Send us a text

Welcome back PE Nation!

Today I revisit the PE practices many of us grew up with—public showers, shirts versus skins, elimination games, captains’ picks—and show how small changes create safer, more inclusive classes. Stories from the 70s and 80s meet modern fixes that keep kids moving without shame.

• why public showers and rigid swimming norms erode psychological safety
• how pinnies replace shirts versus skins without fuss
• designing re-entry rules so elimination games keep everyone active
• small-sided games to increase touches and learning
• equitable team formation without public ranking
• reframing fitness testing toward growth, not humiliation
• safer alternatives to risky legacy games
• what to keep from tradition and what to retire

Let's keep the good stuff and do away with the bad,

Dave

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Article on Outside PE Checklist

-Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Welcome PE Nation!

Today I share nine creative documentaries and series that fueled my teaching and creative work, from sushi perfection to sky-high walks, rock faces, pyrotechnics, street art, chess, and reopening an elite dining room. The thread is obsession, process, and building something that lasts.

• Spinning Plates 
• Jiro Dreams of Sushi 
• Skywalkers and Man on Wire 
• Exit Through the Gift Shop 
• Skyladder 
• Free Solo 
• Magnus 
• Seven Days Out 

Let me know what you think,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Jingle Bells, PE Nation!

Today I share how to run Reindeer Games, a winter-themed PE event that trades endless laps for creative stations, safe movement, and real learning. We cover setup, scheduling with large classes, inclusive music, budget decor, and a full menu of flexible, fun games.

• two-day versus one-day event planning
• mirrored station tracks for large groups
• safety choices for outdoor and indoor spaces
• winter-themed stations that build skills
• inclusive music and simple decor
• smooth rotations and student leadership
• bridging stations to the next unit

Happy teaching,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

What's up PE Nation!

Today I take a hard look at what’s working and what needs work across our PE program, from a new student leadership system to weather-bent units, a missed grant, a messy Turkey Trot tally, and a post-surgery plan that turns warmups into student-led moments. Reflection sets the tone, action steps make it real.

• leadership program wristbands
• weather disruptions forcing spiraled units and flexible pacing
• missed grant prompting fundraisers and sharper proposals
• turkey trot run-in-one-day success with flawed lap counting

This and more on today's episode. Take time to reflect on your program and make steps to improve going into the new year.

Take care,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Gobble, gobble friends!

Today I share a clear, low-stress plan for running a school-wide turkey trot with fairness, safety, and fun at the center. Let's have fun!

• six-day rotation compressed into a one-day event
• track layout and grade-level scheduling
• dynamic warm-up and pacing reminders
• splitting runners to reduce congestion
• index cards and stamps for accurate lap counts
• midpoint cutoff to ensure a fair finish
• medals as recognition without pressure
• roles for PTO, specialists, and parent volunteers
• popsicle station and supervised free time
• framing the day as movement celebration

Please be patient on the podcast, on the writing, and I will get caught back up hopefully soon!

Take care,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Welcome to the Upside Down,

Today we use a Stranger Things hook to build a practical “Max” list for PE: the song, games, instant activities, warmups, attention grabs, and unit we can repeat without losing joy or learning. The aim is alignment between what we love and what students actually want.

• defining a “Max” list that anchors planning
• Max game: Rollout for tight spaces

• Max instant activity: Tractor Buoy Sea Monster
• Rainy day Max activity: cup stacking for focus and flow
• Attention-grabbing Max system: Match Me and clap patterns
• Capstone Max unit: fifth-grade Tchoukball tournament

Take care,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Welcome to Hawkins PE Nation!

Today we turn fan joy into teaching fuel, using Stranger Things as a lens for building classroom culture, designing our own teaching genre, empowering teams, and fighting the daily “demogorgons.” A real-life tour from Detroit to Vecna’s house sets the stage for practical PE strategies and a call to legacy.

• building Hawkins as a strong, inclusive classroom culture
• blending genres to design a unique teaching program
• small-sided, game-centered learning with music and movement
• defining team roles inspired by the Hawkins crew
• practical team-building games that include every student
• strategies to fight exhaustion, disengagement, negativity and doubt
• reflecting on legacy and the impact we want to leave

Take care,

Dave/"Dustin"

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook ($4.99 with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my free copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Hello PE Nation!

Today I wanted to share six new principles that guide our teaching and our lives: take risks, embrace the journey, no limits, Kaizen, love your craft, and change the game. Stories range from a final hello to a principal to the Savannah Bananas’ reinvention of baseball, with clear takeaways for any classroom.

• why taking smart risks reduces regret
• embracing process and momentum over titles
• removing false limits for ourselves and students
• Kaizen as daily, steady improvement
• loving the craft so students feel it
• how to change the game without losing standards
• practical ways to make PE more joyful and inclusive
• book one context and what’s coming in book two

If you want to pick up “High Fives and Empowering Lives, A Physical Educator’s Quest for Excellence,” check the show notes to support the show.

Happy teaching,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Let's play, PE Nation!

A camp classic from 1999 gets new life in our PE classes as we teach Tractor Buoy Sea Monster, a fast, no-equipment game that borrows the logic of rock, paper, scissors. We explain the gestures, the rules and a quick partner activity that fills three to five minutes with fun and fair play.

Check out this game if you’d like, and more games in my team building activities for PE. It’ll be in the show notes, and it helps support the show if you’d like to move on further with more games and activities that I put together for you, as well as my kindergarten games and activities ebook I just put out.

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support

Send us a text

Let's go PE Nation!

Today I want to share with you three kindergarten PE games that keep kids moving, teach boundaries, and build early math skills while staying safe and simple to run. We also answer listener questions about the PE9 book series and the ongoing saga of our inflatable mascot, Webster.

• top 10 kindergarten games overview and eBook link
• "Treasure Hunters" rules, sorting by color, and math add-ons
• "Gotham City" for teaching boundaries through story
• "Rollout" circle setup for rainy-day PE

Grab the eBook that's in the show notes. I know it will give you value and more fun games to play with your K-2 classes.

Enjoy,

Dave

-Kindergarten PE Games and Activities ebook ($3.99 for 10 activities)

-Check out supersizedphysed.com for more resources, including free PDFs, articles, and courses to help with your PE program. Please leave a review to help grow this podcast and keep pushing our profession forward.

-Team Building Games Ebook (with preview): https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Team-Building-Games-and-Activities-for-PE-Class-14063095

Grab my copy of the Outside PE Checklist as a reference that includes equipment, procedures, transitions, and other essentials for successful outdoor teaching

-Free resources include Substack and Medium articles with PE tips, games, and strategies

-High Fives and Empowering Lives  book available as an ebook or paperback

-Paperback or download: HERE

-Amazon Ebook: HERE

Support the show

Become a supporter of the show: https://www.buzzsprout.com/385837/support