10 Fundamental Movement Skills Activities for Elementary PE

Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) are the building blocks of physical literacy. Without these foundational abilities, students struggle to participate confidently in sports, games, and lifetime physical activities. Yet many teachers find themselves recycling the same few activities year after year.

In this guide, we'll share 10 proven activities that target all three FMS categories—locomotor, stability, and manipulative—giving you fresh ideas to develop well-rounded movers in your K-5 PE classes.

Why Fundamental Movement Skills Matter

Before diving into activities, let's understand why FMS deserve dedicated attention in your lessons.

The three FMS categories work together:

• Locomotor skills get students moving through space
• Stability skills help them control their bodies and maintain balance
• Manipulative skills involve sending, receiving, and controlling objects

A balanced PE program addresses all three categories throughout the year.

Locomotor Activities

Locomotor skills involve moving the body from one place to another. These form the foundation for sports like track, basketball, and soccer.

1. Animal Movement Relay

Skills: Running, jumping, skipping, galloping

Students race in teams, but each leg requires a different animal movement:

• Bear crawl to the first cone
• Frog jumps to the second cone
• Crab walk back to the line
• Bunny hops to tag the next teammate

Grade adaptation: For K-1, simplify to two movements. For grades 4-5, add timing challenges and more complex movements like inchworms or spider walks.

2. Locomotor Bingo

Skills: Skipping, hopping, galloping, sliding

Create bingo cards with different locomotor movements. Call out movements, and students must perform them across the gym to mark their cards. First to complete a row wins.

Why it works: Students practice multiple skills in a single game while staying engaged through the bingo format.

3. Speed Ladder Circuits

Skills: Running, agility, coordination

Set up speed ladders (or tape lines on the floor) with different footwork patterns at each station:

• Two feet in each box
• Single leg hops
• Lateral shuffles
• High knees

Students rotate through stations, practicing controlled speed and coordination.

Stability Activities

Stability skills help students control their bodies while stationary or moving. These skills prevent injuries and support success in all other movement categories.

4. Statue Balance Challenge

Skills: Balance, body control, spatial awareness

Play music while students move around the space. When the music stops, call out a balance position:

• "Flamingo!" (one foot)
• "Airplane!" (T-position)
• "Surfer!" (wide stance, arms out)
• "Ninja!" (creative pose)

Hold for 5-10 seconds. Students who lose balance do 5 jumping jacks before rejoining.

Grade adaptation: For older students, add eyes-closed challenges or partner balances.

5. Obstacle Course Landings

Skills: Landing, body control, force absorption

Design an obstacle course focused on safe landing mechanics:

• Jump off low benches (stick the landing)
• Hop from hula hoop to hula hoop
• Leap over pool noodle hurdles
• Finish with a jump-and-freeze

Emphasize "quiet landings" with bent knees to absorb force safely.

6. Roll and Recovery

Skills: Body rolling, spatial awareness, core control

Students practice forward rolls, log rolls, and shoulder rolls on mats. After each roll, they must quickly recover to a designated position (standing, kneeling, or balanced on one foot).

Safety note: Always use proper mats and provide clear technique instruction before independent practice.

Manipulative Activities

Manipulative skills involve interacting with objects—sending, receiving, and retaining. These skills are essential for team sports and games.

7. Target Throw Circuit

Skills: Throwing (overhand and underhand)

Set up multiple throwing stations with different targets and equipment:

• Beanbags at stacked cups
• Foam balls at hanging hoops
• Yarn balls at floor targets
• Gator balls at wall targets

Students rotate every 2-3 minutes, practicing different throwing patterns at each station.

Teaching cue: "Step with your opposite foot" for overhand throws.

8. Partner Catch Progressions

Skills: Catching, tracking, hand-eye coordination

Partners start close together and gradually increase distance as they succeed:

1. Underhand toss with beanbag (easiest)
2. Underhand toss with playground ball
3. Bounce passes
4. Overhand throws
5. Add challenges: catch with one hand, catch while moving

Why progressions matter: Building success before adding difficulty keeps students confident and engaged.

9. Kick and Score

Skills: Kicking, dribbling, ball control

Set up small goals (cones work great) around the gym. Students dribble soccer balls and attempt to score in different goals. Award points for:

• Inside-of-foot passes (1 point)
• Controlled dribble around a cone (1 point)
• Goal from outside the scoring zone (2 points)

Grade adaptation: K-1 students can practice stationary kicks first. Grades 4-5 can add defenders or play small-sided games.

Combined Skills Activity

10. FMS Adventure Course

Skills: All categories combined

Create an adventure-themed obstacle course that requires multiple skill types:

1. River crossing (jump between poly spots—locomotor)
2. Mountain climb (crawl under and over obstacles—stability)
3. Treasure grab (pick up beanbags while balancing—stability + manipulative)
4. Dragon escape (throw beanbags at targets to "defeat" dragons—manipulative)
5. Victory run (sprint to the finish—locomotor)

This culminating activity lets students apply all their skills in a fun, engaging format.

Planning Your FMS Lessons

Effective FMS instruction follows a simple pattern:

1. Warm up with locomotor movements
2. Introduce or review the focus skill
3. Practice in structured activities
4. Apply in games or challenges
5. Cool down with stretching and reflection

Track which skills you've covered to ensure balanced development across all categories. Many teachers find they over-emphasize locomotor skills and under-teach stability—awareness helps you balance your program.

Make FMS Planning Easier

Planning quality FMS lessons takes time—time most teachers don't have. You're juggling multiple grade levels, limited equipment, and back-to-back classes.

What if you could generate a complete FMS lesson in seconds? Tell the AI what skills you want to target, your grade level, and available equipment. Get a warm-up, main activity, and cool-down—all aligned with BC curriculum outcomes.

Ready to transform your FMS instruction? PlayLabs helps BC PHE teachers create engaging, curriculum-aligned lessons without the planning headache. Your students deserve well-designed movement experiences—and you deserve your evenings back.