plenty of resources out there to help!

Here are our favourite school sports to teach the next generation, encouraging more children into sport and living healthier lives.

Football

We’ll start with an oldie but a goody! Probably the world’s most popular sport, football is accessible, easy to teach and requires minimal equipment. It’s a sport ALL children, boys and girls, should be encouraged to try during school PE lessons.

Why it’s so great: Football is a fantastic team sport, so it helps to teach children how to work together towards a common goal. Adaptable for all skill levels, football is a game that is not only ideal to build cardiovascular fitness but helps children develop communication skills, empathy, resilience and endurance.

Top tips:

• Football can be far more than just playing matches. Be imaginative with football-inspired games
• Build in simple dribbling warm-ups that can first be practised without a ball, adding the ball once pupils are confident. Have progressions available depending on the age and ability of the pupils
• Support and encourage all players to focus on their own enjoyment and ability.

Basketball

This fast-paced game can be played either indoors and outdoors. It promotes social interaction and is easily adaptable to suit numbers and abilities.

Why it’s so great: Basketball is a fun sport to help develop strength, coordination and balance. Similar to football, it’s a team sport so requires good communication and accuracy. Kids love the different ways to pass the ball as well as the challenge of getting the ball through the hoop.

From a practical point of view, a basketball court is usually already marked out within school premises which makes setting up the PE lesson straightforward!

Top tips:

• Mini basketball is a great way of introducing the sport to younger kids
• Start by simply having the children pass the ball in pairs, stepping out a pace as they get more confident
• Use small, light balls that kids can practice dribbling and encourage them to use their fingertips rather than their palms.

Gymnastics

We love teaching gymnastics in schools, it’s such a good sport for teaching kids body awareness, control and enhancing their flexibility.

Why it’s so great: Not all pupils will be drawn to team sports, so gymnastics is an ideal activity for them to do individually. Kids love the variety of fun apparatus that can be used for gymnastics. They may also find that the balance, strength and coordination developed through the movements actually benefit their performance in other sports too.

Top tips:

• Start by focusing on fundamentals such as balance and creating shapes. Use games such as ‘Simon Says’, with you demonstrating the movement or shape
• Use music where possible to add an extra element of fun
• Progress your class by putting several movements together to create a mini routine. Check out this blog on gymnastics activities for more inspiration.

Tennis

Tennis is another popular sport for schools and it’s not hard to see why. Future Wimbledon stars have to start somewhere, so grab some tennis balls and get started.

Why it’s so great: The benefits of tennis for kids are well-documented, and the principles are easy to pick up. A non-contact sport, tennis requires discipline, resilience, concentration and accuracy, and is great for building fitness.

Top tips:

• Start by handling the ball and getting comfortable with it before introducing the racket
• See if the children and catch and throw after a bounce. Can they throw it so it lands in front of their partner?
• Bring in some accuracy games, for example, can they knock down a pyramid of balls by throwing a tennis ball at them?

Dodgeball

While not a classic sport, dodgeball is an ideal sport for helping both boys and girls develop their physical literacy. It’s ideal for PE lessons because it keeps the whole class engaged.

Why it’s so great: Dodgeball is one of our favourite sports to teach because it is a lot of fun and pupils of all abilities and fitness levels can join in. It helps build hand-eye coordination, agility and balance, and also promotes communication between team members.

We like the fact that no one is passively waiting around to be passed to – anyone without a ball needs to keep their wits about them and be ready to dodge!

Top tips:

• Get children to practise their shots by throwing the foam balls at ‘targets’ such as cones or into hoops. Vary the distances they shoot from
• Bring in some extra challenges (and fun!) by seeing if the throwers can stand on one leg!
• Set up some slalom-style courses for the children to practise their ‘dodging’ without any balls being thrown. Check out our blog on dodgeball games for PE for even more ideas.

Need further PE inspiration?

Look no further. We bring schools a fresh perspective on both their curricular PE and extracurricular activities, as well as active childcare in the form of holiday camps and wraparound care. So if you feel like your school sport isn’t quite having the impact on pupils you’d like, get in touch.

Our coaching staff are trained in a wide range of sports, and bring engaging ideas to get every child active and enjoying PE.

So what are you waiting for? Contact us today to find out more.