NCERT Physical Education Textbook 2025: The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has, for the first time, introduced Physical Education textbooks for Classes 3 to 8. The Physical Education and Well-Being series has been launched in line with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 and the National Curriculum Framework for School Education (NCF-SE) 2023.
The Class 8 textbook Khel Yatra includes activities such as Baraf Pani, Move Like a Machine, Flex and React Challenge, and others, designed to teach students the importance of warm-up and cool-down exercises.
"Baraf Pani" Activity
The Baraf Pani activity helps students understand the roles of the bully, the victim, the bystander, and the upstander. Warm-up exercises include leaping, skipping, jumping, and hip and pelvic stretches.
In this game, the bully chases the victim, who must freeze once caught. Bystanders can unfreeze the victim by tapping them and saying "You are not alone" or "I am with you." Upstanders can intervene by confronting the bully with phrases like "Stop, that's not okay." The exercise encourages students to recognize how upstanders can support victims of bullying.
NCERT introduced the New Physical Education textbooks on X.com (formerly known as twitter).
For the first time ever, Physical Education has been introduced in NCERT textbooks from Class III to Class VIII.#NCERT is updating the curriculum across various classes this year, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
— NCERT (@ncert) August 28, 2025
The Class 3 textbook ‘Khel Yoga' is… pic.twitter.com/hfi8qZoHAq
Other Activities in the Class 8 Textbook
- Char Tali develops alertness and highlights society's role in stopping harassment.
- Move Like a Machine teaches how the musculoskeletal system supports movement.
- Pass, Sit, and Score combines passing with quick decision-making in a team format.
- Students also learn crouching for marathons, long jumps, standing broad jumps, and more.
NCERT's physical education textbooks for Classes 3 to 8 emphasize the value of sports, warm-up and cool-down routines, and make physical learning engaging and fun.
