Physical education and health classes are often covered by a substitute who is not a PE teacher. The lessons below are plans a sub can run from a printed packet. Check each plan’s prep list and materials line to see what it needs, and follow your school’s safety rules for any physical activity.
What is in the PE and health library
There are 28 free lessons: 16 for health and 12 for physical education.
How to use these as PE sub plans
- Follow your school’s safety rules. If your department provides a plan for physical activity, use it. These lessons do not replace it.
- Check the prep list. Each plan states what to copy and what students need.
- Print student pages only. Keep the answer key and sub directions separate.
All PE and health lessons
Health
- A Week of Screen Time: Read the Log and Do the Math
- Boundaries and Safe Adults: Respect, Privacy and Who to Tell
- Build a Stress Toolkit
- Digital Footprint Detectives: Two Students, Two Footprints
- First Aid Basics: Read, Sort and Decide (Reading Only)
- Healthy Friendships and Fair Fights: Flags and Conflict Steps
- Media Detective: Reading Images and Messages About Appearance
- Mental Health Basics: Myths, Facts and Who Can Help
- Passive, Aggressive or Assertive? Sort the Responses and Rewrite
- Plan Your Move: Build a Weekly Physical Activity Plan
- Reading Nutrition Labels: Compare Three Snacks
- Say It Clearly: Communication Styles and I-Statements
- Six Steps for Tough Choices: A Decision-Making Model
- Sleep and Productivity: Analyze a Week of Sleep
- SMART Goals for Healthy Habits
- Spot the Hazard: Preventing Injuries at Practice and Play
Physical Education
- Corner Toss: Read the Rules, Score the Game, Plan Strategy
- Fueling Athletes: Food, Water and Timing
- How Your Body Moves: Muscles and Joints
- My Activity Log: Track, Analyze, Set a Goal
- Plan a Week With the FITT Principle
- Reading Heart Rate Numbers and Target Zones
- Safe Bodyweight Circuit: Effort Scale and Safe Limits
- Sportsmanship Case Studies: What Would You Do?
- Team-Building Without Equipment: Communicate Clearly
- The Five Parts of Fitness: Sort and Explain
- Walk-and-Talk: Stride Math and Conversation
- Warm-Up and Cool-Down: Put the Routine in Order
More help
Search the full lesson library by grade and class time, or see our guides on emergency sub plans and easy sub plans.
Sub plans for other subjects
Covering more than one prep? Try these related collections:
- Science sub plans
- Math sub plans
- Social studies sub plans
- ELA sub plans
- Art, music and theater sub plans
- Spanish, French and German sub plans
- Technology and computer science sub plans
- Business and personal finance sub plans
- CTE sub plans
- Speech, journalism and media sub plans
- Advisory and study hall sub plans
Teachers can turn any of these into a backup packet with our guides to free printable emergency sub plans and sub tub ideas. Substitutes can read what to do as a substitute teacher and classroom management for substitutes before the first bell.