Looking to move beyond worksheets and bring health education to life? This interactive session will immerse participants in hands-on activities designed specifically for adapted learners. From exploring body systems in creative ways to teaching personal hygiene through engaging tasks and incorporating movement-based games in the gym, attendees will experience strategies they can immediately use in their own classrooms. Walk away with practical tools that promote participation, understanding, and fun for all students.
Between 2001 and 2017, the number of children learning to ride a bike in the US dropped by 55% (Buehler, Pucher, Bauman). One way that communities in various parts of the country are pushing back on this trend is ensuring that kids have an opportunity to learn to ride in school. Attendees to this hands-on/seats-on-saddles workshop will take part in a pop-up balance bike rodeo, adopting the role of the kids in a similar event that might be offered at a school, community center, summer camp, or other community venue – and in the process learning about both the experience and the logistics of bringing such activities to life. People can choose to observe or participate directly. Participants will get fitted for a loaner helmet, with a temporary liner, get fitted for a balance bike, and get introduced to the basics of the challenge course and related road safety signage and principles. Then participants will circulate on the challenge course riding on balance bikes, in the process seeing how the course can be set up (whether as a temporary pop-up installation or a permanent facility in a public locale like a school, playground, or park), the kinds of activities involved, and how other adults and different community organizations can be engaged in the work of counteracting the statistical drop in kids learning to ride over the past 20 years – and expanding familiarity with the gateway physical activity, transportation, mental health, independence, and economic savings engine that is the bicycle.
This session develops group dynamics, connections, teamwork, problem solving and trust-building skills through OPEN’s Adventure Learning lessons and Believe In You leadership resources. Activities are designed around the concepts of connection, trust, creativity, and energy which give physical educators adventurous ways to engage students.
Games are more than just fun. They are one of the best ways we can connect with every student in our class. In this session, we’ll look at how to use games on purpose, not just to play, but to teach. We’ll focus on how games can support the whole child, including social, emotional, cognitive, and physical growth, while helping you build a class environment that feels inclusive, supportive, and fair for everyone. You’ll walk away with simple ways to choose, modify, and assess activities so all students can be successful.
Every teaching decision is shaped by a frame—whether we are aware of it or not. This session invites participants to examine how implicit and explicit frames influence planning, instruction, and assessment in physical education. Using Meaningful Physical Education (MPE) as a lens, participants will consider how an intentional frame can bring coherence and clarity to everyday decision-making.
Looking to energize your secondary physical education classes with meaningful, student-centered activities? Join this dynamic mother-daughter duo as they share a collection of engaging recreational games for middle and high school students. This session blends experience and fresh perspective to provide practical, ready-to-use activities that promote participation, teamwork, and lifelong fitness. Attendees will explore a variety of innovative and inclusive games that go beyond traditional team sports, making physical education more accessible and enjoyable for all students, regardless of skill level. Each activity is intentionally aligned with the SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards, ensuring that fun and learning go hand in hand. Participants will leave with strategies to increase student engagement, foster positive class environments, and confidently implement recreational units that support physical literacy and social development. Whether you are a new teacher or a seasoned educator looking to refresh your curriculum, this session will provide inspiration, resources, and practical tools you can use immediately in your classroom. Come ready to move, collaborate, and reimagine what recreational units can look like in your program!
The Big Idea: Students today face an exhausting digital siege that causes severe social isolation and mental fatigue. Traditional compliance models and stress-inducing scoreboards will not earn their buy-in. To optimize student engagement, we must prioritize one core truth: connection is the prerequisite for learning. Why It Matters: When you build your curriculum around what is immediately meaningful to kids, physical education transforms into a deeply rewarding sanctuary for both students and teachers. The Framework: This session blends foundational educational strategies with insights from best-selling texts (such as The Joy of Movement, Do Hard Things, and The Anxious Generation) to introduce The Meaningful HPE "Feel-Good Now" Triangle. You will learn to stabilize student well-being by balancing: 🟥 The RED Floor: Physical Foundation (feeling light, responsive, and pain-free today). 🟨 The YELLOW Wall: Social Atmosphere (an inclusive, judgment-free group environment). 🟦 The BLUE Wall: Mental Clarity (intentional pauses to short-circuit digital overstimulation). Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "Culture Catalyst" Protocol: A transparent, non-punitive strategy utilizing the Ideal Team Player framework to evaluate and celebrate collaborative behaviors. The "Internal Pharmacy" Matrix: A simple student-facing chart mapping classroom routines directly to immediate chemical wins like endorphins, oxytocin, and dopamine. The "Upstream" Advocacy Script: High-impact, research-backed messaging designed to position your physical literacy program to school boards as a vital mental wellness intervention. The Bottom Line By explicitly targeting diverse student profiles, you will learn to activate their internal chemistry, defeat educator burnout, and help every child reclaim their personal sovereignty right now.
NEW this year-Grab a Cup. Pull Up a Chair. Share Your Pulse.
The idea: Coffee Talks are relaxed, conversation-driven gatherings where educators connect, collaborate, and exchange ideas.
How it works: Choose a topic, grab a coffee or tea, and join the table. A facilitator gets the conversation flowing—no traditional presentation, just meaningful dialogue.
Bring your pulse: Share experiences, challenges, resources, strategies, and solutions. Listen, learn, and leave with fresh ideas from fellow educators.
Sip. Share. Connect. Learn.
Every voice adds to the conversation—and every pulse matters.
Take advantage of our dedicated exhibit hall hours to connect with exhibitors and partners who help make our conference possible. This is your chance to explore innovative products, services, and resources that support health and physical education. Be sure to stop by, ask questions, and thank our partners for their continued support of SHAPE PA!
Friday November 13, 2026 8:55am - 9:40am EST Olympic Hall
You are retired or soon to be retired, come and hear what people are doing after they retire from teaching. Living with a purpose is the key to enjoying your next chapter in life.
Get ready to feel the energy, find the rhythm, and become part of SHAPE PA’s collective heartbeat! This high-energy, all-attendee celebration brings together the people, history, accomplishments, and future that make SHAPE PA beat strong. Your pulse belongs here—be part of it!
Friday November 13, 2026 9:45am - 10:30am EST Olympics Hall
Join us for this activity-based session where you’ll discover practical strategies and engaging lessons designed to boost your classroom culture. You'll leave with fresh ideas to promote belonging, build leadership skills, and create stronger connections within your classroom. This session focuses on instructional strategies that support every student. Learn how to implement differentiated instruction and "challenge by choice" approaches to ensure inclusive participation and growth for all learners. Discover ways to embed leadership skills into your activities and empower students to take on meaningful roles. You'll leave with strategies to build classroom culture, where students feel seen, valued, and connected - because when students belong, they thrive.
This session explores innovative approaches to modern health education through the integration of social-emotional learning (SEL), life skills, and student-centered electives. Participants will gain insight into two unique high school Health Electives—Finding Happiness and Life 101: Senior Seminar—designed to promote emotional well-being, resilience, and real-world readiness. In addition to showcasing these electives, this session will provide practical, ready-to-use SEL activities aligned with CASEL competencies that can be seamlessly incorporated into any health classroom. Attendees will leave with adaptable strategies to enhance student engagement, foster meaningful connections, and support the development of lifelong wellness skills.
This presentation highlights how skill-based health education can be enhanced through the intentional use of AVID/WICOR strategies: Writing, Inquiry, Collaboration, Organization, and Reading to create more meaningful and engaging learning experiences for students.
Participants will explore practical, classroom-ready strategies such as coding health articles, gallery walks, class contracts, essential questions, quick writes and philosophical chairs to promote active participation and deeper thinking. These approaches help shift instruction where learners take ownership of their understanding and application of health concepts. The session will also emphasize structured writing through note catchers, student-driven inquiry, collaboration, and purposeful reading, along with organizational strategies that support goal setting and reflection.
Participants can expect to leave with strategies they can implement immediately in their health classrooms to increase engagement, strengthen health literacy, and support students in making informed, real-world health decisions.
One of the greatest things that can ever come out of a single conference, or years of attending them, is a true friendship based on a mutual love of each other and our incredible profession. This high energy, interactive session will showcase exactly those things. Three great friends from across the country, joyfully reunited at this wonderful conference, sharing tried and true activities they use and they love. Come join Dan, Ladonda and Doug in this combined session designed to help you and your students "Just Be Joyful!"
This is a team strongmen & team strongwomen competition between other surrounding school districts. It is a whole-school community approach to advocate for fitness & wellness in a fun-competitive social setting. The concept is based on teamwork, team strategy, agility, muscular strength, muscular endurance and cardiorespiratory endurance challenges. The events do not include standard weight lifting exercises and is not your typical "best athletes" competition. All students have an opportunity to feel success as they advocate for fitness in a brand new way. The L.I.F.E. Competition can be done from grades 4-12. Come and see what it's all about!
Managing large classes, keeping students engaged, assessing learning in real time, and moving smoothly between activities are all part of the daily reality in physical education, yet many of these routines are still supported by systems that can feel time-consuming and inefficient in today’s digital world. This session reimagines classroom management through a “new-school” lens, demonstrating how purposeful technology integration can streamline instruction and simplify daily routines. Designed for elementary, middle, and high school physical educators, the session emphasizes developmentally appropriate, standards-aligned strategies, positioning technology as a supportive tool rather than the driver of instruction. Participants will explore practical, easy-to-use tools and platforms that enhance organization, improve instructional flow, and support teachers in feeling more confident and in control of their learning environment. Throughout the session, educators will learn how to manage large classes more efficiently, track and assess student progress in real time, increase engagement through interactive strategies, and integrate technology into daily routines in ways that are simple and sustainable. Participants will leave with ready-to-use tools and practical strategies that reduce stress, improve efficiency, and enhance overall instructional effectiveness.
What if PE moved beyond team sports to engage students who often stay on the sidelines?
See how non-traditional activities like skateboarding, bowling, cardio drumming, curling, and sport stacking can elevate PE by creating engaging, meaningful experiences. These fit the Meaningful PE framework: motor competence, social interaction, challenge, relevance, and fun.
Join a Movement Lab with quick versions of creative activities for any school. See how these activities: - Reach students who don’t connect with team sports - Foster inclusivity and authentic participation - Build confidence, resilience, and physical literacy - Offer real opportunities for student voice and choice
Elementary PE examples will show alignment with standards and more engagement. Learn how to adapt these activities for older students.
All activities are low- or no-cost, with creative equipment and community partnership ideas for any school’s access.
Leave with ready-to-use activities, strategies, and tools to help more students thrive in PE.
When every student finds their place in PE, the program becomes the heartbeat of education.
Explore how assistive technology can be utilized in Physical Education for students with diverse needs. This session will delve into the basics of assistive technology such as what switches are, how they work, what set up entails, and practical applications for using it.
Step into Casino Health, where every roll, flip, and draw sparks learning! This high-energy, interactive session brings health education to life using only dice, playing cards, and creativity. Participants will experience a variety of engaging activities designed to get students moving, thinking, and collaborating while practicing essential health skills.
These low-prep, highly engaging strategies transform any space into an active learning environment, making lessons more memorable and meaningful. From quick movement challenges to discussion-based games, every activity promotes student voice, teamwork, and critical thinking.
Walk away with ready-to-use ideas that require minimal materials but deliver maximum impact.
Many health classrooms are still driven by content coverage, leaving teachers unsure how to turn standards into meaningful, skill-based learning. This session introduces a practical Skills-Based Health Education Instructional Playbook designed to help educators shift from teaching topics to developing transferable health skills students can actually use.
Grounded in the Pennsylvania Academic Standards for Health, Safety, and Physical Education and informed by the SHAPE America National Health Education Standards, this session offers a clear, classroom-ready approach to planning, instruction, and assessment. The playbook is organized around four key areas: foundations, lesson design, instructional delivery, and performance-based assessment.
Participants will actively work through short, structured tasks to rethink a lesson through a skills-based lens. This includes identifying target skills, revising learning activities, and aligning assessments to student performance. The session is designed to feel practical and collaborative, with time to test ideas, talk through decisions, and see what this approach looks like in action.
Participants will leave with a partially developed lesson, ready-to-use planning tools, and a simple process they can apply immediately to strengthen instruction and better align their teaching to state and national standards.
Help kids and teens navigate roadway safety. Bicycle and pedestrian safety is a learned skill — and early education makes a difference. PennDOT has developed materials that incorporates proven tools and strategies for teaching bicycle and pedestrian safety at key developmental stages, helping young people build lifelong habits that reduce risk, and increase independence. Participants will learn instructional strategies that combine classroom discussion, video, and interactive activities to reinforce lifelong safety habits. The session will provide implementation guidance, lesson planning tools, and practical tips for launching VRU safety education programs in rural, suburban, and urban communities.
Presentation 2: Practical Applications (Lesson & Unit Focus)
Proposed Title: Implementing the Feel-Good Triangle in Health & PE: Empowering Students to be Healthy for Life Best Mode of Delivery: Active Participation / Movement Session (Gym Floor)
Session Description: The Big Idea: How do you translate modern behavioral psychology and best-selling productivity frameworks directly into students' lives? By replacing rigid, intimidating drills with active, high-energy "Movement Landscapes" where challenge matches readiness and background. Why It Matters: Many students reject old-school HPE hierarchies but eagerly want physical and emotional vitality. This session models how to layer The Meaningful HPE "Feel-Good Now" Triangle throughout a lifetime activity based curriculum so every student can find their personal playground. What You Will Experience: Attendees will lace up their sneakers and actively move through sample lessons from a complete, battle-tested lifetime curriculum map: Community Foundation: Team building, field initiatives, and low ropes setups engineered to build trust and emotional vulnerability. Aerobic & Skill Development: Blending engaging aerobic games with hiking, walking, and Pose Method running mechanics. Functional Strength: Integrating natural bodyweight patterns, rucking, and foundational Olympic lifts configured for lifelong joint health. Mental & Lifetime Health: Utilizing pickleball to explicitly coach social-emotional skills. Adventure Sports: Implementing biking, disc golf, geocaching, and adventure racing units. Group Fitness: Maximizing student autonomy through yoga, cardio boxing, and HIIT structures.
Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "Vulnerability First" Opening Unit: A step-by-step low-ropes and field initiative sequence engineered to dissolve social hierarchies during the very first week of school. The "Adventure Strength" Blueprint: A modular setup guide for organizing cross-functional stations that weave geocaching trackers, rucking packs, and bodyweight elements into any standard gym configuration. The "Pose & Pacing" Challenge Tracker: A simple, data-driven checklist to teach running and walking as life-long mechanical skills rather than endurance punishments.
The Bottom Line Experience the ORANGE, GREEN, and PURPLE Corners firsthand—where physical effort meets social connection to trigger an instant oxytocin surge that lowers student stress on the spot.
This engaging session demonstrates how purposeful tag games can be used for all ages to meet SHAPE America National Standards while maximizing student participation, safety, and fun. Participants will experience a wide variety of developmentally appropriate tag games designed to intentionally teach movement concepts, strategies, and personal responsibility. Through active participation, attendees will explore how to embed locomotor skills, nonlocomotor movements, and fitness components into game play. Each activity will highlight clear connections to standards-based outcomes, including skill development, strategic thinking, and social-emotional learning. Emphasis will be placed on creating inclusive, safe environments where all students can be successful. Participants will learn practical modifications, progressions, and management strategies to ensure safety, maximize engagement, and reduce downtime. In addition, the session will showcase how simple adjustments to traditional tag games can elevate them into intentional learning experiences aligned with standards. Attendees will leave with a ready-to-use collection of tag games, clear instructional cues, and strategies to design their own standards-based activities. Whether you are looking to enhance student engagement, reinforce key movement concepts, or align your instruction with best practices, this session will provide tools to transform “just playing tag” into meaningful, standards-driven learning.
Friday Lunch | Rejuvenate Rejuvenate and refuel with a fresh Mediterranean-inspired lunch featuring: Fresh Starts: Hummus with grilled pita, seasonal vegetables, Classic Caesar Salad with shaved Parmesan, and cucumber, tomato, red onion & feta salad with basil balsamic. Main Plates: Roasted eggplant Moroccan couscous, grilled chicken breast with chermoula, and baked Moroccan-spiced salmon with tzatziki sauce. Sweet Finish: Assorted dessert bars. Refuel. Rejuvenate. Finish the conference with a strong pulse!
Where's The Fun? Busy...happy...fun...good. Yes, we need to avoid that mindset in our classes, but does that mean we need to take away all the fun from our curriculum? This session will show how you can still teach quality physical education, be an effective teacher, challenge your students, and still have a class filled with joy and positivitiy.
This interactive session explores the effective use of assistive technology in Adapted Physical Education, with a focus on tools such as PowerLink units and switches. Participants will gain hands-on experience using this equipment to better understand how it can increase access, engagement, and independence for students with diverse needs. Through guided activities and collaborative station-building, attendees will have the opportunity to set up and practice using the technology in realistic APE scenarios. This experiential approach is designed to build both confidence and practical knowledge, empowering educators to seamlessly incorporate assistive devices into their own programs. By the end of the session, participants will leave with a stronger understanding of how to implement assistive technology in meaningful, inclusive ways that enhance student participation and success.
Nature holds a special place for each of us. Yet, American author and journalist Richard Louv points to Nature Deficit Disorder in today's children as a result of less time spent outdoors. Simultaneously, Common Sense Media reports that average screen times are increasing with technology impacting the way that children communicate, learn, and play. Inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrin-yoku (or forest bathing), this session will explore how plant life, trees, and forests serve as an intervention for decreasing stress, while improving focus and encouraging creative thinking - for yourself and for students. Learn how and why incorporating nature mindfully into the school day can yield positive improvements on student willingness and community building. Experience how the practice of forest therapy serves as an exceptional modality to promote mental and physical wellness in group settings.
The pulse of our planet centers upon its people. We, the people of SHAPE PA, thrive upon learning through the ages, where we become impacted by others and create impact upon others that often is remembered forever. This presentation will address your unique underlying characteristics to perhaps inspire you to build a legacy of long-lasting impact upon other people, places or events. You will become familiar with the 12 Creative Keys: A Framework for Building Legacy Leadership, to help you set your pathway to performance and contributions to the society you teach, coach, mentor, advocate for. Because you are a SHAPE PA member you are, in your own way, serving as a leader. Now, what's the impact and legacy you can start to build?
Invasion games are a cornerstone of physical education, yet too often we jump into the game without intentionally teaching the concepts and strategies students need to succeed. This session focuses on spiraling and sequencing skills, building understanding, and designing accessible lead-up activities that invite all students to participate confidently. Participants will explore lead-up games, small-sided challenges, and tactical concepts that make invasion games accessible and enjoyable for all learners.
Discover high-energy, inclusive large group games that are perfect for all grade levels and adaptable to both indoor and outdoor spaces. This session will showcase creative, easy-to-implement activities that promote teamwork, movement and fun, whether you’re in a gym, on the blacktop, or out on the field. Walk away with ready-to-use strategies and game variations to keep your students active, engaged & excited to play!
Are you ready to transform your health classroom? In this dynamic session, you will explore a curated collection of engaging, skills-based activities designed for middle school health education — and adaptable for any level. Through real student examples and step-by-step implementation guidance, you will leave with ready-to-use projects that bring your curriculum to life. From creative projects to thought-provoking activities, this toolkit has something for every learner. Whether you are a seasoned health teacher or just getting started, you will walk away energized and ready to try something new on Monday morning.
"Unconventional Fun: A Session of Non-Traditional Games" invites participants to step outside the box and engage in a variety of exciting, offbeat games that break the mold of typical team-building exercises. Whether it's a quirky twist on classic sports or completely new creations, this session encourages creativity, collaboration, and a lot of laughs. Designed to get everyone moving, thinking, and bonding, these games provide a refreshing and fun way to energize teams, spark connections, and build trust in a lively, relaxed environment. Get ready for a playful and memorable experience!
resentation 3: Reflective Tools & Assessment Proposed Title: Assessment in Meaningful PE, Reflective Practices, and the Science of Joy Best Mode of Delivery: Interactive Workshop / Lecture Hybrid Session Description: The Big Idea: To ensure students internalize the value of movement for a lifetime, we must replace compliance-based grading with deep, introspective self-assessment. Why It Matters: When students understand the direct connection between physical effort and their current energy level and mental state, they transition from passive participants to active owners of their well-being. The Strategy: Driven by top educational texts and psychological frameworks, this workshop provides a step-by-step toolkit to explicitly assess physical literacy and emotional regulation. We will unpack: The "Running Leap" Framework: Learning to accurately read student task avoidance or modification as an autonomous psychological adjustment rather than a discipline problem. 🟪 The PURPLE Corner (Physical + Mental): Utilizing reflection to track how muscle contraction secretes "hope molecules" (myokines) to make us feel better now.. 🟩 The GREEN Corner (Social + Mental): Using structured reflections to capture moments of collective wonder and absolute psychological safety. 🟧 The Orange Corner (Physical + Social): The Internal Pharmacy Win: Moving collaboratively with your crew triggers an immediate flood of oxytocin (the trust molecule). Immediate "Monday Morning" Takeaways: The "60-Second Pillar Prompt": A zero-cost reflection routine that changes class dismissal from "line up at the door" into meaningful partner connections on challenge and delight. The "Running Leap" Response Matrix: A quick-reference communication card providing specific verbal cues that validate student effort and encourage autonomous problem-solving. Digital "Pharmacy Log" Templates: Ready-to-use digital portfolio rubrics using a simple behavioral Mood Meter to help students track and analyze emotional clarity after workouts.
The Bottom Line Master precise "narration language" that validates student progress, tracks real-time emotional data, and teaches young people to successfully run their built-in internal pharmacy.
Get ready for a high-energy whirlwind of games, management strategies, movement experiences, music integration, cooperative activities, instant engagement tools, creative equipment ideas, authentic assessment strategies, and crowd-favorite activities that students absolutely LOVE.
Former PE Teacher of the Year Scotty Williams shares practical, field-tested ideas from elementary through secondary physical education that can immediately elevate your program, boost participation, improve culture, and bring fresh energy into your teaching.
Expect rapid-fire sharing, laughter, movement, and dozens of “I can use this Monday” moments. Whether you teach elementary, middle, or high school PE, you’ll leave with new favorites, renewed excitement, and a notebook full of ideas your students will be talking about long after class ends.
