14 Resources Physical Education Teachers Use to Promote Active Learning

Physical education teachers use a variety of resources to create engaging, standards-based lessons that promote physical fitness, healthy lifestyles, and lifelong wellness. From instructional guides and activity ideas to curriculum frameworks and professional development opportunities, these tools help educators design inclusive learning experiences that meet the needs of diverse learners.

Many also provide assessment strategies, classroom management techniques, and standards-aligned lesson plans that support effective instruction across grade levels. Below are 14 resources recommended by physical education teachers within the Rutgers Alternate Route Program to enhance teaching and student learning.

Centers For Disease Control And Prevention
Teacher Name: Christian Parelli
Grade: 6-8

"Offers a great deal of information for drugs, especially statistics and analysis for fact-based discussion."

Drugfreeworld
Teacher Name: Christian Parelli
Grade: 6-8

"A wide variety of information on various drugs."

Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60) — For Nutrition + Physical Activity Integration
Teacher Name: Alexis Gergely
Grade: 6-8

"This is a site that supports student-led wellness initiatives, connects with nutrition + movement, and might help us align our health and PE efforts."
 

Haddon Heights Jr/Sr. High School
Teacher Name: Jared Hernandez
Grade: 9-12; 6-8

"Motivation for health and physical education."

High School Physical Education
Teacher Name: Jared Hernandez
Grade: 9-12; 6-8

"This talks about not only physical, but also mental benefits of PE."
 

Human Kinetics
Teacher Name: Thomas Reardon
Grade: 9-12

"Details a curriculum for beginners who have never followed a strength regimen."
 

NJ AHPERD
Teacher Name: Odera Okaneme
Grade: K-5; 6-8

"NJ AHPERD has an annual convention, in which New Jersey physical education/health teachers can network with one another."
 

OPEN Physical Education
Teacher Name: Waldy Arias
Grade: 9-12

"This is a strong resource to help structure your PE units with flexibility. It supports modification and differentiation, which aligns well with your work with English Language Learners and students with disabilities."
 

PE Central
Teacher Name: Alexis
Grade: 6-8

"Has a variety of engaging lesson plans and ideas for a variety of sports and activities. This website also provides opportunities for PD as well as resources for classroom management."

Plt4m
Teacher Name: Thomas Reardon
Grade: 9-12

"It does a great job detailing a strength  and conditioning curriculum at the high school level."
 

Prodigy
Teacher Name: Luke Pickett
Grade: K-5; 6-8

"Has a variety of interactive games that reinforce math concepts that students love!"
 

SHAPE America — National Standards & Grade-Level Outcomes for K-12 Physical Education 
Teacher Name: Kerry Hammock
Grade: 6-8; K-5

"Provides the nationally recognized physical education standards and grade-level outcomes that help middle school teachers structure lessons, units, and assessments to ensure developmentally appropriate motor, cognitive, and social-emotional outcomes. Assessment Tools & Rubrics: Offers sample assessment frameworks and performance indicators teachers can adapt to evaluate student skill progressions, fitness, and standards-based competencies. Curriculum Resources & Lesson Ideas: Contains exemplar lesson structures, scope-and-sequence guidance, and instructional strategies tailored to K–12 that save planning time and increase instructional rigor. Professional Development & Advocacy Materials: Supplies position statements, guidance on inclusive practices, and materials to advocate for quality physical education programs (useful for department meetings and justifying program decisions). Usability for Middle School: The grade-level outcomes make it straightforward to extract middle-school-appropriate outcomes (typically grades 6–8) and translate them into short-term objectives and performance tasks."
 

Spark Family PE
Teacher Name: Nicole Michael
Grade: 9-12

"Great resource for Physical Education content, lesson plans (interdisciplinary and differentiation approaches), and aligned PE standards."
 

Teaching Pak
Teacher Name: Marissa McLoughlin
Grade: K-5

"It connects the benefits of interdisciplinary teaching to the real world!"
 

The PE Specialist 
Teacher Name: Caitlin MacArthur
Grade: 9-12

"It gives great resources for lesson ideas and posters to hang in your gym."

If you’re considering following your dream of teaching, Rutgers Alternate Route can offer you the support and training you need to succeed. Be sure to follow Rutgers Alternate Route on Twitter or sign up for Alternate Route’s monthly newsletter to receive more information and stories from the field of education.