PEVOLVE
← Fitness, Strength and Healthy Movement
FreeEYFSReception35 mins

Reception / EYFS PE · Lesson 1 of 6

Moving energetically

Learning objective: To move energetically in short bursts and notice how my body changes.

Success criteria

  • I can move quickly for a short time
  • I can feel my heart beating faster
  • I can rest and let my body recover

EYFS Physical Development links

  • Physical Development: develop overall body strength, coordination, balance and agility
  • Physical Development: know and talk about the different factors that support overall health and wellbeing, including regular physical activity
  • Gross Motor Skills ELG: move energetically, such as running, jumping, dancing, hopping, skipping and climbing

Equipment checklist

Organisation & set-up

Large open area marked with cones; rest-station spots around the edge.

Warm-up: Heartbeat check

5 mins
  1. Sit and put a hand on your chest — can you feel your heart?
  2. Jog on the spot for 20 seconds and feel it again.

Skill introduction & demonstration

3 mins

When we move fast, our heart beats faster and we breathe more. This makes our heart strong. Show a hand on the chest and big breathing.

Move fast for a short timeBig breathsRest when you need

Activity 1: Energy bursts

7 mins

Organisation: Whole class active together within the 16-cone boundary. Divide children between six edge rest areas, each marked by one spot, with enough room to stand beside it without crowding. Nobody waits for a turn or needs to touch a spot. Teacher demonstrates from a visible side; any additional adult supports movement between the centre and rest areas.

  1. For this 7-minute activity, show children the cone boundary and six rest areas. Say, 'Find your own bubble; we are waking up our engines!' Children spread out with space to stretch their arms.
  2. Demonstrate jogging on the spot. Say, 'Engines on!' Children jog for 20 seconds, then walk to their nearest rest area for 20 seconds. Explain that children rest beside a spot, not all on it.
  3. Call and demonstrate a new movement each round: small jumps, skipping or marching. Children move energetically for 20 seconds, then rest for 20 seconds; use longer rests when needed.
  4. During rests, ask, 'Are you warmer? Is your breathing quicker?' Children notice their own bodies and answer with words or gestures. Finish with a gentle march and a relaxed rest.

Coaching points

  • Quick feet in your own bubble!
  • Little jumps, soft knees!
  • Engine off: breathe and rest!

Common mistakes

  • Children race across the area rather than making energetic movements in their own space.: Say, 'Your engine stays in its parking space,' and demonstrate jogging on the spot.
  • Children crowd onto the six spots.: Show a roomy semicircle beside each spot and say, 'The spot marks our rest area; everyone has their own space.'

Simplify

March on the spot for 10 seconds, then rest for at least 20 seconds; repeat the same movement so children can become familiar with it.

Progression

Offer a 30-second burst combining jogging and small jumps, followed by at least 30 seconds of rest. Children choose whether to try it.

Demonstration video — coming soon: Energetic movement

Activity 2: Dance party

7 mins

Organisation: Whole class dances simultaneously in individual spaces inside the cone boundary, with no travelling dance routes. One music player stays outside the movement area. Teacher stands beside it where everyone can see the demonstrations; any additional adult stands on the opposite edge. Six rest spots remain available around the edge.

  1. For this 7-minute activity, invite children to a pretend dance party. Children find an empty bubble facing the teacher; demonstrate a comfortable, balanced freeze.
  2. Play fast music for about 20 seconds. Call, 'March and wave!' Children dance in their own spaces, then freeze when the music stops.
  3. Keep the music off for about 20 seconds so children can relax their freeze, breathe and rest. Demonstrate the next move, such as side steps, shoulder wiggles or small bounces.
  4. Repeat short dance-and-rest rounds, calling one move each time. In the final round, children choose a favourite energetic move; finish with slow swaying and ask, 'What feels different now?'

Coaching points

  • Dance inside your bubble!
  • Music stops: feet still!
  • Freeze, then soften and breathe!

Common mistakes

  • Children keep dancing because they are watching friends rather than noticing the music stop.: Pair each music stop with a clearly raised hand and model a still shape.
  • Children make a wobbly freeze on one foot.: Model a two-foot freeze and say, 'Make a steady statue with two feet.'

Simplify

Use one repeated move, such as marching and waving, and copy the teacher's two-foot freeze each round.

Progression

Children invent a short two-move dance, repeat it during the music and finish in a different balanced freeze each time.

Activity 3: Heart detectives

7 mins

Organisation: Whole class investigates together in spaced places within the boundary, with nobody queuing for an adult check. No equipment is needed beyond the existing boundary and optional edge rest areas. Teacher models from the front; any additional adult moves around the edge to hear children's observations without interrupting their rests.

  1. For this 7-minute activity, say, 'We are body detectives!' While resting in their own spaces, children place their own hand on their chest if comfortable and notice their breathing. Explain that a heartbeat can sometimes be tricky to feel.
  2. Lead 20 seconds of energetic marching or jogging on the spot, then stop. Ask, 'Does your heart feel fast or slow?' Children try feeling their own heartbeat and share a word or gesture, or say, 'Not sure.'
  3. Let children rest for at least 30 seconds. Ask, 'How does your face feel? Are your breaths quick or gentle?' Children describe warmth or breathing without needing to touch anyone else.
  4. Repeat two or three short movement-and-rest investigations. After each rest, children check whether their breathing or heartbeat feels slower than just after moving.
  5. Finish with everyone resting comfortably. Invite ideas about why hearts beat faster, then explain, 'Your working muscles need more oxygen, so your heart sends blood around faster.' Children share one change they noticed.

Coaching points

  • Your hand, your own chest!
  • Notice your breaths!
  • Rest, then check again!

Common mistakes

  • Children think they have failed if they cannot feel a heartbeat.: Say, 'Detectives can use another clue,' and help them notice breathing or warmth instead.
  • Children assume their heart should slow immediately when movement stops.: Say, 'Our bodies need time to settle,' allow a longer rest and invite another check.

Simplify

Use a 10-second march and investigate only breathing: 'Quicker now, or gentler after resting?' The adult models noticing their own body.

Progression

Before another burst, children predict what will happen to their heartbeat and breathing, then compare their prediction with what they notice after moving and resting.

Coaching points & teaching cues

  • Move fast for a short time
  • Big breaths
  • Rest when you need

Common mistakes & corrections

  • Not resting: Remind: rest time is important too.
  • Getting too tired: Shorten bursts and add more rest.

Inclusion & SEND adaptations

Adaptations

  • Seated energetic moves (arm punches, fast feet) for children who need them
  • Rest stations always available
  • Additional support: give one instruction at a time, demonstrate alongside the child and offer adult or buddy support.
  • Less confident children: start with the 'simplify' version, praise effort and let them watch one round before joining in.
  • More challenge: offer the 'progression' version and ask the child to invent a harder way.
  • Mobility differences: every activity can be done walking, wheeling or seated; widen spaces and pathways.
  • Sensory sensitivities: keep noise low, give warning before signals or music, and offer a quiet space at the edge.
  • Visual learners: show picture cards and demonstrations; keep instructions short and repeat key words.
  • In Dance party, offer a choice between two familiar moves before each round, and let children lead their chosen move from their own space rather than performing alone in front of the class.
  • In Heart detectives, children who dislike chest contact or focusing on heartbeat can watch their own shoulders rise and fall with breathing, then report 'quicker', 'gentler' or 'not sure'; touching the chest is optional.

Maximising participation

  • Everyone has their own equipment or a short wait (no more than 4 in a line)
  • Keep activities short and switch often to hold attention

Assessment opportunities

  • Can the child move energetically for a short burst?
  • Can the child notice changes in their body?

Plenary & reflection questions

  • How did your heart feel after moving fast?
  • Why is moving good for us?

Cool-down: Slowing down

3 mins
  1. Breathe slowly and feel your heart slow down.
  2. Lie down and rest.

Safety & equipment checks

  • Short bursts with plenty of rest
  • Water available; children can rest at any time
  • Check for children with health care plans that affect exercise
  • For Energy bursts, practise walking into and out of rest areas; keep clear routes so children do not jump or jog into resting classmates.
  • For Dance party, place the music player and any cables outside the cone boundary; use upright moves without floor drops or fast spins.
  • For Heart detectives, use only a child's own hand on their chest; do not press on necks or ask children to hold their breath while checking.

Optional extension activities · 25 mins

Use to extend the session, revisit later in the day or set up as continuous provision.

Animal energy explorers · 8 mins

Organisation: Whole class moves simultaneously inside the cone boundary. Six spots mark spacious edge rest areas, not individual seats. Teacher demonstrates from one side; any additional adult watches the opposite edge.

Equipment: 16 cones (boundary), 6 spots (rest stations), Water bottles for each child

  1. Show children small bunny jumps, penguin marching and tall giraffe steps; children practise each in their own space.
  2. Call one animal for a 20-second energetic adventure, followed by at least 20 seconds of resting beside a nearby spot.
  3. Repeat with different animals, asking children to notice warmth and breathing during each rest.
  4. Finish by choosing a gentle animal walk and sharing which movement made their breathing quicker.

Simplify: Use only penguin marching, with 10-second bursts and longer rests.

Progression: Children combine two animal movements in one 20-second burst, then describe how their body feels.

Make a mini dance · 8 mins

Organisation: Pairs spread across the cone-marked area, with no audience queue or contact between partners. Teacher controls the music from the edge and models as needed.

Equipment: 1 music player, 16 cones (boundary), 6 spots (rest stations), Water bottles for each child

  1. Put children in pairs with separate dance bubbles and demonstrate a sequence of marching followed by side steps.
  2. One partner chooses two upright moves; both practise them together without music.
  3. Play music for 20 seconds while both partners repeat their sequence, then stop for at least 20 seconds to rest and notice breathing.
  4. Swap the choosing role and repeat. Finish with pairs showing their dances simultaneously, followed by a relaxed rest.

Simplify: Partners choose one familiar move and repeat it together.

Progression: Pairs create a three-move sequence with a balanced freeze at the end.

Body detective revisit · 9 mins

Organisation: Whole class participates together within the boundary. Children talk to a nearby partner without gathering into a crowd. Teacher leads from a visible edge; spots mark optional rest areas.

Equipment: 16 cones (boundary), 6 spots (rest stations), Water bottles for each child

  1. Later in the day, gather children in spaced places and invite them to notice how their breathing feels while resting.
  2. Ask children to predict how they might feel after 15 seconds of marching; everyone marches, stops and checks.
  3. Rest for at least 30 seconds, then offer 15 seconds of small jumps or brisk marching and check again.
  4. Repeat the investigation with children's chosen familiar movements, allowing generous rests between bursts.
  5. Finish with a gentle walk and rest. Children tell a partner one body clue they noticed; explain that different people may notice different changes.

Simplify: Repeat the same gentle march and focus only on whether breathing feels quicker or gentler.

Progression: Children predict which of two familiar movements will change their breathing more, then discuss whether their own observations matched their prediction.