Benefits of Physical Education
Benefits of Physical Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Settings
Tracy Linwood
PED 212: Foundation of Movement & Motor Activities
Instructor Carly Davenport
June 6, 2012
Benefits of Physical Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Settings
The need for quality physical education in elementary schools is an important needed foundation for young children to maintain a future healthy lifestyle. The benefits of having physical education in elementary schools are endless. For example, physical education helps fight childhood obesity, lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and promote active children to be active adults. However, the rhetoric surrounding physical education in these schools are overbearing and making it hard for law makers, and school administrators to provide the maximum physical education needed for students to strive and nurture in. The opposition to having quality physical education base their arguments on budget constraints, family and home environment, teaching methods, and assessments, and so on. I plan to address each issue and provide data and evidence as to why we should promote and acknowledge the importance of having physical education in elementary schools, along with an action plan to provide physical education into my classroom that can be implemented, assess, and improve children motor skills. To begin with, the budget constraints placed on schools, and why they cannot afford to have the appropriate amount of physical education in elementary schools. The answer is simple, according to the University of Michigan (2012), schools cut physical education to focus more on academic scores. This in returns means more time in the classroom, not in the gym or outside playing time during recess. The Texas Board of Education recently voted to include physical education at the elementary level at a minimum of 135 minutes a week, reversing a 1995 decision to phase it out of the curriculum completely in order
Tracy Linwood
PED 212: Foundation of Movement & Motor Activities
Instructor Carly Davenport
June 6, 2012
Benefits of Physical Education in Elementary and Early Childhood Settings
The need for quality physical education in elementary schools is an important needed foundation for young children to maintain a future healthy lifestyle. The benefits of having physical education in elementary schools are endless. For example, physical education helps fight childhood obesity, lower the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, and promote active children to be active adults. However, the rhetoric surrounding physical education in these schools are overbearing and making it hard for law makers, and school administrators to provide the maximum physical education needed for students to strive and nurture in. The opposition to having quality physical education base their arguments on budget constraints, family and home environment, teaching methods, and assessments, and so on. I plan to address each issue and provide data and evidence as to why we should promote and acknowledge the importance of having physical education in elementary schools, along with an action plan to provide physical education into my classroom that can be implemented, assess, and improve children motor skills. To begin with, the budget constraints placed on schools, and why they cannot afford to have the appropriate amount of physical education in elementary schools. The answer is simple, according to the University of Michigan (2012), schools cut physical education to focus more on academic scores. This in returns means more time in the classroom, not in the gym or outside playing time during recess. The Texas Board of Education recently voted to include physical education at the elementary level at a minimum of 135 minutes a week, reversing a 1995 decision to phase it out of the curriculum completely in order
References: Physical Education in America’s Public Schools. (2012). Retrieved from http://sitemaker.umich.edu/356.speregen/physical_education_and_school_performance Borland, A. (2011).The nation’s physical education lanscape: A survey of facts and figures. Retrieved from http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m 0LJP/is_3_21/ai_94771942/ Fitzpatrick, M. (2012). Physical Education Grants for Elementary Schools. Retrieved from http://www.ehow.com/list_7149284_physical-education-grants-elementary-schools.html Pangrazi, R.P., & Beighle, A. (2010). Dynamic Physical Education for Elementary School Children (16th Ed.). Benjamin Cummings: Pearson Education Inc.