By Gemma Craker, Founder and Head of PE Solutions

A sports hall full of children moving, equipment flying, teams competing and teachers enthusiastically encouraging participation.

It looks like a successful PE lesson.

But here's a question:

How much are the children actually learning?

PE is a subject where activity and learning can sometimes become confused (guilty party over here!). We see children moving, participating and enjoying themselves, and naturally assume that learning is taking place.

Of course, movement is essential in PE. Children need time to practise, explore, experiment and develop their physical skills.

But being physically active and making meaningful progress are not necessarily the same thing.

One of the areas I believe deserves greater attention in Primary PE is how we manage the amount of information, instruction and decision making we ask children to process during a lesson.

In other words, how we think about cognitive load.

What is cognitive load?

Cognitive load relates to the demands placed on working memory when we process new information, learn something unfamiliar or attempt to complete a task.

Our working memory has limited capacity. When we introduce too much information, too many instructions or too many unfamiliar demands at once, learning can become more difficult.

Think about a child learning to throw and catch for the first time.

They might be trying to understand:

• How to position their body.

• Where to look.

• How to coordinate their arms and hands.

• How much force to use.

• When to release the object.

• Where to move after throwing.

Now imagine adding a complex game, several rules, multiple other children and additional instructions.

Suddenly, the child isn't simply learning to throw and catch. They are processing a whole range of additional information.

For some children, this can become overwhelming.

This is where thoughtful lesson design becomes particularly important.

More instructions don't necessarily mean better teaching

One of the common challenges in PE is trying to explain too much before children have had an opportunity to move.

We want children to understand the activity, the rules, the boundaries, the equipment, the expected technique, the success criteria and perhaps several different ways to adapt the task.

We explain everything.

And then we wonder why children can't remember what they're supposed to be doing!

There is a balance to find between providing enough information to support learning and giving children the opportunity to explore and practise.

Sometimes, a short explanation followed by a demonstration and an opportunity to try is far more effective than a lengthy verbal explanation.

This doesn't mean we should remove important teaching points. It means we should consider when and how we introduce them.

In PE, we have a particularly valuable teaching tool available to us: movement itself.

Rather than explaining every detail, we can demonstrate, allow children to experiment, observe what happens and introduce the next teaching point when it becomes relevant.

Layering the cognitive load

One approach I particularly enjoy exploring is the idea of layering cognitive load.

Rather than introducing every element of a task at once, we build the learning progressively.

Let's consider a simple example: developing throwing and catching skills.

Layer 1: Establish the movement

Children explore throwing an object upwards and catching it themselves.

The focus is on the basic movement, hand position, tracking and coordination.

Layer 2: Introduce a new challenge

Children change the height or direction of their throw.

Perhaps they throw higher, lower or slightly to one side.

The movement is familiar, but the challenge increases.

Layer 3: Introduce a partner

Children now throw and catch with a partner.

They need to consider the position of another person, the accuracy of their throw and the speed of the object.

Layer 4: Introduce decision making

Children explore different ways to throw, change distance or select an appropriate challenge.

They are now applying their developing skills while making decisions.

Layer 5: Apply the learning

The skills are incorporated into a simple game or challenge where children need to use what they have practised.

Notice what has happened.

We haven't simply added more activities. We have progressively introduced additional demands as children become more familiar and confident with the underlying movement.

This gives children an opportunity to establish the foundations before being asked to manage more complex situations.

It also gives teachers opportunities to observe, assess and respond to what children are demonstrating.

The importance of knowing your learners

Of course, cognitive load isn't just about the number of instructions we give.

It is also about what children already know and can do.

An activity that feels straightforward to one child might be extremely challenging for another.

Previous experience, physical competence, confidence, familiarity with equipment and understanding of the task all influence how children approach learning.

This is why effective differentiation in PE should go beyond simply making an activity easier or harder.

Sometimes, a child needs fewer instructions, a simpler environment or more opportunities to practise.

Another child might be ready for additional decisions, more complex movement patterns or greater independence.

The challenge for teachers is recognising what each child needs and adjusting the learning experience accordingly.

We should also remember that children can be physically capable of completing an activity but still find the instructions, rules or decision making challenging.

These are different demands, and good teaching recognises that.

The importance of lesson structure

I also think we need to consider the overall structure of our PE lessons.

Are children constantly being stopped, gathered in, given new instructions and sent off to start something different?

Are we introducing so many activities that children never really have time to develop anything?

Or are we creating opportunities for children to become familiar with an activity, build confidence and gradually apply what they have learned?

There is no single perfect lesson structure, but there should be a clear sense of progression.

Children should understand what they are doing, why they are doing it and what they are working towards.

This is something I return to regularly when working with teachers and developing professional learning experiences.

A lesson doesn't need to be packed with activities to be effective. Sometimes, giving children more time within fewer, carefully designed activities creates much better opportunities for learning.

What does this mean for our lesson planning?

When planning your next PE lesson, consider the following:

1. Identify the main learning intention.

What is the one key thing you want children to develop or understand?

2. Consider what children already know.

What previous knowledge or physical skills can they draw upon?

3. Introduce information in manageable chunks.

Avoid explaining every possible variation or rule before children have even started.

4. Use demonstrations effectively.

Showing children what a movement looks like can reduce the need for lengthy verbal explanations.

5. Build complexity gradually.

Introduce additional challenges when children are ready, rather than making the activity complicated from the outset.

6. Give children MORE time to practise.

Not every moment needs to involve a new instruction, activity or challenge. Sometimes the most valuable learning happens when children have time to repeat, refine and experiment.

7. Observe and respond.

Use what children demonstrate to decide whether to reinforce, adapt or extend the learning.

A lesson doesn't need to be complicated to be effective

I think this is an important message for Primary PE teachers.

There can sometimes be a temptation to make lessons exciting by constantly introducing new activities, equipment, challenges and games.

But we should remember that novelty and learning are not the same thing.

A relatively simple activity, carefully structured and progressively developed, can provide an incredibly rich learning experience.

The quality of a lesson isn't determined by how many activities we manage to fit into 45 minutes.

It's determined by the opportunities we create for children to learn, practise, develop and apply their skills.

At PE Solutions, this is something I'm particularly passionate about exploring through professional development. My workshop, Layering the Cognitive Load for Impactful PE Lessons, looks at how teachers can think more carefully about lesson structure, instruction, progression and the demands we place on learners.

Because sometimes, the biggest improvement we can make to a PE lesson isn't adding something else.

It's taking a step back, looking at what we are already asking children to do and thinking about how we can make the learning more effective.

A question to consider

Think about your last PE lesson.

How many different instructions, activities, rules and challenges did you introduce?

And more importantly, did each one contribute meaningfully to the learning?

Perhaps the most effective PE lessons aren't necessarily the busiest ones. Perhaps they're the ones where every element has a purpose.