50+ BEST Elementary PE Read Alouds (Books for Physical Education Class)

Looking for the best elementary PE read alouds to connect literacy with fitness and movement?

These 50+ fun children’s books pair perfectly with essential K–5 physical education skills including locomotor movement, throwing, catching, kicking, basketball, striking, fitness, teamwork, sportsmanship, Field Day and so much more!

Each of these fun, elementary-friendly read-alouds was carefully chosen to connect directly to the skills covered in my K–5 Year-Long PE Scope & Sequence.

Elementary PE Read Alouds

From locomotor skills, throwing and catching to soccer, basketball, fitness, teamwork, sportsmanship and more, these books are a fun and easy way to add a little literacy to your PE lessons all year long!

Hi there, it’s so great to meet you! I’m Mrs. T. (or you can call me Jen) – a Michigan mom, wife, new grandma (aka “Jemma”) K-12 PE teacher, blogger (Love 2 Teach and Learn) and author of 59 CRAZY FUN Elementary PE Games that ROCK!

I love teaching PE class because I get to spend time telling Silly SPORTS JOKES and exercising, while laughing with my students.

I’m also on a serious mission to MAKE SCHOOL FUN AGAIN and I believe physical education class is the ABSOLUTE BEST WAY to do just that!

Additionally, I love finding simple ways to mix literacy with physical education, and read-alouds are one of my favorite ways to introduce PE skills, spark conversations, and get students excited about what we’re learning in the gym!

To make it easy to find the perfect book for your PE class, I’ve organized all of these read-alouds into PE skill and sport categories.

I’ve also included a recommended grade range for each book, so you can quickly find the best fit for your students!

READY! SET! LET’S GET READING!

Best PE Read-Alouds for Rules, Routines & Personal Space

• Personal Space Camp by Julia Cook — Perfect for teaching personal space, body awareness, boundaries, and moving safely around others in the gym. Best for (K-3)
• Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann — A fun way to introduce why rules and safety procedures matter. Best for (K-3)

• The Recess Queen by Alexis O’Neill — Opens up conversations about kindness, inclusion, appropriate behavior, and treating classmates with respect. Best for (K-3)
• Clark the Shark by Bruce Hale – A fun read-aloud for teaching students about self-control, personal space, and managing their excitement before jumping into active PE games. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – OFFICER BUCKLE AND GLORIA

Best PE Read-Alouds for Locomotor Skills & Movement

• From Head to Toe by Eric Carle — Students can move right along with the story while practicing body awareness, balance, and different ways of moving. Best for (PreK-2)

• Giraffes Can’t Dance by Giles Andreae — A wonderful connection to movement, rhythm, balance, body control, and confidence. Best for (K-3)
• Barnyard Dance! by Sandra Boynton – A fun, interactive read-aloud that gets students moving while practicing following directions, rhythm, spatial awareness, and different ways of traveling. Best for (PreK-2)

• Move! by Robin Page and Steve Jenkins — Introduces children to different ways bodies can move and works especially well with younger students. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – FROM HEAD TO TOE

Best Elementary PE Read Alouds for Teamwork & Sportsmanship

• Swimmy by Leo Lionni — A simple, powerful example of how cooperation and working together can help a group succeed. Best for (K-3)

• Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Sportsmanship: Winning Isn’t Everything by Howard Binkow – A great PE read-aloud for teaching students that winning isn’t everything while reinforcing good sportsmanship, teamwork, handling disappointment, and having fun while playing. Best for (K-3)
• The Berenstain Bears Play a Good Game by Stan & Jan Berenstain – teaches sportsmanship, teamwork, fair play, and encouraging teammates rather than focusing only on winning. Best for (K-3)
• The Soccer Fence by Phil Bildner – This story follows two groups of children who love soccer but are divided by a fence until they discover that playing together is much more fun than staying apart. Best for (1-5)
• Sally Sore Loser: A Story About Winning and Losing by Frank J. Sileo — Probably my favorite fit. It’s perfect for discussing good sportsmanship, handling losing, congratulating others, and remembering that having fun matters more than winning. Best for (K-4)

• Good Sports: Rhymes About Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More by Jack Prelutsky – Fun poems celebrating many different sports while encouraging movement, participation, and enjoying physical activity. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Picks – SWIMMY for Teamwork and SALLY SORE LOSER for Sportsmanship

Best PE Read-Alouds for Rolling & Bowling

• Oscar and the Cricket: A Book About Moving and Rolling by Geoff Waring — A fantastic introduction to rolling, force, movement, and how objects travel. Best for (K-3)
• The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis — The runaway pumpkin provides a fun seasonal connection to rolling, speed, force, and movement. Best for (PreK-2)

• Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand — Naturally connects to bowling, rolling toward a target, taking turns, and enjoying physical activity. Best for (K-3)
• Curious George Goes Bowling — A fun way to introduce bowling concepts such as lanes, pins, rolling, and accuracy. Best for (PreK-2)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Picks – THE RUNAWAY PUMPKIN for Underhand Rolling and MITCHELL GOES BOWLING for Bowling

Best PE Read-Alouds for Throwing & Catching

• Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems — A funny, kid-friendly way to get students thinking about throwing, force, distance, and having fun while learning. Best for (PreK-2)

• Don’t Throw It to Mo! by David A. Adler – A fun, award-winning football story about a young player who proves that size doesn’t determine success! Perfect for teaching throwing, catching, teamwork, perseverance, and believing in yourself. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – WATCH ME THROW THE BALL!

Best PE Read-Alouds for Striking & Baseball Skills

• Froggy Plays T-Ball by Jonathan London — A fun connection to striking, batting, throwing, catching, fielding, and basic baseball concepts. Best for (PreK-2)
• Goodnight Baseball by Michael Dahl — Introduces the sights, sounds, vocabulary, and skills associated with baseball in a kid-friendly story. Best for (PreK-2)

• Dancing in the Wings by Debbie Allen — While not a baseball book, its message about perseverance, practice, coordination, and confidence works well when students tackle challenging striking skills. Best for (K-4)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – GOODNIGHT BASEBALL

Best Elementary PE Read Alouds for Kicking & Soccer

• Froggy Plays Soccer by Jonathan London — A funny elementary read-aloud that provides an easy introduction to soccer skills, rules, and game play. Best for (PreK-2)
• Winners Never Quit! by Mia Hamm – Soccer legend Mia Hamm shares a fun, kid-friendly story about learning to handle winning and losing, never giving up, and being a good teammate—making it a perfect read-aloud to pair with your elementary soccer unit. Best for (K-3)

• The Berenstain Bears Get Their Kicks by Stan and Jan Berenstain — Connects soccer with kicking, practicing skills, teamwork, and sportsmanship. Best for (K-3)
• Soccer Star by Mina Javaherbin — A wonderful story about soccer, teamwork, perseverance, and working toward a goal. Best for (K-4)
• Madlenka Soccer Star by Peter Sís — Celebrates soccer and naturally connects to kicking, dribbling, creativity, and playing with others. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – WINNERS NEVER QUIT!

Best PE Read-Alouds for Basketball

• Salt in His Shoes by Deloris Jordan and Roslyn M. Jordan — Written by Jordan’s mother and sister, it uses Michael Jordan’s childhood story to reinforce practice, patience, perseverance, and improving over time. Best for (1-5)

• Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball by John Coy — An especially fun PE connection because it tells the story of how basketball was created by a physical education teacher. Best for (2-5)
• Dino-Basketball by Lisa Wheeler — A silly, high-energy story that introduces basketball vocabulary, competition, and game play. Best for (K-3)
• Cam Jansen: The Basketball Mystery by David A. Adler — A fun basketball-themed option especially suited to older elementary students. Best for (2-5)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – SALT IN HIS SHOES

Best PE Read-Alouds for Tennis

• Game Changers: The Story of Venus and Serena Williams by Lesa Cline-Ransome — Connects tennis with practice, determination, perseverance, and the incredible story of Venus and Serena Williams. Best for (1-5)

• Billie Jean! How Tennis Star Billie Jean King Changed Women’s Sports by Mara Rockliff — A great picture-book choice for older elementary students that combines tennis, hard work, competition, and sportsmanship with the story of Billie Jean King’s fight for equality in sports. Best for (2-5)
• Sisters: Venus & Serena Williams by Jeanette Winter — Another elementary-friendly picture-book biography about the sisters’ journey from learning tennis as children to becoming world-class players. It emphasizes practice, overcoming challenges, perseverance, and the sport of tennis itself. Best for (1-5)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – GAME CHANGERS

Best Elementary PE Read Alouds for Volleyball

• Bump, Set, Spike: A Tough Choice by Josh Anderson — It follows a young volleyball player named Sharice and includes volleyball action along with information about the sport, a social-emotional connection, and a pro-athlete feature. Best for (2-5)
• Volleyball by Kieran Downs — A perfect introduction to a volleyball unit as it teaches basic volleyball gameplay and rules while introducing concepts such as bump, set, spike, the court, equipment, and how the game works. Best for (K-3)

• The Volleyball Bully by Charles Hellman — A 34-page children’s story that uses volleyball to teach sportsmanship, fair play, appropriate behavior, and how to handle conflict with others. Best for (1-4)
• Sporty Sprouts: Volleyball by Good Buddy Books — This is geared toward very young children (ages 0–4), so I’d consider it mainly for kindergarten. It introduces serves, bumps, sets, spikes, teamwork, and movement with simple language and colorful illustrations. Best for (PreK-K)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – VOLLEYBALL

Best PE Read-Alouds for Football

• Ronnie and His Grit by Ronnie Lott and Leslie Harter – A great read-aloud for upper elementary students that teaches the power of grit, perseverance and refusing to give up when things get tough. Best for (3-5)

• Family Huddle by Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Archie Manning – A fun football story inspired by the Manning brothers’ childhood adventures! Perfect for introducing football plays, passing, catching, teamwork, strategy, and practicing skills together. Best for (K-4)
• Dino-Football by Lisa Wheeler – A hilarious, action-packed story featuring dinosaurs playing football! A great way to introduce football vocabulary, throwing, catching, teamwork, offense, defense, and basic game strategies. Best for (K-3)
• Goodnight Football by Michael Dahl – A colorful, kid-friendly story that captures the excitement of a football game from beginning to end! Great for introducing football vocabulary, teamwork, game play, and the excitement of participating in sports. Best for (PreK-2)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – RONNIE AND HIS GRIT

Best Elementary PE Read Alouds for Fitness & Healthy Bodies

• The Busy Body Book: A Kid’s Guide to Fitness by Lizzy Rockwell — One of the strongest PE read-alouds for explaining why our bodies need movement and what happens when we exercise. Best for (K-4)

• I Can Eat a Rainbow by Annabel Karmel – A colorful, kid-friendly way to introduce healthy eating and encourage students to eat a variety of fruits and vegetables to help fuel their growing, active bodies. Best for (PreK-2)
• Get Up and Go! by Nancy Carlson — An upbeat, kid-friendly story about exercise, movement, and the importance of staying active. Best for (PreK-2)
• I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child — A fun way to expand your fitness unit into healthy choices, nutrition, and taking care of our bodies. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – THE BUSY BODY BOOK

Best PE Read-Alouds for Field Day

• The Field Day from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler — A fun end-of-year choice that builds excitement for Field Day while opening the door to conversations about participation, competition, and having fun. Best for (1-4)

• Number One Sam by Greg Pizzoli — Sam loves winning, but when he has the opportunity to help someone else, he learns that kindness and doing the right thing can be more important than finishing first. Best for (K-3)

⭐Mrs. T’s Top Category Pick – THE FIELD DAY FROM THE BLACK LAGOON

BONUS Elementary PE Read Alouds

• The Tortoise and the Hare — A classic that works beautifully before races and relays. It opens up conversations about effort, pacing, perseverance, and not giving up. Best for (K-3)
• The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein — Reinforces that making mistakes is part of learning new skills and trying your best. Best for (K-4)
• Jabari Tries by Gaia Cornwall — Great for perseverance, problem-solving, encouraging others, and continuing to try when something is difficult. Best for (K-3)
• The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires — Reinforces practice, problem-solving, making adjustments, and trying again when a skill doesn’t work the first time. Best for (K-4)
• Sammy Sloth: Sports Superstar by Ryan Sloth – A fun sports-themed story about trying different activities and discovering what you’re good at, making it a great read-aloud for encouraging students to keep trying, celebrate their strengths and enjoy being active. Best for (K-3)

I hope this list of elementary PE read alouds gives you plenty of fun new ways to bring literacy into your gym!

Whether you’re teaching teamwork and sportsmanship, rolling, throwing, kicking, striking, fitness, or a brand-new sport, the right book can be an awesome way to introduce a skill, start a meaningful conversation, and get your students excited about what they’re about to learn.

Pick a book, gather your students, and then get up and MOVE—because some of the best learning in PE can start with a great story!

If you’d like to learn more about how I weave these awesome stories into my PE lessons you can check out my Monthly PE Plans RIGHT HERE.

@pewithmrst

🍎📚My Favorite September PE Read-Alouds! These are some of my FAVORITE children’s books to use in the gym with my PE students during the month of September! #love2teachandlearn #september #backtoschoolbooks #readaloud #peteachersoftiktok

♬ September – Earth, Wind & Fire

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