Creating Games with a Purpose: A Framework for Prek-5 Physical Educators

Develop educational games for physical education classes.

Games are vital to student learning in the elementary physical education classroom, but not all games are rooted in appropriate practices and help educators meet standards. Creating Games With a Purpose: A Framework for PreK-5 Physical Educators With HKPropel Access provides preK-5 physical educators with step-by-step guidance to design games with contextually specific, culturally rich, and student-centered lessons to fulfill educational purposes.

Educators will explore the framework created by the authors to build games intended to match the motor skills of diverse groups of children and meet their social and emotional needs. Using this framework, the text walks PE teachers through the steps of developing games, from the initial conception of an idea to assessing and modifying games. Pedagogical strategies such as differentiation, guided questioning, and contextual considerations further support appropriate educational practices.

The authors present over 35 ready-to-use lesson plans aligned with Grade-Span Learning Indicators from the SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards. Many of these lesson plans offer opportunities for collaboration with other disciplines.

The book is broken into three sections. Part I focuses on the role of play in the lives of humans, both past and present. Nurturing creativity within play opportunities and understanding how the delivery of games affects learning outcomes are explored. Part II introduces the Physical Education Creative Framework (PE-CF) and guides educators through ready-to-use sample games for use in preK to grade 5. In part III educators get to practice designing games with guided questions that incorporate the National Physical Education Standards and the PE-CF. Pedagogical aids throughout the text include chapter objectives, boxes, sidebars, and visual elements such as charts, graphs, and diagrams of games.

Related online materials for the games in chapters 3 through 8 are delivered via HKPropel. The games are presented so that the teacher can transfer the information into the lesson plan format they find useful. Suggested teaching styles, how to introduce the game, ways to expand or deepen student learning outcomes, and contextual considerations to keep in mind are included in the game descriptions, and there are task cards, posters, exit slips, and game materials that can be printed for the reader’s use. Nine videos show teachers guiding students through some of the games in the book.

Creating Games With a Purpose gives physical educators a framework to construct games that challenge and inspire elementary students to make choices, solve problems, take on leadership, and gain knowledge--all through play.

Note: A code for accessing HKPropel is included with all new print books.

Jan Galen Bishop, EdD, NASM, is an experienced author, physical educator, and presenter. She is a professor in the department of physical education and human performance at Central Connecticut State University where she specializes in teacher preparation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has served on the task force of many initiatives through SHAPE America, including Appropriate Instructional Practice Guidelines, Social Justice in PETE/HETE, and Crosswalk of InTASC and SHAPE America PETE Standards. She also serves as the chair of the Subdiscipline Content for Teacher Preparation task force and the Professional Preparation Council (PPC) for SHAPE America.

A past president of the Connecticut Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (CTAHPERD), Bishop has presented at state, district, and national conventions for over 25 years. She was recognized with the Joy of Effort Award by SHAPE America in 2025 and the Professional Honor Award by CTAHPERD in 2024. She is author of multiple books and has been published in Journal of Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (JOPERD), Strategies: A Journal for Physical and Sport Educators, and the CTAHPERD Bulletin.

Constance Kapral, MS, has extensive experience as a physical educator in a public school setting. As a teacher leader, her professional development presentations at the local, state, regional, and national levels have been very well received. As a Cooperating Teacher for Central Connecticut State University, Eastern Connecticut State University, Southern Connecticut State University, and Springfield College, she guided many student teachers and conveyed the importance of a student-centered approach to teaching. In making the change to higher education at Central Connecticut State University and Southern Connecticut State University as an adjunct instructor, Kapral applied the knowledge and skills gained over the years to teaching undergraduate student majors in two courses as well as being a university supervisor. She was named Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by CTAHPERD and has served as president of CTAHPERD. Kapral helps teacher candidates develop the competencies they need to be successful, impactful, and caring professionals who deliver the high-quality instruction that children deserve.

Amanda Amtmanis, MA, has more than 20 years of experience teaching K-5 physical education in Middletown, Connecticut. Prior to teaching in the Middletown public schools, she taught high school for one year, taught at a K-8 school for a year, and taught for several years in private residential special education settings. She was named Elementary School Physical Education Teacher of the Year by CTAHPERD in 2014. In addition, she has been honored twice by CTAHPERD with the Outstanding Program Award for her take-home fitness kits (designed to creatively facilitate family connections with physical education for young learners) and an inclusive bike-learning program for students with special needs. She has served as president of CTAHPERD in the past.

Amtmanis continually seeks out professional development opportunities, as both an attendee and as a presenter. Some notable experiences that have informed her practice have been attending the RULER Institute at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and attending facilitator training with the Center for Applied Research and Equity. She is a state, regional, and national presenter on a variety of topics, including a particular focus on social and emotional learning. She was asked to be a pilot leader for SHAPE America’s Health Moves Minds program and to serve on the National Physical Education Standards revision task force.