Quality physical education programs provide learning opportunities for students in three learning domains: psychomotor, cognitive, and affective. Including multicultural activities into your physical education curriculum is a good way to provide learning opportunities for students in all three learning domains. By exposing students to multicultural activities in physical education, students not only learn new skills, but learn new games and develop a greater appreciation for other countries and cultures. Multicultural activities can address the following NASPE National Standards:

• Standard 3: Participates regularly in physical activity.
• Standard 5: Exhibits responsible personal and social behavior that respects self and others in physical activity settings.
• Standard 6: Values physical activity for health, enjoyment, challenge, self-expression, and/or social interaction.

Elementary Physical Education Lesson Ideas

The McDonald’s Passport to Play is a unique, multicultural, physical education curriculum designed to motivate elementary school-age children to engage in regular physical activity. The curriculum guide includes information about a variety of games from 15 different countries including Australia, Congo, France, Mexico, India, and the Netherlands.

A multicultural activity that can be included in a rhythmic/dance unit in elementary school physical education is Lummi Sticks. Lummi Sticks can be described as small wands or drum sticks. They are believed to have been part of the culture of the Lummi Indians in Northwest Washington, although some believe that the sticks originate from South Pacific cultures. A variety of basic rhythmic activities and routines can be developed using Lummi Sticks or the teacher can have students create their own rhythmic routines using Lummi Sticks.

Middle School Physical Education Lesson Ideas

Introducing middle school aged students to folk dancing in physical education can provide students with a greater understanding of different cultures. Folk dances can represent a country, region, or ethnic group’s culture, geography, climate, religion, music, and/or holidays/festivals, special occasions. The following is a Bulgarian folk dance – directions and cues from Dance a WhileHandbook for Folk, Square, Contra, and Social Dance, 8 th Ed.” By Jane A. Harris, Anne M. Pittman, Marlys S. Waller, and Cathy L. Dark.

The Tropanka is a lively Bulgarian stamping dance ideal for novices. The formation is a single circle, joined hands, shoulder height position.

Meter 2/4
Measures
	Walk and Stamp
1-2	Beginning right, move with five quick walking steps (shuffle-like) Counterclockwise, stamp left foot twice and pause.
3-4	Repeat beginning left, moving clockwise, stamp right foot twice.
5-8	Repeat measures 1-4 Step Hop and Stamp
1-2	Face center, step hop on right, swing left slightly across right. Step hop on left, swing right slightly across left. Step on right in place and stamp left foot twice and pause.
3-4	Repeat measures 1-2 beginning left and end stamping twice right and pause.
5-8	Repeat measures 1-4 To Center and Back
1-2	Beginning right, step hop twice toward center, step on right and stamp left twice.
3-4	Repeat measures 1-2. Moving backward, begin left.
5-8	Repeat measures 1-4.

Note: During the move to center, joined hands are raised as dancers move in and lowered as they move out.

High School Physical Education Lesson Ideas

Many different traditional individual and team sport activities have evolved from games from other countries. Often, physical education teachers can incorporate these games into their curriculums using existing equipment and facilities with minor modifications. One such game, Gaelic Football, is described below:

Gaelic Football is a team sport that is a combination of football and soccer. The sport originated in Ireland, where it is still played. Gaelic football is also played in Australia, England, and the United States. The games can be played outdoors on a football or soccer field. Teams consist of 15 players and the objective of the game is to score in a goal or over a crossbar between posts. Players are permitted to kick the ball, fist the ball, pass the ball from hand to hand, and bounce the ball. Players are not permitted to carry the ball more than 4 steps. Players defend similar to how defense is played in basketball and soccer; no pushing, kicking, tripping, holding, striking, or jumping into an opponent is permitted. Any type of ball could be used, preferably a smaller soccer ball about the size of a volleyball.

Recommendations

Multicultural activities in physical education can be easily turned into interdisciplinary activities as well. Collaborate with other teachers in the areas of social studies, history, geography, music, and/or art. Select a country to study and develop lessons based upon games and activities from the country being studied. Along with the psychomotor skills, provide students with a brief history/origin of a variety of games and activities. Include additional information pertaining to the culture, people, and customs associated with the country being studied to truly make your multicultural physical education lesson interdisciplinary as well!

Resources

Multicultural Approach to Physical Education: Proven Strategies for Middle and High School by Rhonda Clements and Suzanne Kinzler
(ISBN: 0736038825)
— 70 different games and activities from 24 cultures
— includes assessment strategies

Multicultural Folk Dance Treasure Chest , Volumes 1 and 2
(ISBN: 0880119314)
— includes videos, printed guide, and music

Multicultural Games by Lorraine Barbarash
(ISBN: 0880115653)
— 75 games from 43 countries or cultures on 6 continents