6 Apps to Kickstart Your PE Classroom and Keep Kids Motivated

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An unmotivated (dare we say tired) PE classroom is the kiss of death for any PE teacher.

Lucky for you there’s plenty of kid-friendly apps that are sure to invigorate your classroom and put your students’ energy into overdrive. So, what are you waiting for? Grab your iPad and get your class moving with these cool apps:

1 – FIT Radio

(available for the iPad and iPhone)

There’s nothing like a fantastic playlist to get your PE classroom motivated and ready to play. We love the FIT Radio app that delivers a near-endless supply of lively music that’s designed to get your students moving. But this app offers more than just a spirited playlist—choose from three options to turn your next PE class up to 11:

Coaching Tab: This option gives you the high-energy playlist you’re looking for, combined with cardio coaching. Choose from a variety of programs, like bike, walk, HIIT, or run, and your virtual trainer will suggest a playlist that fits perfectly with the workout of the day.

Music Tab: This tab is like having a DJ in your iPad. FIT Radio supplies you with thousands of DJ mixes that are organized by genre, activity, BPM, etc. And did we mention they keep things fresh by offering up more than 150 new mixes each month?

Running Tab: Get your students motivated to hit the pavement by setting the pace and then choosing the perfect mix that’ll keep them running on pace. Set the pace manually, or let the app find your pace. We love that the running mixes give you the type of music you need to motivate and energize you as you make your way through a run.

This app will cost you in the form of in-app purchases, but you can try it out for free.

2 – Sworkit Kids

(available for the iPad and iPhone and Android devices)

One of the best things you can teach your students is that fitness doesn’t need to be a chore, and Sworkit Kids is a great way to drive that point home. This app allows you to create customizable workouts that target balance, agility, flexibility, and strength for your students age 7-14.

We like that this app uses kids to demonstrate the kid-friendly exercise routines that are super easy to follow, and changes things up enough to keep it interesting by mixing random exercises in with interval training. While the app’s instructions are clear and easy to follow, you’ll need to oversee the exercises to make sure your students are performing them correctly.

3 – YogaKids

(available for the iPad)

YogaKids is a great way to implement kid-friendly yoga into your PE curriculum. The best way to give this app a go is to try out of the different routes with names like beach, countryside, and jungle, or simply choose any of the 39 poses yourself.

We like this app because it comes with fun music and loads of exercises that are equally fun to do.

4 – FitnessKids

(available for the iPad)

Like YogaKids, FitnessKids (both developed by Sanse Boulevard S.L.) delivers exercises that are kid-friendly and easy to follow. Use this app to design a fun workout for your PE class, or let the animated characters show your kids how to perform the app’s 25 exercises.

We like that you can choose exercises that focus on aerobic capacity, coordination, and resistance to create a customized workout for your class.

5 – Iron Kids

(available for the iPad and iPhone)

When an app is created by the American Academy of Pediatrics, you can feel good knowing it meets the latest fitness standards for kids. Designed by a leading sports medicine physician, Iron Kids provides exercises that are designed to safety build strength, balance, and fitness to help kids excel in sports and prevent injury.

The simple, easy-to-follow video exercises target the core, the upper and lower body, and a number of tools help create custom workouts.

We love this app because it allows you to tailor your PE workouts and set goals for your class.

6 – PE Shake

(available for iPhone, iPad)

Sometimes it takes a few bells and whistles to get your students motivated and ready to give you their all, which is why PE Shake should part of every PE teacher’s arsenal. Here’s how it works: Shake your iPad and it brings up one of 100 PE warm-up exercises. Use it for inspiration, or let your students take turns ‘shaking it up’ to find another exercise or game.

They’ll love the surprise feature of the app. One try and we’re sure it’ll become a staple in your warm-up/cool-down routines.