Field Day Shorts began as a practical solution to a series of real-world problems. Construction, weather, and scheduling challenges made my traditional field day impossible to run in its previous, familiar form. Instead of one large event in June, the experience was deconstructed and spread across six themed “shorts” held throughout the school year. Each installment features four primary and four for intermediate activities running concurrently, with students rotating every ten minutes during a 45-minute block. This session shares the planning process, structure, and helpful tips that turned a beloved tradition into an improved series of manageable celebrations from September through June.
University Chopped Challenge: Get Your Heart Pumping, Future Professionals The challenge: Future physical educators team up for a fast-paced competition that puts creativity, collaboration, and professional knowledge into action. How it works: Teams tackle challenges inspired by the SHAPE America Standards at the elementary and secondary levels. Each round brings a mystery box of equipment, instructional requirements, and teaching considerations. The goal: Create a developmentally appropriate, inclusive, engaging, and standards-based PE experience that impresses the judges and keeps your team advancing. Be Competitive: Judges will be assigned. A winner will be determined. Think fast. Work together. Find your rhythm. Show us why future professionals are the next heartbeat of physical education!
Thursday November 12, 2026 8:55am - 9:40am EST Victory Hall
TechNO Dance is an innovative, low-pressure workshop designed for educators who want to bring movement into the classroom without the "stage fright" of traditional dance instruction. The session focuses on breaking down the barrier between creative expression and technical mastery, proving that you don’t need to be a choreographer—or a tech wizard—to get students moving.
This session is designed for beginning teachers and undergraduate students looking for practical ways to integrate fitness into elementary physical education. Attendees will learn how to make fitness fun and engaging while focusing on fundamental movement skills, instant activities, and minimal equipment. Participants will explore easy-to-implement activities that develop upper and lower body strength and aerobic conditioning, all while keeping students motivated and active. The session will highlight “instant activities” that maximize movement time and require little setup, along with strategies for seamlessly embedding fitness into skill-based lessons. Emphasis will be placed on developmentally appropriate, inclusive practices that ensure all students can succeed and enjoy movement. Attendees will leave with a variety of adaptable games, station ideas, and teaching strategies they can immediately apply in their classes to create positive, high-energy fitness experiences.
Are you looking for dynamic and useful activities that will instantly energize your program? Then this sessions is for you. This session will feature highly engaging activities that you will want to use next week, and your students will be asking for on a regular basis. In this session, you will learn instant activities, main skill focused activities, as well as fun and novel assessment pieces. This is designed for a K-12 audience.
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!
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.
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.
