Build Confidence Teaching K-6 Primary PDHPE

If you’ve ever thought, “I don’t know what to teach in PE,” you are not alone.

This week on The PDHPE and CAFS Podcast, I sat down with Ash from Rainbow Sky Creations to talk honestly about something many NSW primary teachers feel but rarely say out loud.

Teaching PDHPE can feel overwhelming.

Not because you don’t care.
Not because you’re not capable.
But because your plate is already full.

Literacy.
Numeracy.
New syllabus changes.
HSIE.
Creative Arts.

And then someone says, “Don’t forget your 2.5 hours of planned physical activity.”

Let’s take a breath.

Why So Many Teachers Feel Unsure About PE

Many NSW primary teachers don’t identify as “sporty.”

And somewhere along the way, PE became synonymous with sport.

Here’s the reframe we need:

PE is not sport.
And sport is not PE.

PDHPE is education. It’s about fundamental movement skills, wellbeing, resilience, decision making and lifelong habits.

You are not coaching a representative cricket team. You are teaching movement for life.

That’s very different.

The Five Minute Shift That Changes Everything

One of the most powerful ideas we have been sharing?

It only takes five minutes.

Instead of calling them brain breaks, what if we reframed them as movement breaks?

Five minutes a day of intentional movement:

• Skipping
  
• Galloping
  
• Hopping challenges
  
• Quick partner relays
  
• Number-based movement games

Those tiny tweaks build confidence for you and competence for your students.

It’s not extra.
It’s strategic.

Integrating Literacy and Numeracy Into PDHPE

This is where NSW primary teachers shine.

You are already brilliant at integrating.

So let’s use that skill outdoors.

Try:

• Times tables basketball
  
• Vocabulary relays
  
• Sight word movement challenges
  
• Skip counting while skipping

When we combine movement with learning, we activate more than just muscles. We build memory pathways.

Yes. It all connects.

You Don’t Have to Reinvent It Each Week

One of the biggest mistakes I see?

Teachers reinventing PE every single week.

You don’t need to.

Build a bank of 10–15 go-to activities.
Repeat them.
Refine them.
Add small progressions.

Confidence grows with repetition..

You don’t need to be the sporty teacher.
You just need to be willing.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here: thelearnnet.com/163
🌈 Learn more about Ash's work here: rainbowskycreations.com

Let’s reimagine what PDHPE looks like in NSW primary schools.
You’re not alone.