11 mil likes. 28K followers. 2.7 million views. These aren’t stats from an NFL player or major recording artist. They belong to P.E. teacher Sam Balto in Portland, Oregon, who created an organized way for students to ride their bikes to school every morning.
What is a bike bus?
Coach Balto’s bike bus originated in 2022—on Earth Day, to be precise. As Balto told People magazine, “It was a way to get my students active, reduce car trips of students being driven to the school, and have fun on bikes.”
Each day, students gather at the meeting spot at the assigned time. Once it’s time to leave, they bike together with parent volunteers and teachers, including Coach Balto. Other riders join the pack along the way. The “bus” has evolved to include music and unofficial cheerleaders in the community. Best of all, Coach Balto’s bike bus has inspired teachers and schools across the country to start their own!
Take a look at the bike bus in action:
We love so many things about Coach Balto’s project. The sense of community, kids starting their day with physical activity and outdoor time, the music … what an inspiration!
FAQs About the Bike Bus
1. How do you cross major streets?
2. What does the bike bus do when it rains?
3. Where do you store the bikes at school?
4. How do you prevent accidents with cars?
Ready to start your own?
In response to Coach Balto’s super-popular TikToks, people have started their own bike buses across the country! Coach Balto has a tab on his TikTok page for starting your own with these helpful videos.
Week 1
In this video, Coach Balto explains how he started a bike bus for his son’s school. He starts with planning, then shows their first practice ride, and finally gives his thoughts on improvement.
Week 2
Coach Balto mentions how he reviews expectations with the increased number of riders. He also mentions the challenge of finding a pace that works for both elementary and middle school riders, as well as the challenge of getting more bike racks.
Week 3
After two weeks of riding the bike route, Coach Balto shows how to get the word out about the bike route, plus the challenges (and joys!) that continue as a new bike bus gets off the ground.
In an age when TikTok trends often revolve around viral pranks or dares, it’s refreshing to see a P.E. teacher pedaling his way to the hearts of his students and the community. Coach Balto’s bike bus initiative isn’t just about exercise—it’s about fostering a sense of community and proving that educators can lead by example in the most unexpected ways. Maybe this will inspire more educators to think outside the classroom and onto the bike path.
There was a time when Americans didn’t fully appreciate the game of soccer, but those days are over. Soccer is the world’s most popular sport for a reason. One of the best things about soccer is that all you really need to get better is a ball! In order to succeed, players need good footwork, passing, dribbling, and shooting skills. Teams also need to have good communication. Get your touches in with our favorite soccer drills to improve your young athletes’ game!
Soccer Passing Drills
1. Pass and Move
This drill encourages the oh-so important skill of moving after you pass. It also includes variations so kids can try wall passes and then one-touch passes once they’ve mastered the simple pass and run.
2. Triangle Passing
Set up four red cones about 10 yards apart, and then place a single blue cone in the center. The central player’s job is done once they’ve completed four triangle passes. This drill works on moving off the ball and getting into a support position.
3. Possession
Designate an area of the field as the playing area using either cones or preexisting lines on the field. Divide the players into two teams and give one of them pinnies so you can easily distinguish the two teams. During play, teams score points by stringing together a predetermined number of passes. Be sure to encourage players to find open space so they aren’t all chasing the ball and forming a clump. For a variation, add a player that will play with whatever team has the ball so the team with possession always has more players.
4. Two-Ball Passing
This drill encourages players to think quickly with the ball at their feet since three players work to keep two balls away from a single defender.
5. Receiving and Turning Drill
This drill runs through a series of movements where players receive a pass with different parts of the foot and practice turning. Players are the receivers for about a minute before rotating with one of the passers. This drill works on a number of things such as checking in and out, timing of the service pass, and communication between players.
Soccer Shooting Drills
6. Finishing Off a Cross
Soccer drills that mimic real-game scenarios are very effective. This drill allows players to practice making good crosses while teaching strikers to time their runs and get a piece of the ball. Encourage players to use different parts of their body to get the ball in the back of the net, but be mindful that heading isn’t allowed for younger players.
7. Four-Cone Shooting
This drill works on passing as well as shooting since it requires patterned passes to occur before a shot is taken. There are multiple different variations shown in this video.
8. Shooting Technique
Going over proper shooting technique is so important. This video covers the basics like leaning over the ball and shooting with your laces.
9. Lightning Shooting
Soccer drills that promote a healthy sense of competition while also being fun are always a hit with players. In this fast-paced shooting drill, players line up outside the penalty area while one player starts in net. The first player in line shoots, and if they make their shot, they get to head to the back of the line. If they miss their shot, they become the goalkeeper. Whether they save the shot will determine if they are out or get to rejoin the line. The last player in line is the winner!
Soccer Dribbling Drills
10. Technical Cone Maze
We love that this dribbling drill gets the player a lot of touches on the ball while working on changing directions and keeping the ball close. You’ll want to make sure you have a lot of cones on hand so the maze can be challenging.
11. Sharks and Minnows
Sharks and Minnows is one of those soccer drills that should be a staple of any good youth soccer practice. Set up cones so there is a starting line and an ending line, then have players line up along the starting line. The players (the Minnows) must get from one side of the ocean to the other without having their ball kicked away by the coach (the Shark). Once a player’s ball is knocked away, they become a Shark too!
12. Gates Dribbling
Before playing, set up cones in pairs to create gates all around a designated area of the field. Then, challenge players to see how many gates they can dribble through in a predetermined amount of time. Be sure to stress to players that they need to keep the ball close so they don’t shoot the ball through the cones.
13. Dribbling Drills for Older Players
This video shows a number of different dribbling series appropriate for older players using just a number of gates created from two closely placed cones. Players dribble normally up to a cone and then do a dribbling movement such as inside to inside, outside to outside, or rollover between the gate.
Soccer Practice Drills
14. Pinnie Snag Tag
This drill is definitely a crowd-pleaser. While it can be played as a warm-up without a ball as shown here, you can easily amend it for soccer by adding a ball at each player’s feet. Designate a playing area using cones, then have each player place a pinnie hanging out of their shorts. Players are out when either their ball is kicked out of the area or their pinnie is pulled out. The last player standing is declared the winner.
15. 1 v 1 With Odds and Evens
Before getting started, you will need to assign every player a number. Have odd-numbered players stand to the left of the goal while even-numbered players stand to the right. Then, have players sit on the ground with their backs facing away from the field. The coach stands around midfield with a large pile of balls.
Once ready to begin, the coach calls out an odd number and an even number at random and throws a ball out to them. The players fight to win possession and score a goal for their team. Remind the players that no one is designated as either offense or defense since there will be a tendency of younger players to want to clear the ball once they win it. Instead, encourage them to immediately head to goal. We especially love that this drill instills a no-quit attitude in players while also working on their listening skills.
16. Juggling Horse
Divide players into small groups, then challenge them to keep the ball in the air using their feet, thighs, or chest. If the ball hits the ground, the team receives a letter. Once a team has spelled H-O-R-S-E, they are out of the round.
Soccer Footwork Drills
17. Two-Cone Drill
It’s amazing how many different variations of foot skills can be done using just two cones as your base. We especially love that it forces players to use their non-dominant foot as well as different parts of their foot.
18. Touches, Touches, and More Touches
This video goes through a number of different types of touches including formations, rolling toe taps, L-turns, etc. For each different skill, it designates a set number of touches to aim for so kids can improve their footwork quickly.
19. Soccer Trainer
A soccer trainer like this one is perfect for solo training since it keeps the ball close even when practicing kicks. It also encourages a good first touch as the ball comes flying back at you.
20. Technical Circle
This training drill focuses on a little bit of everything including throw-ins, juggling, and passing. It can be used as a warm-up or can be made into a competition between players.
Soccer Defense Drills
21. Clean Your Backyard
Before playing, divide the players into two even teams and give them an equal number of balls. Then, create a moat in the middle of the field between the two teams. The teams are challenged with “cleaning” their backyard by kicking the balls into the other team’s yard. Any balls that land in the moat must be removed by the coach. This drill is especially effective at teaching defenders how to clear the ball by leaning back and getting underneath the ball.
22. Defending Techniques
A good defensive stance is crucial to becoming an effective defender since lunging and other missteps increase the likelihood of getting beat.
23. 2 v 2 With Four Goals
Set up four small goals on the field with a goal in each of the field’s corners. Designate one of the teams as the defenders, then have the offensive team attempt to score in any one of the four goals. This drill works on good defensive techniques like getting low, making the field small, and making the steal.
24. Walk Through Goal Side, Ball Side
One of the most valuable skills to have as a defender (in soccer but also in many sports) is understanding the concept of goal side, ball side. While walking through real-game scenarios is not always fun for players, it is often necessary. Set your players up as shown in this video, then have the offense move to various spots on the field while the defenders position themselves between the the player and the goal.
25. Small-Group Defending
In this video, a professional soccer player demonstrates different ways of defending depending on the situation. He runs through 1 v 1, 2 v 2, and 3 v 2 drills. Concepts include taking away the passing lane and communication between the defenders.
Soccer Goalie Drills
26. Two-Cone Goalie Drill
First, set up two cones just to the right and left of the two goal posts about 10 yards out from the goal. Then, yell “left” or “right” to the goalkeeper, who must race to that cone before saving a rolling ball coming at them.
27. Diving
Diving is a necessary part of goalkeeping, but it can be intimidating for new goalkeepers. Try some of the basic drills in this video to introduce the safest and most effective ways to dive for the ball.
28. Catch and Release
Soccer drills should work on players’ reaction time, including goalkeepers. Set up one large goal for the keeper to stand in, then set up two smaller goals farther down the field on the left and right flanks. Finally, throw the keeper a variety of balls to practice catching and quickly throwing toward one of the smaller nets.
29. Footwork
This video gives a lot of good ideas for working on a goalkeeper’s footwork using just a ball, a partner, and some cones. Goalies run in and out of cones in various ways while catching balls that are tossed toward them.
30. Reaction Training
This video reviews ways in which a goalkeeper can take away an angle on a close shot such as from a through ball. It also shows goalies how to be in the best position possible to make a save.
Soccer Drills for U8 and Under
31. Musical Footballs (0:13 – 1:09)
Place all the players around a circle and then fill the circle with several soccer balls—one less than the number of players. Players then run into the middle and retrieve a ball. Whoever doesn’t get one is out. This continues until you have just one winner.
32. Bring It Home (1:12 – 1:49)
Before playing, you’ll want to set up with one large square with four smaller squares in the corners. Divide the kids into four teams, each with a home square. The goal is to get all of the balls into your team’s home base before time is up. And yes, players are allowed to steal from one another’s area.
33. Trick or Treat (1:52 – 2:03)
Have one large rectangle with cones on either side of the field. Have kids dribble back and forth retrieving cones (treats). The player with the most cones at the end of the game is declared the winner.
34. Traffic Light (0:04 – 0:34)
This is a simple game with four commands: green light, yellow light, red light, and gas station. On green light the players dribble forward quickly, on yellow light the players slow down or walk, on red light they stop, and on gas station they quickly jump and then sit on the ball.
35. Counting Touches
This drill is perfect for the toddler-to-preschool crowd who are new to soccer. While it starts with basic touches on top of the soccer ball while counting, it becomes increasingly more difficult as they become accustomed to each step.
What are your favorite soccer drills to play with your team? Come and share in our We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook.
Water is the best way to beat the heat! Grab beach towels and sunscreen, fill up the water balloons, and roll out the hose. Here are the best 50+ water activities to get kids—from toddlers to teens—learning and having fun in the summer sun.
Housing a Forest
1. Turn a plastic bottle into a sprinkler
No sprinkler? No problem! Upcycle a plastic water bottle and use your DIY sprinkler for all kinds of water activities.
Grab the sidewalk chalk and plant a garden of colorful alphabet flowers. Then fill a watering can and “water” the flowers, calling out the letters along the way.
A sealed plastic bag is the perfect environment for re-creating the water cycle. Hang it in a sunny window and watch evaporation, condensation, and precipitation in action.
Water balloons are fun, but they’re wasteful and messy too. These reusable “water bombs” are cheap, easy to make, and can be used for water activities over and over again.
Brush up on your engineering skills and assemble a water wheel with paper plates and cups. Try it out in the sink, or take it outside and use a hose instead.
This trendy toy is all over the web, but there’s no need to spend big bucks to buy one. Instead, get some plastic sheeting and a hose and make your own.
STEM water activities are fun, educational, and perfect for summertime exploration! Scoop up water from a creek or lake, then see how different types of filtration work.
Add a new twist to the classic game of tag! The kid who’s “It” gets the water bottle and chases the others down. If you’re hit by the spray, it’s your turn to be “It”!
Save bottle caps and paint letters on them. Then mix them all up in a big bowl of “soup” and let kids have fun scooping them out with spoons, ladles, or other tools.
This is one of those STEM water activities that you simply have to see to believe. Pierce a water-filled bag again and again without spilling a drop of water!
This colorful, tuneful activity is sure to be a hit with kids of all ages. Experiment with different water depths and mallet styles to make all kinds of beautiful music.
It’s so much fun to turn classic games into water activities. In this take on Duck, Duck, Goose, the tagged person gets a good splash of water before they run.
Take a nature stroll on a sunny day and pick up a variety of objects. Then bring them home and find out which ones float and which sink. Some of the results may surprise you!
You don’t need a pool to get wet with these noodles! Tape them together and poke some holes, then connect them to a hose for the coolest sprinkler around.
How clever is this? Write letters on sponges and float them in the pool. Kids swim out and grab letters, then bring them back to spell the best word they can.
Attach pool noodles to a pegboard using zip ties, then pour water to see where it lands. Simple water activities like this one can keep kids busy for hours!
Toddlers and big kids love playing with water and jugs. Set up a pouring station and let them go to town pouring and mixing. Add food coloring to turn this into an art activity.
Ice cubes, a bowl, and tongs are the only things you’ll need for this activity. It seems simple, but sometimes simple is all kids need (and ice cubes, of course).
Use all the materials you have—hoses, sprinklers, buckets, and more—to create a water obstacle course. Even better, have the kids set it up and manage how they move through it.
Get out all the painting materials and let kids go to town painting the patio, driveway, bricks, etc. By the time they’ve finished painting one area, they can go back and start again on the areas that have dried.
This is a great way to maximize outdoor play or a sandbox. Use foil to create a river and use whatever you find in the backyard to create obstacles, bridges, and other features.
Tag has been an iconic childhood game for as long as most of us can remember. These days, however, there are so many different versions of the classic game. Some incorporate beloved characters from Star Wars or Pokémon, while others encourage kids to act like animals or robots. There are even versions of tag that turn the players into pizza toppings and hot dogs! Some tag games are best played in P.E. class since you’ll need cones, Hula-Hoops, mats, or bean bags. Still others, like flashlight tag or water freeze tag, are perfect to play with friends in your neighborhood. Ready to play? Choose one of the tag games on our list and start running!
All variations of tag, including the classic version, have at least one player that is designated as “it,” or the tagger.
Try to chase and tag another player if you’re “it,” and avoid getting touched if you’re a runner. When a runner gets tagged, they become the new person who’s “it.”
Play tag until all the players are exhausted or until each person has been “it” at least once during the game.
Rules of the Game
Before beginning, you will need to designate a playing area that includes out-of-bounds areas and a safe zone. This is easy to do if you’re playing in a designated area like a school gym, basketball court, etc. Pick an area free from any hazards that could result in injury. The safe zone can be a piece of playground equipment, a Hula-Hoop, or even a tree. When players are in the safe zone, the tagger is not allowed to tag them. Be sure to set a limit on time spent in the safe zone so players don’t camp out there.
Select one player to be “it.” Depending on the setting, you can ask for a volunteer or just choose one at random. All the other players become the runners.
You can begin the game by having the tagger count down from 10 to give the runners a chance to get away. Once the tagger reaches 0, the game begins and they can begin tagging people.
TIPS: 1.) If you’re “it” keep your eye on the players while counting so you can decide who to go after first. 2.) If you’re a runner, try to find a hiding place to buy yourself some extra time.
“It” or the tagger is responsible for trying to chase and catch the runners. A tag should consist of a light touch on a person’s shoulder, arm, or back. The tagger can try to fake out the runners with movements, pretending to go one way and then cutting in another direction. The tagger, however, has to be honest about being “it.”
If you’re a runner, you will want to do your best to stay far away from the tagger. While you’ll definitely want to run away as fast as you can, you can try to put obstacles like trees or playground equipment in between you and the tagger. You can also try hiding somewhere out of sight of the tagger.
Once a player is tagged, they become “it” and immediately start chasing the other players. The previous tagger also immediately changes roles, becoming one of the runners. If you want to avoid the same player being “it” over and over, you can make a rule that players can’t tag the person who tagged them.
Unlike other games, tag doesn’t have a clearly defined end. You can choose to either end it when everyone is bored or tired or you can end once everyone has had a turn to be “it.” If you want to speed things along, you can have the person that’s “it” step out of the game playing area once they’ve tagged someone. This can continue until there is only one person left.
Tag Game Variations
Comeback Images/iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
1. Freeze Tag
Select two players to be “it” in this fun twist on regular tag, then set them free to “freeze” all the other players.
While this game is fun for anyone, Star Wars lovers will really get into playing rebels, Stormtroopers, Luke, Leia, Yoda, or even Darth Vader himself. Bonus: Could anything be more fun than tagging your friends with your lightsaber (in this case, a pool noodle)?
Ziggity Zoom
3. Octopus Tag
Start with one octopus while the rest of the kids are fish. Once tagged, fish become crabs who must stay where they were tagged as they join the octopus in trying to tag the fish as they run past. Finally, the last fish tagged becomes the next octopus. Since kids love funny hats, you can make a special one to designate the octopus.
In this hilarious version of tag, the first student tagged becomes the hot dog who then needs to find their “buns.” Once a complete hot dog is formed by three kids lying side by side, they are allowed to rejoin the game.
Playworks
5. Blob Tag
In this fun game, two kids link elbows to form the blob before chasing the other players. Once the blob reaches four players, it breaks off into two separate blobs.
Kids will definitely get a kick out of tagging their friends with their spider webs made from balled-up pinnies. Spider-man fans will be especially excited to play this fun twist on tag.
Playworks
7. Cookie jar
The tagger is the Cookie Monster and the rest of the students are the cookies. The cookies must ask, “Cookie Monster, Cookie Monster, are you hungry?” then wait for either a yes or a no reply. If yes, they must try to run across the field without getting eaten. If no, they must stay where they are.
This is a simple but unique twist on tag. When tagged, runners have to place their hand over where they were tagged as a Band-Aid. Once they have two Band-Aids, they must then wait to be freed.
Donald Gruener/ iStock/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
9. Shadow Tag
Tag games that also incorporate science lessons are the best! Before playing this fun game, teach your students about the ways in which shadows are formed when objects block a light source.
Learn more: Shadow Tag at Peep and the Big Wide World
PhysEdGames via YouTube
10. Pokemon Tag
Elementary school–age kids love Pokémon and they love running around, so this is sure to be a hit! We especially love that it works well for big groups and provides opportunities for different types of movement.
This would be a fun game of tag to play in the fall since tagged players become scarecrows. A player must crawl through the scarecrow’s legs to free them.
12. Oonch Neech
A popular game in Pakistan, this tag game requires players to find higher ground on a tree, rock, or the like in order to be safe from the tagger.
Kids will love getting a turn to be one of the evil toy makers since they get to turn their friends into robots. This is one game where kids might not mind getting tagged since they get an opportunity to showcase their best robot walk.
Parents and P.E. teachers who grew up playing Pac-man will definitely get a kick out of bringing the 1980s arcade game to life. We think your students will have a lot of fun too!
Watch video: Pac-man Tag on YouTube
nemke/E+ via Getty Images
17. Toilet Tag
Tag games that also include some bathroom humor are sure to be a hit with the elementary-age crowd. The tagger turns their friends into toilets and then other players flush the toilet to free them.
Little kids like to act like animals for no reason so why not give them one? This is a fun game for P.E., home, or recess.
19. Zombie Tag
You will need Hula-Hoops, cones, and a lot of pool noodles to bring this one to life (or back from the dead, in this case). This would be the perfect game to play during spooky season.
University of Victoria
20. Pinnie Tag
You can create a lot of variations of this one game, but the main idea remains the same. To begin, everyone places a pinnie hanging three-quarters of the way out of the back of their shorts/pants. Then, everyone must go after everyone else and attempt to pull out other players’ pinnies. Last person standing wins. You can amend this for sports like basketball or soccer by adding a ball into the equation.
Kids will go nuts for this game, but you will need to have the necessary vests on hand. We’ve included links below for an option for a school or for fun at home with just a few kids.
Before playing, pick a few kids to be the chefs and then divide the rest of the kids into pizza toppings. When your topping is called during the game, you need to run from one end of the gym to the other without the chefs getting you.
We especially love the cooperation required in this version of tag. Teams will link arms to form dragons, and then the end player will tuck a scarf or bandanna into their clothes to act as the tail. Teams try to steal each other’s tails during the game.
This version of tag is so simple yet so fun. Divide kids into teams of three, then pick which kid will be the designated player who will need to be protected from the tagger.
28. Crab Tag
Designate a smaller area than normal for this fun game. Taggers will need to tag players while walking on all fours like a crab.
Get your students laughing while also burning calories with this fun spin on tag. Tagged players must lie on their backs with their arms and legs in the air since they are now dead ants. A separate player must tag each of the dead ant’s limbs so they can rejoin the game.
