I’ve found that playing music adds a wonderful dimension to a PE class. I can use it to energize or calm down a class, or just add some fun. I love it when just the right song comes on and all the kids are singing along as they work on their skill or play a game. I often see, or get asked for requests, for song ideas for a PE playlist, so here are some ideas:
Current Disney or other movie hits are always great with little ones (K-2). Especially if there is a current movie out with a really great soundtrack. Frozen is a good example of this. When that movie came out, I could put the soundtrack on and the whole class would be singing along. It was adorable. (Now I get groans for Frozen songs so there is a definite time table)
Write down songs you hear at sporting events in your area. Chances are you have students that are attending those events and they will get excited to hear those songs.
Ask your older students for ideas. You’ll need to carefully screen and I scratch a lot (because I’m the one that hears them all day), but I do get a few good ones.
Make separate playlists for holidays and other special events. For example I have a playlist that has songs I only play for certain activities like Star Wars songs, Mission Impossible, swamp music, etc. I also have a Christmas playlist, Halloween playlist, and a tabata playlist that I use for warm-ups.
Here is my current (and always changing) PE playlist:
- High Hopes/Panic at the Disco
- Natural/Imagine Dragons
- Life Changes/Thomas Rhett
- Better When I’m Dancin’/Megan Trainor
- Only Wanna Be With You/Hootie and the Blowfish
- Connection/One Republic
- Hall of Fame/The Script
- Wake Me Up/Avicli
- Glad You Came/The Wanted
- Maps/Maroon 5
- Cheerleader/OMI
- Lift Me Up/One Republic
- Out of My League/Fitz and The Tantrums
- Baby Shark/Pinkfong
- Immigrant Song/Led Zepplin
- Dynamite/China Anne McClain
- Pump Up the Jam/Crazy Frog
- Fireflies/Owl City
- La La La/Shakira
- Can’t Stop The Feeling/Justin Timberlake
- Keep Your Head Up/Andy Grammar
- Different Colors/Walk The Moon
- Hula Hoop/OMI
- Whatever It Takes/Imagine Dragons
- Mom/Meghan Trainor
- Old Town Road/Lil Nas X (student request and favorite)
- Happier/Marshmello
- Zero/Imagine Dragons
- Have It All/Jason Mraz
- One Minute More/Capital Cities
- Play That Song/Train
- Wasted Time/Keith Urban
- Walk Me Home/Pink
- Rescue Me/One Republic (current favorite)
- Shine/Collective Soul
- Welcome to The Jungle/Guns N Roses
- Hey, Soul Sister/Train
- Grenade/Bruno Mars (student request)
- Cake By The Ocean/DNCE (clean version)
- Heaven/One Republic
- Fine By Me/Andy Grammar
- Try Everything/Shakira
- Wonders/The Script
- One Less Day/Rob Thomas
- Take On Me/A-ha
- Best Day of My Life/American Authors
- Believer/American Authors
- Superheroes/The Script
- Brave/Sara Bareilles
- Pompeii/Bastille
- Because We Can/Bon Jovi
- It’s Time/Imagine Dragons
- Good Time/Owl City & Carly Rae Jeppson
- The Middle/Jimmy Eats World
- On Top of The World/Imagine Dragons
- Funkytown/Lipps, Inc
- Cool Kids/Echosmith
- Viva La Vida/Coldplay
- I Lived/One Republic
- Sugar/Maroon 5
- Don’t Stop/5 Seconds of Summer
- Animal/Neon Trees
- You’re My Best Friend/Queen
- Life Is A Highway/Rascal Flatts
- Ho Hey/Lumineers
- Centuries/Fall Out Boy
- Don’t Stop Believin’/Journey
- House of Gold/Twenty One Pilots
- Kernkraft 400/Zombie Nation (radio edit)
- Rise/ Katy Perry
- Luck/American Authors
- I Like To Move It/Madagascar 5
- One Thing/One Direction
- Eye of The Tiger (many versions)
- I Was Born/Hanson
- Something Just Like This/Chainsmokers and Coldplay
Hopefully, this list will give some ideas of music that might be right for your class. Comment with your favorites because I always need new songs to keep things fresh!