Megan Reynolds

Megan Reynolds

I am a teacher & designer. Connecting with students & seeing them enjoy learning is my favorite feeling on earth! I hope you enjoy this article!

2nd Grade Exercise Choice Board Tutorial for Teachers

Build your own Exercise Choice Board for 2nd Grade in minutes! Keep kids engaged & learning using these tactics & templates
To use a choice board in your 2nd Grade Classroom during Exercise you will need to create the Exercisechoices (there are lots of examples), organize the classroom, and have a goal;

Time-saving, differentiation, and dynamic classroom management are my favorite reasons to use a choice board!

Integrating choices every day you will need to hone in on the best way to apply 2nd Grade Exercise choice boards to your classroom style!

Here are a few ideas and instructions on choices, classroom management and getting buy-in from your2nd Graders

Ideas & Examples of Great 2nd Grade Exercise Choices

Superhero Stretch Time!
Stand tall, reach for the sky like Superman flying! Now, bend forward, touch your toes like Spider-Man climbing. Twist your body side to side like Batman turning. Be a hero, stretch and smile!
Dance Party Freeze Game!
Dance to music & when it stops, freeze like a statue! No moving until the music plays again. Have fun making silly poses with friends!
Animal Moves Adventure!
Pretend to be animals! Hop like a frog, crawl like a bear, and flap like a bird. Have fun moving your body in different ways. It’s an adventure!
Garden Yoga Poses!
Pretend you’re a tree, stand tall, balance on one foot. Be a flower, sit, touch toes, reach for the sun. Curl up small like a seed. Stretch out like growing grass. Have fun moving like nature!
Balloon Keep-Up Challenge!
Hit a balloon up in the air and don’t let it touch the ground! Count how many times you can hit it without dropping it. Play alone or with friends!
Treasure Hunt Fitness Quest!
Go on an adventure! Find clues around the room. Each clue leads to a fun exercise like 5 jumps or 3 spins. Complete all to find the treasure!
Silly Sports Charades!
Pretend to play a sport but in a funny way, like hopping in soccer. No talking, others guess the sport! Use your imagination and have fun acting it out!
Space Shuttle Blast-Off Drills!
Pretend you’re a rocket! Squat low to the ground, count down from 5, then jump up high with your arms up like you’re blasting off to space! 🚀 Repeat and have fun!
Rainbow Relay Races!
Run to colors in teams! When I say “Red,” touch the red spot and race back. Take turns, and cheer friends. Fun and fast like a rainbow! 🌈🏃‍♂️🏃‍♀️

Using a Choice Board to Differentiate Exercise in a 2nd Grade Classroom

Keep It Simple

Everyone “teacher & student” should know exactly what they are doing. If you don’t make it even easier! 

Differential Instruction vs Saving time?

There is nothing more irritating than “Saving Time” with a Choice Board & ending up with “More work!”.  Are you using this to hit standards or save time or both? 

"Self Guided" or "instruction-based"?

If you giving out work, should they do it on their own or are these more instructions for each choice?

General rule, if the grade is > 3 there is more work per choice.

FREE Blank Fillable & Custom Choice Board

All ages, all grades where you need 9 grid choice board. Start loving learning again! 

How To Manage Your 2nd Grade Classroom During Exercise (With a Choice Board)

I find its easiest to use a big board at the front of the classroom where all students can see the choices  then decide what they want to do

This often will be coming in from a break or transition between subjects. 

If you can get all students to know whats expected during a choice activity it becomes one-hundred times easier to manage the class & have everyone know what choices they have!  

There are three core steps you have to hit when using a Choice Board; 

1) The Set Up
2) 
The Instruction 
3) The Q+A 

1) The Set Up

Select your choices, decide on how you are going to use this time in your classroom. Build the choice board

1) The Instruction

Tell the students what they are going to be doing (this becomes easier over time) Simply start with 3 options & move from there. 

1) The Q & A

Does anyone have questions? This will help you or the next time. Remember the goal is to make this easier each time! 

Why Use A Choice Board?

So, let’s chat about choiceboards and why they’re like the coolest thing ever in your classroom. 

Picture this: kiddos bouncing into the room, eyes lighting up because they get to pick their own adventure in learning new words.

 It’s like a mini vocab party, and everyone’s invited!

We all have our own jam, right? Some of us are little artists, others are born performers, and some love to get lost in stories. Choice boards are like a buffet of fun learning snacks, so every munchkin finds something tasty that helps the vocab stick!

And here’s the kicker – when the little ones get to steer the ship, they turn into these mini captains of learning. They’re making the calls, and with every choice, they puff up a bit more with confidence. It’s a win-win – they’re learning and feeling like the boss at the same time.

Plus, for us teachers, it’s like having a secret helper in the room. We get to sprinkle in all sorts of activities that match our students’ levels and what makes their hearts tick. It’s like custom-making a learning playlist that gets every kid grooving to the vocab beat. How cool is that?