The Balance It app is a task card resource designed specifically for PE teachers. It provides students with clear visual prompts and cues to help them develop gymnastic balancing skills — from simple individual poses to complex group formations.
Originally launched in 2013, Balance It has been downloaded over a million times and is used in PE classrooms worldwide. Whether you teach primary or secondary PE, this app gives your students a structured, progressive approach to gymnastics that works on any device.
What Is Balance It?
Balance It is a visual task card app featuring over 60 hand-drawn balance poses that progressively increase in difficulty. Students can work through individual balances, partner balances, and group formations — making it perfect for differentiated learning in PE.
Each card shows a clear illustration of the balance position, making it easy for students to understand what’s expected without needing lengthy verbal instructions. This frees you up to circulate, coach, and assess.
Key Features
- 60+ balance poses — individual, partner, and group formations
- Progressive difficulty — students work at their own level
- Hand-drawn illustrations — clear, student-friendly visuals
- Randomise feature — shake the device or tap to get a random balance challenge
- Works offline — no internet connection needed in the gym
- 20+ hours of lesson plans — complete, ready-to-teach gymnastics units
How PE Teachers Use Balance It
Here are the most popular ways teachers integrate Balance It into their PE classes:
- Station rotations: Set up iPads or tablets at stations, each showing a different balance challenge. Students rotate through and attempt each one.
- Warm-up challenges: Display a random balance on the screen as students enter — they have to hold it for 10 seconds before class starts.
- Progressive skill building: Start with individual balances in week 1, move to partner balances in week 2, and group formations in week 3.
- Student choice: Let students browse the cards and select balances that match their confidence level. Great for differentiation.
- Assessment tasks: Students demonstrate a sequence of 3-5 balances. Use ConnectedPE’s assessment tools to record and track their progress.
20+ Hours of Lesson Plans
To celebrate Balance It’s 10th anniversary, we added 20+ hours of complete lesson plan content directly inside the app. These lessons incorporate the Balance It task cards into structured, engaging units that cover:
- Individual balance development (beginner to advanced)
- Partner work and counterbalance techniques
- Group formation challenges and teamwork
- Gymnastics skill progressions aligned to curriculum standards
- Warm-up and cool-down routines using balance poses
Each lesson plan includes clear learning objectives, equipment lists, activity descriptions, and assessment criteria — everything you need to teach a complete gymnastics unit.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of Balance It
- Use a projector or large screen: Display the balance cards on a big screen so the whole class can see. Check out our guide on using large screen displays in PE.
- Pair with video feedback: Have students record their balance attempts and review them. The research supports video feedback for motor skill development.
- Track progress over time: Students can photograph their best attempts and build a portfolio. ConnectedPE’s platform makes this easy to manage across classes.
- Create sequences: Challenge students to link 3-5 balances into a smooth routine with transitions.
Get Balance It
Balance It is available for iOS and Android devices. Download it and start using it in your next gymnastics unit:
Want access to Balance It plus our full suite of PE apps, lesson plans, and AI planning tools? Explore ConnectedPE — the all-in-one platform for PE teachers with everything you need to plan, teach, and assess.