Homeschool Physical Education

Fun Activities

I am an informal homeschool physical education teacher. According to the dictionary P.E. is instruction in exercise, sports and hygiene. I do instruct my children in taking care of their bodies but I don’t instruct in exercise or sports. Yet I do believe in keeping fit. 

I do believe that we need to teach our children to live a healthy lifestyle. We need to teach our children that when we exercise we produce stronger muscles and leaner bodies. We can also prevent some diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

Time Involved

According to the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award all that children six through seventeen needs is sixty minutes a day for five days a week. For children who play outside this is not a problem.

You can break down the sixty minutes into smaller time increments. Make most of your child’s daily exercises aerobic. Don’t forget to include some muscle bone strengthening activities. Doing push-ups is a muscle strengthening activity. Jumping rope is a bone strengthening activity.

Ideas for Homeschool Physical Education

Make being fit fun. I try to encourage my children to do physical activities that they enjoy.

We like to walk in the woods. We have walked on trails even when our youngest child was not walking. If the trail was easy we took a stroller. Other times my husband carried a child in a backpack. We did not limit our trips to the weekend. There were trails near where we lived that we could take walks in the evening. Walking is a good family exercise because young and old enjoy it.

Swimming is another fun activity that all ages can do. My children have taken swimming lessons at a local pool. Most of my children can swim and enjoy the water.

Some families like to go biking. We have not gone on many bike rides. I do not feel that the roads where we live are safe for children to ride on. We also did not have a trailer so that we could transport everyone’s bike to the bike trails.

If you have a large backyard, playing outdoor games are fun. Play games such as;

• Badminton,
• Volley ball,
• Croquet,
• Bocce

You can also take your equipment to the park and play there.
 
Playing catch is also fun. Catching a ball can also develop hand-eye coordination.

If you live near an area that snows, your family might like to go skiing or snowboarding. Snowshoeing is also fun. You can rent skis and snowshoes.

When my older children got jobs they bought a kayak. They enjoyed going kayaking on a lake. My younger children enjoyed kayaking too. Some lakes have kayaks, canoes, or paddle boats for rent.

Some families that I know have their children in organized sports. The families were involved in little league and soccer. I never had my children involved because of the time it took for practice and the games were usually on Sunday.

Children with Special Needs

Reinforce what your child has learned during his physical therapy session by doing the exercises at home. Other activities like hopping on one foot, jumping jacks, and playing catch can help develop coordination.

Organized sports are also an option for children with special needs. Look in the phone book or ask your parks department if there is a group in your area.

Curriculum

I have never used a homeschool physical educational curriculum. I do talk about how exercise can help my children stay healthy. We also discuss nutrition and maintaining a healthy weight.
 
One curriculum that I have heard about is Fitness 4 Homeschool Curriculum from Family Time Fitness. The curriculum is written for homeschool families. It teaches how to exercise, weight management, and diabetes prevention. It also has options for disabled children.

 From what I have read Fitness 4 Homeschool;

• You do not need a lot of equipment,
• Can be used indoors or outdoors,
• Can fit into any schedule,
• Is easy to use.
  

Even if you do not use a formal homeschool physical education curriculum include exercise and the study of nutrition into your school.

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