10 Easy and Mega Fun Elementary BASKETBALL PE Stations
Dribble into excitement with 10 Easy and Mega Fun Elementary Basketball PE Stations!
This must-have PE teacher resource and blog post delivers simple, low-prep basketball stations perfect for K-5 gym classes, building dribbling, passing, shooting, and teamwork skills with zero hassle.
Basketball PE Stations
Watch your students light up as they rotate through engaging hoop challenges, fitness relays, and creative ball games that make basketball PE lessons the highlight of their week!
In this post love2teachandlearn (Mrs. T.) will share every awesome detail related to how to easily set-up these 10 Basketball PE Stations.
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”) and K-12 PE teacher who has also taught Kindergarten, 3rd, and 6th grades.
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 these BASKETBALL PE STATIONS are a great way to to just that!
Let’s DRIBBLE! PASS! SHOOT!
🏀Basketball Station #1: Beanie Baby Dribbling
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Dribbling
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- SEVERAL BEANIE BABIES or BEAN BAGS
- CONES
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- Large BIN or TUB
PE STATION SET-UP: Simply place the basketballs and beanie babies in a large tub or bin near the area where you want your station to be. Set the cones up in a zig-zag formation along the gym floor.
HOW TO PLAY: Students practice their basketball dribbling skills while balancing beanie babies on their heads, neck, and arms, moving through the cones.
*STATION TIP: You can often find super inexpensive beanie babies at Goodwill Stores and at garage sales in the summer! Stock up so you can use them for a ton of fun PE games like TOSS and FLIP and HOOP HUSTLE RELAY.
🏀Basketball Station #2: Musical Dribbles
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Dribbling
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- POLY DOTS (One for each student)
- MUSIC SOURCE
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- Large BIN or TUB
PE STATION SET-UP: Simply place the basketballs in a large tub or bin near the area where you want your station to be. Set the Poly Dots in a circle formation in the middle of your station area. Finally, place the music source nearby.
HOW TO PLAY: One student starts as the “teacher” and gets to control the music.
Start with the same number of poly dots as you have in the station group.
The “teacher” starts the music and the students dribble their basketballs in a counter-clockwise direction around the outside of the Poly Dot circle.
When the “teacher” stops the music, the students quickly dribble to an open dot, stand on it, and hug their basketball.
Repeat with the “teacher” taking a dot away and eliminating one student from the game each round. The last student left WINS and now becomes the new “teacher” controlling the music for the game.
This game can be played as a whole class PE activity too. Get all of the “How to Play” Musical Dribbles details and game tips RIGHT HERE.
*STATION TIPS: I usually leave a large foam die at this station and have kids roll to decide who gets to be the teacher first – biggest number wins.
It’s also helpful if you set this station up near an open basketball hoop – that way when kids get out they can head over and practice their shooting while they wait for the next game to begin.
🏀Basketball Station #3: Dribble-Stop-Go
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Dribbling
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- DRIBBLE-STOP-GO PADDLE (You can grab your very own for Free RIGHT HERE)
- Large BIN or TUB
- KIDS READY TO HAVE A BLAST!
PE STATION SET-UP: Place the basketballs and the DRIBBLE-STOP-GO PADDLE in a large tub or bin near the area where you want your station to be. I like to use one half of the gym for this station if you are able to. Otherwise, just find a big open area in your gym.
HOW TO PLAY: One student starts as the “CALLER” and gets to control the paddle. Have the rest of the students in the station group line up along a line with their basketballs, opposite of the caller.
The caller uses the paddle to call out commands to the other students. DRIBBLE – students dribble their basketball toward the caller. STOP – students must stop immediately, gain control and hug their basketball.
If a student loses control of their basketball at any time during the game, they must go all the way back to the start line.
The student who makes it to the caller first, WINS the game and becomes the new caller for the next round of play.
It’s like Red Light, Green Light, but with basketballs. You can watch exactly HOW TO PLAY RIGHT HERE.
*STATION TIPS: I usually leave a large foam die at this station and have kids roll to decide who gets to be the CALLER first – biggest number wins.
This game can also be played with soccer balls instead of basketballs – a great way to practice soccer dribbling skills.
🏀Basketball Station #4: Michael in the Middle
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Bounce Passing
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- 1 BASKETBALL
- KIDS READY TO HAVE A BLAST!
PE STATION SET-UP: This is a no-prep setup station – YAY! Just place one basketball in the area where you want this station to be. That’s it.
HOW TO PLAY: Have 2-4 students make a wide circle. Then, choose one student to be “Michael” as in “Michael Jordan” and have them stand in the middle of the circle.
- Outside players pass the ball only using bounce passes to each other around the circle.
- The “Michael” in the middle tries to grab or intercept the ball before an outside player catches it.
- If “Michael” gains control of the ball before an outside catcher does, the passer becomes the new Michael.
*STATION TIPS: You can make it easier by having students stand closer together, and harder by spreading the circle out or adding a second ball.
For safety reasons, I usually use playground balls instead of regular basketballs with my K-2 students.
I also love to take an opportunity to educate my students and share fun facts about the great Michael Jordan whenever we play this game in class.
You can check out 25 fun and interesting basketball facts for kids RIGHT HERE.
🏀Basketball Station #5: Polka Dot Pass
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Bounce and Chest Passing
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- COLORED PAPER CIRCLES or better yet, Vinyl POLKA DOT WALL DECALS from Amazon
- BLACK DRY ERASE MARKER and ERASER
- DRY ERASE BOARD
- Large BIN or TUB
- KIDS READY TO HAVE A BLAST!
PE STATION SET-UP: Place the basketballs, dry erase board and marker inside the large bin/tub. Then, stick the wall circles up on a wall. Finally, use a black dry erase marker to write different point amounts on each of the polka dots.
HOW TO PLAY: Students stand several feet away from the Polka Dot Wall with their basketballs and take turns chest and bounce passing their basketballs trying to hit the polka dots. Students can use the dry erase board to keep track of their points individually or as a team. First to 100 WINS.
*STATION TIPS: You can make it easier by having younger students stand closer to the wall, and harder by having older students stand further away. If you don’t have a line already on the floor at the distance you want, you can easily use chalk, tape, or even a laid out jump rope.
🏀Basketball Station #6: Swish-Tac-Toe
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Basketball Shooting (Free Throw Line)
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- 2 BASKETBALLS
- 12 BEAN BAGS (6 of two different colors)
- 2 SMALL BASKETS
- 9 HULA HOOPS
- BASKETBALL HOOP
PE STATION SET-UP: Place 6 bean bags (same color) in each of the baskets off to the side near the free throw line. Then, set the 9 hula hoops up into a 3 X 3 grid or tic-tac-toe board formation on the gym floor about 3-4 feet behind the free throw line.
HOW TO PLAY: First, divide the students into two teams (2-3 on each team). Next, give each team a basketball and have them line up behind the free throw line.
Then, have students shoot one free throw at a time. If they miss their shot, they simply get the rebound and give the ball to the next teammate in line.
If they make their shot they get to place one of their bean bags from their basket on the tic-tac-toe hula hoop grid. Finally, the first team to get 3 bean bags in a row, WINS the game.
*STATION TIPS: For younger students (K-3) you can use playground balls instead of regular basketballs and have them shoot closer to the basket. I also like to ring a hula hoop around the basket to help younger kids feel successful.
🏀Basketball Station #7: Minute Madness
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Basketball Shooting
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- BASKETBALL HOOP
- STOPWATCH or 1 MINUTE TIMER
- Large BIN or TUB
PE STATION SET-UP: Simply place the basketballs and timer in a large tub or bin near the area where you want your station to be. That’s it!
HOW TO PLAY: One student starts as the “TIMER” and gets to control the stopwatch or timer. All other students spread out around the basket with their basketballs. When the “Timer” yells “GO” students get one minute to make as many baskets as they can.
- Students can shoot from anywhere around the basket
- Students keep track of their own score (one point for each basket made)
- Whoever has the highest score after one minute WINS and becomes the new “TIMER” for the next game.
🏀Basketball Station #8: Shoot For the Gold
BASKETBALL FOCUS SKILL: Basketball Shooting
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- BASKETBALL HOOP
- 6 POLY DOTS (Rainbow Colors)
- BUCKET with PLASTIC GOLD COINS
PE STATION SET-UP: Place the 6 Poly Dots in a rainbow arc formation in front of the basketball hoop. Place the bucket with plastic gold coins nearby.
HOW TO PLAY: Students start at one end of the rainbow (the red dot or the purple dot) and make their way through the rainbow.
Once they make the shot from a colored dot, they move over to the dot next to it until they have made a basket from each of the 6 spots.
Once they have made all 6 shots they grab a gold coin from the bucket and repeat. The student who collects the most coins WINS the game.
*STATION TIPS: Again, for younger students (K-3) you can ring a hula hoop around the basket, use playground balls instead of regular basketballs and move the Poly Dots (rainbow) closer to the basket.
🏀Basketball Station #9: Create Your Own Basketball Game
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- CLIPBOARDS
- PENCILS
- BLANK COMPUTER PAPER
PE STATION SET-UP: Simply place a bin with the clipboards, pencils, and paper in the area where you want your station to be.
HOW TO PLAY: Allow students to brainstorm together to create a new and unique basketball game or activity.
*STATION TIP: It’s fun to set aside time during another PE class for your students to present their “new games” to their classmates and then play them.
If you enjoy this station activity, be sure to check out my Create Your Own PE Game Small Group Project RIGHT HERE!
🏀Basketball Station #10: FREE BALL
SUPPLIES NEEDED for this Station:
- BASKETBALLS (One for each student)
- BASKETBALL HOOP
- Large BIN or TUB
- KIDS READY TO HAVE A BLAST!
PE STATION SET-UP: Place the basketballs in a large tub or bin near the basketball hoop in the area where you want your station to be.
HOW TO PLAY: Simply allow your students to have a “FREE CHOICE” Basketball Station. Here are a few fun FREE BALL station ideas students can choose to do:
- Practice Basketball Shooting
- Play a Mini 2 VS 2 Basketball Game
- Play H-O-R-S-E or P-I-G (Players take turns shooting a basketball from the same spot; if you make it, the next player copies your shot, but if you miss and spell “P-I-G,” you’re out when you spell the whole word)
- Play Dribble Knockout – Students dribble in a circle and try to knock each other’s ball out with taps while protecting their own.
*STATION TIP: I make one simple but very important rule for this station – You may choose whatever basketball activity you want to do BUT EVERYBODY IN THE GROUP MUST AGREE!
Why use Basketball PE Stations in Class?
Using small group stations in elementary PE classes helps create a dynamic, inclusive, and effective learning environment that benefits students physically, socially, and emotionally.
If you want 40 more Awesome General PE Station Ideas – I got you! You can check them out RIGHT HERE!
I’ve been running Pe Stations with my students for many years now and feel like I have a pretty good system set up that helps my stations run pretty darn smoothly.
Here are a few PE Station Set-Up Tips for you that have worked really well for me over the years.
PE Station Tips for You
- GROUP SIZE: Try to keep your station groups between 3-5 students. Anything more or less than that can make things a bit challenging.
- CONE MARKERS: I like to use bright colored, medium-sized cones to mark my different stations. I also number each station by simply writing or typing numbers on a piece of paper and taping it to the cones.
- EQUIPMENT: I like to put a basket with all equipment needed for that station next to each numbered cone.
- STATION ROTATION: I have found that having my students rotate from numbered cone to numbered cone in a counter-clockwise direction works really well. So, when it’s time to rotate, the kids at Station #1 will go to #2, #2 goes to #3, and those at #4 will rotate to Station #1.
- USE MUSIC: I love using music in the gym – not only is it fun for the kids and I to listen to but it seriously works as the absolute best classroom management tool. My rule is: MUSIC ON-Your Turn, MUSIC OFF – My Turn! When I stop the music, my students know that it is time to rotate WITH THEIR STATION GROUP MEMBERS to their next station. Once everyone is at their next station – start the music back up again.
The Final Whistle – Basketball PE Stations
So, what do you say? Why not blast some “clean” and upbeat PE music , maybe tell a few funny BASKETBALL JOKES and bring the excitement of these 11 Winter Olympics PE Stations to your gymnasium today!
So, whether you decide to play these incredible Basketball PE Stations with your kindergarten students, first grade cuties or all the way up to fifth grade, Just have tons of Basketball FUN!
Thanks so much for stopping by to check out my 10 easy and super fun Basketball PE Stations.
If you’re looking for more easy, fun, and super unique (not boring) Low or No-Prep physical education games, I’ve got a bunch more for you.
As a matter of fact, I have a GIANT BUNDLE (200+ Pages and Growing) of Elementary Physical Education Games. AND… this 10 Basketball PE Stations Fun Bundle is included in my GIANT “Always Growing” BUNDLE.
You can grab your Physical Education HUGE GROWING BUNDLE RIGHT HERE!
Be sure to check out my other unique and fun Teacher Resources (Instant Bulletin Boards, Fun Classroom Decor, Learning and PE Games) in my Love 2 Teach and Learn TPT store RIGHT HERE!
I really appreciate it and I hope that you have a TRULY BLESSED And BEAUTIFUL Day spent laughing until your cheeks hurt!
