Kindness in Motion: 5 Ways to Build Connection in PE

1. How can you help students recognize their emotions?

Give students simple language for noticing what they feel and connecting it to what is happening during an activity.

A quick check-in can fit naturally into a transition: “Think about a moment when you felt proud, frustrated, or excited today. What was happening?” Students can reflect silently, share with a partner, or respond with a gesture rather than speaking to the whole class.

Connect emotions to strengths, too. A student who struggles with a throwing skill may be a patient partner or a thoughtful problem-solver. Help students recognize those contributions without tying their value to athletic performance.

Try it: With younger students, offer two or three feeling words to choose from. With older students, ask, “How did that feeling affect your next decision?” Keep sharing optional so students can participate without disclosing something personal.

This supports self-awareness: recognizing emotions, strengths, and how they influence behavior.

2. How can students manage frustration without leaving the learning behind?

Teach a brief reset routine before students need it, then practice it during low-pressure activities.

“Calm down” gives a direction without explaining how. A routine such as pause, breathe, choose gives students a concrete next step. Model what that might sound like: “I missed that shot. I can take a breath and choose one thing to try differently.”

Introduce the routine during partner practice, then remind students to use it when a game becomes more challenging. A reset should help a student return to participation, rather than function as a punishment.

Try it: Before an activity, ask students to identify one response they can control: their words, their effort, or their next attempt. During play, recognize a specific example: “You took a breath and tried again after that difficult pass.”

This supports self-management: managing emotions and behaviors while working toward a goal.

3. How can you make inclusion something students practice?

Ask students to notice what others need and choose actions that make participation more welcoming.

“Include everyone” becomes more useful when students know what to do. Invite a partner into a group. Make space for someone to speak. Ask what kind of pass works best. Recognize that classmates bring different experiences, abilities, and strengths to an activity.

Use SPARK’s Appreciation for Diversity definition card to start a short conversation about valuing individual differences. Then connect the conversation to an observable action during the lesson.

Try it: Before a cooperative challenge, ask, “What can your group do so each person has a meaningful role?” Afterward, ask, “Whose idea helped your group, and how did you make room for it?”

For younger students, focus on noticing and helping a classmate. For older students, invite discussion about how rules, roles, or communication can affect someone’s experience.

This supports social awareness: considering other perspectives and responding with empathy.

4. How can you teach kindness through the activity itself?

Choose tasks that give students a reason to help one another and explicitly teach the communication those tasks require.

SPARK’s K–2 sample lesson, Chasing Kindness, makes helping classmates part of play. Students balance beanbags while moving through a tagging activity; helping someone recover a dropped beanbag allows that classmate to participate again. The lesson turns consideration for others into an action students can practice.

You can also build relationship practice into familiar partner tasks. Teach students to offer specific encouragement, listen to a suggestion, or work through a disagreement respectfully.

Try it: Model “Would you like a tip?” before giving feedback. For disagreements, practice a short routine: explain what happened, listen to the other person, and agree on the next step. Rehearse it before competition begins.

This supports relationship skills: communicating, cooperating, and resolving conflict constructively.

5. How can reflection help students make better choices?

Close with one focused question that connects a choice to its effect on the group.

Reflection does not need to become a lengthy discussion. A brief partner exchange or exit response can help students notice what worked and identify something to practice next time.

Invite honest answers rather than looking for a perfect response. Students may recognize that they interrupted someone or reacted poorly. That creates a useful opportunity to plan a different response.

This supports responsible decision-making: considering how choices affect personal and shared well-being.

Where should you start in your next lesson?

Choose one skill, model one action, and revisit it throughout the activity.

These five approaches connect to CASEL’s core competencies, but the language you use with students can stay simple: notice your feelings, reset, consider others, communicate, and choose thoughtfully.

Begin with one familiar lesson and one clear expectation. Over time, those repeated opportunities can help students practice being considerate partners and supportive classmates while they move, play, and learn.