Who is this blogpost for?
If you are a PE teacher at a well-off public or private school, you probably have an adequate budget for purchasing sports equipment. You can probably skip this post. You have the knowledge of what you need based on how many students you see per class and how many classes you have each day. if you look at the list of equipment that I currently use, I bet you already have most of it anyway. There will be some MPE lessons that require handmade materials, but for the most part, you should be more than prepared to run the majority of the MPE games. However, this blog post may give you some more insight on the different materials I currently use in my lessons.
Now, if you are a Montessori classroom teacher (or PE teacher at a Montessori school), you might not be in the same situation. Classroom teachers are focused on using their budgets for classroom materials, not sports equipment. Some of those Montessori materials get pretty expensive, so there isn’t much money left for PE when you have to buy things like the cubing material (which costs about $1200 alone). As a classroom teacher who has to teach PE, any trepidation you already have only gets worse when you don’t have the right equipment to run the games either. Not having the necessary equipment can be the tipping point for running an effective program or not.
What you need to know is, “What materials give me the biggest bang for the buck? What materials do I absolutely need to run the most lessons I can from Montessori Physical Education (especially when cost is an issue)?” If you ever had these questions before, this is the blog post for you!
The recommended list of equipment is meant specifically for my Montessori Physical Education lessons. There is a lot of great PE equipment out there that I have not used yet, but will in the future.
This is what I would consider the Essential Equipment List. The total cost if you purchased all these materials would be just under $600.
It consists of:
Rubber disc dots
2 sets of 12, which should be cost about $56.
71 / 120 lessons use this item
Cones
2 sets of 20 cones, should cost around $24
58 / 120 lessons use this item
Colored jersey / pinnies
4 sets of 12, should cost around $200
48 / 120 lessons use this item
Soft throwing balls
3 sets of 6 should cost around $135
48 / 120 lessons use this item
No kink hula-hoops
2 sets of 12 should cost around $172
26 / 120 lessons use this item
This is what I would consider the Necessary but Potentially Pricey Equipment List. This list has some interchangeable pieces depending on whether your play space is inside or outside. For example, the 55 gallon containers can be used instead of the adjustable basketball hoops (especially if you only have an outside space). While the basketball hoops can be expensive (about $400 a piece), the adjustable capability is integral for your younger students having success with some of the games. If you buy the Essential List and the Necessary but Potentially Pricey List, the total will vary between $2000 to $3000 (really depends on the adjustable hoops).
It consists of:
Basketballs
The price of basketballs can vary a lot depending quality. Four sets of medium quality basketballs that come with six would be around $200.
23 / 120 lessons use this item
Adjustable Basketball Hoops
You should get at least two, but depending on how many student you have, you may need four. An excellent adjustable basketball hoop runs around $400.
22 / 120 lessons use this item
Tennis Balls
A bucket of sixty tennis balls should be about $60.
21 / 120 lessons use this item
Soccer balls / Volleyballs / kickballs
A set of twelve soccer balls is about $80, a set of six volleyballs is around $50, and a set of six kickballs is around $30
17 / 120 lessons use this item
55 Gallon Container (if basketball hoops are not an option)
Each one is about $100, I would suggest at least two, but four is best
14 / 120 lessons use this item
This is what I would consider the Money is No Object Equipment List. if you have a substantial budget, then this is the rest of equipment that I use for my lessons. Truthfully, it took me years to accumulate all this equipment, so don’t feel like you need all of this immediately. As long as you make sure that the equipment lasts, you can add new pieces each year to build the collection. For example, the scooters I get are from Cosom, and they are amazing, but expensive. I bought a set of six each year, and after three years I finally had the amount that works for me. If you buy everything, the total will be somewhere around $6000.
It consists of:
Score Keeper (Flip Chart)
One set is about $10
14 / 120 lessons use this item
Four foot portable collapsible goals
A set of two is about $80, four goals total is best
12 / 120 lessons use this item
Dry Erase Board
A 36 X 24 board is about $40
10 / 120 lessons use this item
Junior Set of Hockey Sticks
A set of 12 is about $75, and the number of sets you need depends on how many students you have per class
10 / 120 lessons use this item
Assorted color Pool Noodles
A set of 35 pool noodles of different colors is $75
10 / 120 lessons use this item
Yoga Balls
Each yoga ball is around $30, and it’s best to have at least four
8 / 120 lessons use this item
Scooters
Don’t cheap out on the scooters. The best is Cosom 16 inch premium boards. They roll so much better than anything else on the market. For a set of six, they are over $400 though.
8 / 120 lessons use this item
Tape Measure
A good track tape measure is around $20
7 / 120 lessons use this item
Jump ropes
Jump ropes for a single student run about $5 each, and the extra long ropes are about $6 each. The amount of ropes you need depends on the number of students, but I would have at least a 1:4 ratio of the single ropes and several of the long ropes.
7 / 120 lessons use this item
Flag Belts
A set of flag belts varies in price a lot, but should be in the range of $15 for a set of six. For younger ages ages, look for the ones that clip connect, but they break faster, but they are so much easier to put on. Better ones the flags can come off because they are attached by velcro. They are harder to put on, so they are better for the older students.
10 / 120 lessons use this item
Basic Lego or building block set
One set of 500 pieces is about $30
4 / 120 lessons use this item
Cricket set and tee
A cricket set of two bats and wickets should be about $80, and baseball tee should be around $30
3 / 120 lessons use this item
Playing Cards
A deck of cards typically runs for $7
2 / 120 lessons use this item
Large Jenga blocks
Each set is around $50
2 / 120 lessons use this item
Spike ball nets (recommend Jogenmax)
Each net kit is $70, which is pricier than its competitors but much higher quality
1 / 120 lessons use this item
Footballs
A set of six footballs would be about $40
1 / 120 lessons use this item
You may use footballs as a substitute for lots of different throwing and catching games, so depending on preference, these could be used much more.
Tennis Rackets
These can be very expensive, so I would suggest going to a used sports equipment store and buying what you need. Good used tennis rackets are about $20 a piece.
1 / 120 lessons use this item
Besides the cell membrane lesson, you may end up doing a unit on tennis as you explore the culture of Europe.
Height Adjustable Net
A good set is about $70
1 / 120 lessons use this item
While only one lesson may require the net, it can be used for all types of sports that might be studied when looking at the culture of those people. Very useful for tennis, volleyball, and badminton.
Hand scoops (and/or junior lacrosse sticks)
A set of six scoop ball handles is $35, and you probably need at least two sets (if not more).
1 / 120 lessons use this item
These were integral for during the early days of Covid when we thought there was potential for surface transmission. I was using these for any throwing and catching dynamic instead of touching the ball with our hands. This is a versatile piece of equipment.
So there’s the list. Again, this is not meant to be an exhaustive list that covers all of your athletic school needs, especially if you run sports programs as well. What this list is meant to do is point you in the right direction for materials that you would need running Montessori Physical Education lessons.