Basketball games for elementary PE are more than just fun activities—they help students develop essential motor skills, coordination, and spatial awareness. These games also promote teamwork, communication, and decision-making, making them a valuable part of any PE curriculum.
In this article, we’ll explore how these fun basketball games align with SHAPE standards, preview our full slate of game options with activity descriptions, and share a full lesson sample from PLT4M’s K-5 offering to help bring these skills to life in your classroom.
Fun Basketball Games For Elementary PE
When you are ready to hit the basketball court with elementary PE students, there are countless traditional basketball games and modified games that can come together for an amazing basketball unit!
Younger students might not be ready to shoot on a 10-foot hoop, but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy and develop key basketball skills. By adjusting hoop height, using smaller basketballs, or shifting the focus to dribbling and passing activities, students can still experience the excitement of basketball in a way that meets their developmental level.
Dribbling games for elementary PE in particular provide an excellent way for students to build confidence and control with the basketball. Fun and engaging activities that emphasize movement, ball control, and coordination help students develop foundational skills while keeping them active and engaged.
By incorporating creative and developmentally appropriate challenges, basketball can remain an exciting and accessible part of the elementary PE curriculum.
Get Free Sample Lessons!
Explore our K-5 Curriculum with these select Lesson Plans from some of our most popular Units. Each lesson includes a one page lesson overview, equipment checklist, game setup, teaching cues, standard alignment and more!
Standard Aligned Basketball Games For Elementary PE
Many elementary PE teachers begin with SHAPE Standard 1 (Developing a variety of motor skills) to ensure all essential motor skills are covered throughout the year. Basketball games for elementary PE effectively address multiple SHAPE sub-standards focused on bouncing/dribbling a ball:
PreK-2: 1.2.6 Demonstrates bouncing a ball in a variety of non-dynamic practice tasks.
3-5: 1.5.19 Demonstrates dribbling with hands in non-dynamic and dynamic practice tasks.
Beyond motor skill development, basketball games for elementary PE also support other sub-standards throughout Shape K-5 Standards. Examples include, but are not limited to:
2.5.1 Applies movement concepts and strategies for safe movement within dynamic environments.
3.2.10 Identifies and participates in physical activities representing different cultures.
3.5.3 Demonstrates respectful behaviors that contribute to positive social interaction in group activities.
4.5.7 Identifies movement strengths and opportunities for practice for individual improvement.
Teaching Cues For Basketball Dribbling Games For Elementary PE
Within a basketball unit, one of the essential skills to teach and develop is dribbling. Dribbling allows students to move with the ball while maintaining control, setting the foundation for future basketball skills like passing, shooting, and gameplay.
To help students build confidence in physical education class, PE teachers should start with teaching proper techniques before incorporating dribbling into fun and engaging basketball activities.
PE teacher and K-5 content expert Mike Graham emphasizes the importance of key teaching cues when working with young learners. These cues help students develop strong dribbling habits and improve their ball-handling skills over time:
Use Your Fingers: Dribble with your finger pads, not your palms, for better control.
Bend Wrist: Bend your wrist when pushing the ball down to create a smooth, controlled dribble.
Ball Height: Keep the ball bouncing at waist height or below to maintain control.
Eyes Up: Look forward and glance down at the ball only as needed to stay aware of the court.
By focusing on these teaching cues and reinforcing them through fun drills and activities, students can develop confidence in different basketball games for elementary PE.
10 Basketball Games For Elementary PE
In PLT4M’s library of over 150 elementary PE lesson plans, there are 10 basketball games for elementary PE to choose from:
3 Wins…Wins! – A small-sided skill practice activity designed to get students engaged in shooting a basketball.
Around The World Basketball – A small-group basketball shooting game designed to give students multiple opportunities to shoot a ball at a basketball hoop.
Dribble Color Maps – A cooperative, skill practice activity with a partner that gets students engaged in hand dribbling & bouncing a ball on different color spots.
Dribble Follow The Leader – A skill practice activity designed to get students engaged in hand dribbling while moving in general space and taking turns leading and following.
Dribble Stop & Go – A K-2 skill practice activity designed to get students engaged in hand dribbling while moving in general space and starting/stopping on a signal.
Dribbling For Treasure – A skill practice activity that gets students engaged in hand dribbling while moving and collecting treasure.
Hoop To Hoop – A small-sided skill practice activity designed to get students engaged in shooting a basketball.
Kings & Queens Of The Court – A small-sided skill practice activity used to get students engaged in shooting a basketball.
Magic Number Dribbling – A cross-curricular, skill practice activity designed to get students engaged in hand dribbling while moving in general space and practicing math addition.
Partner Lap Dribbling – A simple skill practice activity that can be used to get students engaged in meaningful movement. Focus on both station dribbling and dribbling while moving.
Want more than just basketball resources for elementary physical education class? Learn more about our full slate of elementary PE lesson plans made in partnership with our K-5 expert Mike Graham.
Get Free Sample Lessons!
Explore our K-5 Curriculum with these select Lesson Plans from some of our most popular Units. Each lesson includes a one page lesson overview, equipment checklist, game setup, teaching cues, standard alignment and more!
Sample Lesson From PLT4M’s Basketball Games For Elementary PE
Check out one of PLT4M’s basketball games for elementary PE. Featured in this blog is one of the basketball dribbling games for PE, “Dribble Follow The Leader.”
In each lesson, PLT4M provides the following materials and resources for successful implementation of fun and exciting PE games and activities:
Equipment Checklist
Game Set Up
Step by Step Directions
Best Practices
Key Takeaways On Basketball Games For Elementary PE
There are countless modified games to incorporate basketball for elementary grade level students.
Combined, you can create an amazing basketball unit for PE class that supports all skill levels as they develop the fundamental skills of things like ball handling, shooting skills, and more.
While this blog post just scratches the surface, PLT4M has countless unit resource packs, sample lesson plans, and more! Reach out to learn more about how you can empower PE with PLT4M!
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