How do you handle PE?

[Stacie Leigh]

We have done health and safety studies, but what about the actual physical activities part?

 

Do you send your kids out for a run around the house or do you have specific activities and games you like to cover and how important is it to you personally?

[Chris in VA]

In first grade, dd swam and danced, and in second, she took gymnastics. I felt she got enough time outside, climbing, running, playing catch with Dad, etc. that I didn't need to supplement any more than that.

 

Now, if she's home in 7th grade, she'll not only dance, but go for her Presidential Award. You might try that. And, I believe developing a fitness lifestyle, one that involves the whole family, is a good thing--so, can you join a club or take walks after dinner, or do a video or a Wii Fit game with her?

 

I don't have specific goals, except learning some skills (like catching/throwing and swimming, and maybe the rules of certain lifelong sports--volleyball, etc) and maintaining good muscle tone/body mass.

[Recovering Sociopath]

My little guys (6.5yo and almost 5yo) take gymnastics (1x week), swimming (2x week) and dance (1x week) during the school year.

 

I usually boot them out into the back yard on nice days so they can do whatever.

 

Pro tip: We have invested very, very little in the way of grass, landscaping, etc in our back yard. That way they aren't destroying anything when they decide to turn on the hose and make mud, etc. Everybody is happier that way, we find.

 

Except our HOA. ;)

[ByGrace3]

dd does gymnastics 2x a week.

[Dmmetler]

DD dances or has gymnastics 3x/week during the school year, so I figure that this is sufficient, along with playing outside. She's done a few other sports via our local rec department, but so far, she prefers dance.

[Farrar]

We go out for a decent hike once a week most of the time. The kids do soccer in the spring and fall. They do ballet as well. And they're just constantly at play. I mean, a park day? That's PE in my book because they're in motion.

[Sushi's Mom]

We bought a Wii with many of the active games.

 

She has done various classes, such as:

Homeschooling bowling

Homeschool gym class at a college

Gym class at our homeschool co-op

Fencing

 

We joined the YMCA. She swims, does rock climbing, and goes to the drop off room which has slides, balls, and climbing structures. We try to go there three times a week. Sometimes we are so busy that it's tough to fit it in.

 

We have to drive places for most activities. I have an only child and I do not allow her to play with the neighbor kids. We don't have any homeschoolers in our neighborhood and the kids that do live here are out of control.

 

Oh, and she recently bought a pogo stick.

[morosophe]

Martial arts lessons twice a week for my oldest son. His brother may be going to gymnastics camp once a week this summer.

[Hedgehogs4]

we have a trampoline. (=

 

seriously, though, we try to get the kids together with other kids for organized and even semi- or non-organized outdoor play. They love kickball, jump rope and playground games. We live a life that is very healthy and we discuss health and safety with them all the time. The kids take First Tee and swimming, and I hope to teach them tennis. I want them to learn games and skills for life--I do not value highly the sports-team mentality.

[Jenny in Florida]

Now, if she's home in 7th grade, she'll not only dance, but go for her Presidential Award.

 

First of all, in Florida, we don't have any requirement to do PE.

 

However, since I do want to make sure my kids are active, my daughter did that, too. She has never been big on either the great outdoors or physical activity in general. And we're not a sports family. So, doing the Presidential Fitness program gave her goals but allowed flexibility in how to meet them. She logged time swimming and playing tennis and biking. She does a lot of theatre and was able to log time spent dancing during rehearsals and performances, too.

 

It worked well for her.

 

My son has been taking dance lessons since he was five. He doesn't need any encouragement to keep moving. So, we haven't bothered with a formal PE program.

[Hunter]

I used to assign a sport of the month. We read at least one book from the library on the sport, and then engaged in drill activities that are used by players to improve their game.

 

We also used videos and books and charts to work on stamina and strength.

 

A morning walk around the neighborhood was manditory, after family worship time.

 

We truly did have physical EDUCATION.

[NorCalMom]

It's pretty much the same thing in our home as listed by previous posters. DD has ballet 4x per week, and ds plays baseball and swims. We also have park days with our homeschool group, so I think we've got it covered. We add in Abeka Health also.

[sagira]

Ds has taekwondo 3x a week, swimming at least once a week, biking once a week, tennis once a week. I think we're covered too.

[NanceXToo]

My daughter takes a judo class at the Y once a week.

 

She does other things here and there throughout the year- a winter homeschool bowling league, swimming lessons in the summer, once a month homeschool PE classes at the Y over the school year, etc.

 

She does plenty of running and playing and bike riding and climbing and so on in her free time when she's just playing, so I know she gets plenty of exercise.

 

Sometimes we go for walks together, and sometimes she likes to take kid's exercise or dance videos out from the library and do them on her own for fun.

[beaners]

I used to assign a sport of the month. We read at least one book from the library on the sport, and then engaged in drill activities that are used by players to improve their game.

 

 

I really like this. To a certain extent, knowing about sports is cultural literacy. Not everyone wants to be knowledgeable in this area, but I expect my children to be able to scan the sports page of the paper as well as the world news, local pages, and cooking sections.

 

Plus there are lots of fun sports that fall outside of the baseball, basketball, football genre. Curling, cricket, ballon-balais...

[Stacie Leigh]

DD is 4 and takes dance once a week. The boys are 6 and 8 and they are active and play outside a lot, but in PA the winters are torturous and there is no way that we can get through schoolwork and chores if I let them do snow play every day. It takes FOREVER to get them suited up and then clean up after they come in and then it takes a load of laundry or two to get all of the muddy pants, jackets, socks, boot liners, sweats, etc... through the laundry and ready for the next time...

 

We take a family walk on a daily basis, but I'm already dreading the winter so I guess I'll have to invest in some kind of exercise videos or something, lol!

[Tam101]

My son takes a swim/gym class at the Y once a week and play's team sports. He'll have two season's of baseball this year, baseball camp and basketball in the winter.