How do you cover P.E.?

[CatholicMom]

I know a lot of mamas will say lessons, lessons, lessons... BUT it just seems that there are some "traditional PE skills" that are not going to be covered by taking a lesson here and a lesson there. Lessons are so specific to one sport usually. I wish there were something more well-rounded like a "homeschool gym class."

 

Otherwise, where will kids learn to play kickball?

 

Or do a relay race?

 

Or try pull-ups?

 

Or learn the long jump?

 

Or learn to play dodgeball?

 

Or try the uneven bars?

 

I mean, in my gym class as a kid, though I thought they were worthless at the time, I was exposed to a lot of things that were valuable and just stuff everyone should know in our culture... dodgeball, kickball, the basics of many sports, rope climbing, climbing the peg board, we even did a segment on gymnastics and I remember doing somersault races, doing the uneven bars, etc. I'm sure there's a lot more that I can't remember.

 

I've had my boys (ages almost-9 & 10) take swim lessons in the past, and they were on a Rec Soccer team. They ride bikes, jump on their pogo stick (lol), and play outside, but I still think they are not as coordinated as they would be if they were in school. They are pretty clumsy, to be honest, and though I was never a traditional "athlete" I was strong and was a cheerleader, could do cartwheels, back bends and all that stuff, was involved in track and field... And dh was VERY athletic in school and was the forward on his basketball team, very good soccer player, etc.

 

So as stereotypical as it is, I really think my kids' physical fitness and agility is affected by homeschooling and I feel like I'm dropping the ball somehow (no pun intended, lol).

 

How can I fix this without signing them up 15 sets of lessons?

 

Does anyone do a phys. ed. program? I know I could buy a book, but how on earth can I teach the kids how to play kickball without a group of kids? :001_unsure:

[warneral]

This isn't what you are looking for, but I've found enrolling in a weekly class invaluable.

[My3Munchkins]

We're fortunate enough to have a homeschool PE program in our area. DC go to a local park every Thursday for 3 hours.

[Hedgehogs4]

We do CrossFit Kids (and I do regular CrossFit). It is the best PE you can get.

[homeschoolkitty]

it will take organization but you can make a co-op of homeschoolers or get your neighboorhood kids and start couple times a week during summer and once a week on colder months... unless you have a large family it will be hard to do it alone. You and hubby would have to play too.

[HS Mom in NC]

This is what we do:

 

http://www.sportskidzaz.org/

[kristin0713]

Our local Y started offering a homeschool PE class at the request of parents. It covers all the basics that kids do in PE in school and offers them an open swim time as well.

 

There is also this: http://familytimefitness.com/

[tammyw]

I wonder if your area has a Homeschool PE class? Here are a couple that offer classes in our area:

 

http://www.emhsports.com/

 

http://www.californiaathletics.com/

 

It's a nice way to try a different sport every month!

[Ellie]

I never tried to "cover p.e." :D

 

Both dds did soccer twice. Both danced, first ballet, then Scottish highland dance.

 

Older dd, as an adult, has done marathons and triathalons because she thinks they're fun. o_0 Younger dd continued dancing, took many dance classes at the community college, taught ballet for several years.

 

A homeschool p.e. class would not have interested us, especially since they tend to be in the middle of the day, when we are most productive at home.

[Shannanlee]

My son plays various sports throughout the year so that is his PE.

[Samiam]

We do a weekly P.E. class at the Y. Prior to that, in a different state, the City Rec dept offered a free Homeschool P.E. at one of their community/playground centers. You may want to kick the ball, so to speak and contact these organizations to see if they'd be interested in offering this, and then spread the word to homeschoolers in your area. Lots of times they don't think of it until someone brings it up to them, and all of these organizations could use the funds this would bring in.

 

If we didn't have this, I'd consider the sports that my children participate in as their P.E. They generally play a team sport throughout the year, ie soccer, basketball, etc. We go roller skating. We run/walk the indoor track. We swim. We occasionally hike. If I wanted to be really diligent, I'd get a sports-exercise type game for the Kinect and require them to do that as part of school work. I may still do that for the winter months.

 

For me, P.E. is not so much about learning sit-ups, playing dodge-ball, etc...it's more about just keeping my boys off the couch. More of a active lifestyle, if you will. We go to the P.E. class though because they have fun. Different games, ones I've never heard of, lol, are sometimes played. It's a fun social time as well as exercise for them.

[CatholicMom]

You can do most of those things by playing at the park (chin ups, pull ups, dodge ball....although dodge ball is a stupid game IMO).

 

If you can find some other people to get together with you can do some group games.

 

 

Good idea! I never even thought of doing chin ups, etc, on the monkey bars... duh. We could at least do that.

[Mommy22alyns]

I just consider their extracurriculars as PE. Sylvia did 4 years of gymnastics and is in dance now. She also did soccer for a while. Rebecca works out at the gym 12-20 hours a week as it is; I'm not going to do more than ask her to play outside at home.

[swellmomma]

We do a combination of organized lessons (like dance, soccer, swim lessons); drop in rec days in town (they usually do a session of free bowling in the am, and free swimming in the pm on PD days when school is closed); get togethers with other homeschoolers for a pick up game of basketball or baseball, the big kids cover a lot of skills in cadets. Lastly, as a family we do things like hiking, badminton, they ride bikes, play on trampolines etc Before high school level I don't really put any thought into what they are doing skillwise as long as they are active. High school diploma requirements state they need at least PE10 and on the gov't website lists out what skills/areas, and my teens completed that this year.

 

Next year for PE20 instead of the level of dance dd took, she will be doing horseback riding, we are joining the cross country ski club as a family (which includes ski rentals for the season we get to keep at home to use whenever we want in the annual family fee of $200) and archery club. And they will all be taking TKD. Add in the snow shoeing, climbing, hiking, marching they do in cadets. Plus soccer, baseball, swimming, bowling, badminton, etc they will have it covered.

 

As for track events, back in the city one of the support groups we were in did a track and field day that was a huge hit and we participated once. That is something if you can access the equipment you could organize yourself for homeschoolers in the area. Or just do what you can. Long jump, sprints etc can be done easily at home, high jump or discus not so much.

[ScoutTN]

Our local Y started offering a homeschool PE class at the request of parents. It covers all the basics that kids do in PE in school and offers them an open swim time as well.

 

 

Our YMCA does this too. It is very good. The first hour they do traditional PE including stretches and warm-ups, rotating through softball, tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field in 5 week units and filling in the gaps with nature walks (this Y has a great bike trail and a creek nearby), gym games like dodgeball and kickball and even a little bit of yoga. The second hour is free swim.

This is offered two days a week and you can do one or both or switch between days.

 

 

My kids also play kickball, dodgeball, and do field day type activities at church and at summer camp.

[Berta]

My older daughter played field hockey and my younger daughter takes karate 2x a week.

[Farrar]

"Go outside! Now!"

 

That's how I cover P.E. ;)

[CatholicMom]

[/size]

 

 

Our YMCA does this too. It is very good. The first hour they do traditional PE including stretches and warm-ups, rotating through softball, tennis, basketball, volleyball, soccer, track and field in 5 week units and filling in the gaps with nature walks (this Y has a great bike trail and a creek nearby), gym games like dodgeball and kickball and even a little bit of yoga. The second hour is free swim.

This is offered two days a week and you can do one or both or switch between days.

 

This would be awesome. I would love something like that. Our Y has a "homeschool swim" but I don't remember a class like this.

 

I do know that our town recreation department offers a lot of things during the summer (for free!). It's just a lot of running around to go to baseball this day, basketball the other day, then basketball for the youngers, kickball on Saturdays, etc... A "homeschool gym" type of class would accomplish more of the wide array of sports and skills I think my kids would love and benefit from.

 

I used to think just being active was enough. But I think more formal PE with instruction would be very helpful.

 

For now I think I will make use of the drop-in programs my town offers in the summer. During the winter I see that they know offer indoor soccer, so that's cool.

[Flowergirl159]

"Go outside! Now!"

 

That's how I cover P.E. ;)

 

Oh that is hilarious!!! Love it :hurray: I have just started doing a similar thing. Although my children also spend four afternoons at dance classes too, but each day now, they have to "go play outside" for a while :)

[Arcadia]

Otherwise, where will kids learn to play kickball?

Or do a relay race?

Or try pull-ups?

Or learn the long jump?

Or learn to play dodgeball?

Or try the uneven bars?

 

We skip dodgeball. We do pull ups and uneven bars at the park. Bring a ball to the park and boys will be attracted to an impromptu game of kickball or basketball. My boys do long jump and baton relay anywhere convenient.

My boys have tried rock climbing last summer and will try golf and bowling this summer. We swim whenever our condo pool is heated. We tried fishing last week as part of National Fishing Week and we hike often. We'll be going for a geocaching lesson this weekend at county park.

My boys used to go to a leisure gym class to improve their motor skills, they are slightly behind. We did skip rope and push ups too.

[petepie2]

Our YMCA also has a homeschool class that meets once a week. First half of the class is gym time and the other half is instruction in the pool. We also play soccer and basketball.

 

I do understand what you're saying though. For example, my only exposure to softball when I was a kid was in my P.E. class. (And I wasn't very good at it!) I would like for my kids to have some basic softball/baseball skills, but the time commitment for softball/baseball leagues in our area is just too much for our family (practices plus at least two games per week! Ain't gonna happen!) But here's the bottom line for me: Sports and P.E. are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. My goal for them is to be active and healthy, develop some gross motor skills, learn teamwork, develop endurance and perseverance, etc. Those things can be accomplished with just one team sport. And if they never play a game of softball (for example), I have to admit that in the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter.

[SilverMoon]

.

Edited September 17, 2023 by SilverMoon

[TKDmom]

I have this book, which I bought, but never use. It seems like it would be a worthwhile resource if you were committed to doing a sturctured PE class at home....

 

My kids do TaeKwonDo several times a week for their excercise. We also do Scouts. And I'm surprised at the number of games they pick up just from playing with firends.

 

We also have The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys, which dd likes to read for game ideas when she plays with other kids. I'm not sure if my boys ever look at the Boys book I got them--I think they just rely on their older sister to know everything for them. ;)

[momto2Cs]

We also have The Daring Book for Girls and The Dangerous Book for Boys, which dd likes to read for game ideas when she plays with other kids. I'm not sure if my boys ever look at the Boys book I got them--I think they just rely on their older sister to know everything for them. ;)

 

These are great books for learning about how to play various sports!

 

My kids do fencing (ds) and roller derby (dd), in addition to games, park days with friends, etc.

[trulycrabby]

Club soccer, hours and hours at the pool in the summer, pushups with mom and dad, yoga with mom ( which usually ends in giggles , but DS9 does a great Breath of Fire), trampoline jumping, 3 miles walks at the lake with mom and grandmother. If I do a workout dvd such as Cathe or Art of Strength kettlebells, he likes to join in. :laugh:

[Saddlemomma]

My dd takes To-Shin Do (martial arts) on Thursdays each week and participates in the local elementary school PE class (Music as well) once a week. That takes care of our PE requirement. I like the ps PE because she gets a chance to get together with her friends and experience a different teacher (other than Mom). Additionally, she gets to learn about all different types of sports like basketball, softball, soccer, and hockey. This summer she decided to participate in a soccer camp because she learned to love soccer through ps PE.

[CatholicMom]

Our YMCA also has a homeschool class that meets once a week. First half of the class is gym time and the other half is instruction in the pool. We also play soccer and basketball.

 

I do understand what you're saying though. For example, my only exposure to softball when I was a kid was in my P.E. class. (And I wasn't very good at it!) I would like for my kids to have some basic softball/baseball skills, but the time commitment for softball/baseball leagues in our area is just too much for our family (practices plus at least two games per week! Ain't gonna happen!) But here's the bottom line for me: Sports and P.E. are a means to an end, not an end in themselves. My goal for them is to be active and healthy, develop some gross motor skills, learn teamwork, develop endurance and perseverance, etc. Those things can be accomplished with just one team sport. And if they never play a game of softball (for example), I have to admit that in the big scheme of things it really doesn't matter.

 

 

It doesn't matter in a sense; I agree. It certainly doesn't have any eternal value that I know of. But I feel like to be an informed citizen they should have *some* experience with all the common sports. Not be great at it, mind you! But I admit I would shudder if my kids were in middle school and a new friend said, "hey, want to join our baseball game?" and my kid responded "Uh, ok, but I've never played baseball before." lol! I mean, if I don't intentionally expose them to these things, it just won't happen. Yeah, they throw a ball at each other and try to hit it but that's different than playing a baseball game.

 

Just the other day a couple new neighborhood kids came over and one suggested they play kickball. The other added, "oh, these guys don't know how to play kick ball." :ph34r: That doesn't mean it's too late to learn or anything, and right now they are young enough that this isn't a big deal. But later on this type of thing would be embarrassing, I'd imagine.

 

Like Petepie was saying, the hard thing is that I can't afford the time commitment (and sometimes money) that being on all sorts of teams and lessons require. So I wondered how everyone else covers all these skills. PE skills, in my mind, are different than being physically fit. There is a lot of overlap, but you can have a physically active and fit kid who has no clue how to play all sorts of traditional games and would have a hard time because of lack of exposure, not lack of activity.

 

I am actually attempting to start up a homeschool group in my area. Once we get a few families (Lord willing) I will seriously consider organizing some kind of "homeschool gym" for this purpose. It would be fun for the kids and serve the purpose I have in mind, too.

[jengjohnson]

At this point, my kids all play travel soccer, swim team in the summer, and the older kids are joining a homeschool cross-country team this summer/fall. Before we were so busy with all that, we did a homeschool 4-H club that purposely played group games for the last 30 minutes of every meeting. It was a mixed age-group, so the kids introduced the games and picked teams trying to keep the age groups mixed to be fair. Their favorite was Capture the Flag. When they were really little we did a sort of P.E. group with other similar aged families. We met weekly and played a game 2 weeks in a row so they had the chance to get the hang of things. After that they did a P.E. group through a larger homeschool group where they did physical testing at the beginning and end as well. Even with all those different groups, I'm pretty sure baseball/softball was never played. Fortunately we have a couple of neighbor boys who play travel ball so they've taught the girls to hit and the basic rules in the backyard. Dh is a good athlete and played lots of sports as a kid, but he doesn't like to play sports with the girls. I teach them tennis, which was my sport, and taught them to ride a bike way back when. Once summer I taught a small group of their friends tennis as well because it was more fun.

[RootAnn]

When my small-town homeschooling group was starting up several years ago, one of the moms contacted the local fitness club & set up weekly (during the school year) classes for our kids. The teacher was a college kid majoring in education with an emphasis on P.E.-type stuff. It has morphed quite a bit & is now taught by a local fitness instructor/mom. I love it because it a regular time for my kids to see their homeschool friends & me to see mine.

 

But it has been helpful for some of the stuff you mentioned.

[boscopup]

My kids play hockey as their "PE", but other stuff gets learned via cub scout camp, playing on the playground, and the very occasional meeting with our local homeschool support group (they even got to do the parachute thing there).

 

As far as learning the rules to a gazillion different sports... I don't remember a lot of the ones I learned in PE as a kid, so I doubt my kids need to worry about it. Since they can read, if they ever want to play a new sport, googling the sport's rules real quick will do the trick. And they've been exposed to the basic sports like baseball, soccer, football, and basketball.

 

My kids are very active (and lean!), so I'm not concerned. I follow the method used by farrarwilliams also. ;)

[SilverMoon]

I used the open door and "Go" method when we lived in normal climate. It's already over 100 degrees daily though, and I'd bake my kids unless I held the hose on them the whole time. :p

[MinivanMom]

It never occurred to me that I should be teaching P.E. I thought one of the advantages of homeschooling was that my children would never have to suffer through that humiliation and horror. I only had PE in Junior High and - as a ballet sort of girl - it was a scarring experience. Four days a week a burly, angry former football player chooses two jocks to be team captains. They choose up teams based on popularity and then you are thrown into a game of one of the big four sports (football, soccer, basketball, or baseball). You try to stay out of the way (and never touch the ball), while the jocks are given free reign to abuse, pummel, and yell insults at everyone around them. The burly PE teacher looks on complacently. Then on Fridays everyone runs the mile. If you're lucky you get to see the popular boy wail on the poor, overweight kid with the thick glasses while the PE teacher looks the other way.

 

I don't think my experience was out of the norm. Actually, I was reading an article the other day (wish I had saved the link) about a UK study that found PE classes in school resulted in girls having a more negative attitude toward sport and engaging in less physical activity outside of school. I'm not the least bit surprised based on my own experience. I'm not sure that's something I want to emulate. I do encourage my kids to be physically active, and they all play outside everyday. We go to the park, we swim at the pool, we ride bikes, and we hike in the mountains. I try to support my children in finding physical activities that they enjoy. My daughters both take ballet and gymnastics. My oldest son plays soccer and baseball. They all play soccer and baseball in the backyard together (and with friends), they swim, they jump rope, and they play kick-ball (aren't kids born knowing how to play?). However, I don't try to emulate the artificial group environment of PE in any way.

[petepie2]

I abhorred PE. I distinctly remember being the person who throws the ball in in soccer. I never knew which direction to throw it and was extremely stressed. I never swung at the ball during softball because I didn't want to miss. Besides the pitcher was always another kid that couldn't pitch anyway. And oh the horrors on the days we did square dancing! I'm still trying to repress that! Oh, the ridicule you had to endure depending on who your dancing partner turned out to be! The only good thing that came out of my PE experience was the desire that my kids start a team sport at an early age to build their confidence. I don't want them to be intimidated like I was.

[Syllieann]

I bought the homeschool family fitness book that pp linked. We will start in fall. It gives a pretty good overview and includes standards for the fitness tests. There are sport-specific skills addressed without necessarily playing a full fledged game. It sounds like it might be what you're looking for.

[TKDmom]

I used the open door and "Go" method when we lived in normal climate. It's already over 100 degrees daily though, and I'd bake my kids unless I held the hose on them the whole time. :p

 

 

I just came home from Walmart with $25 worth of water guns and sprinklers. Plus another $20 of my favorite sunscreen and aloe vera. Now it's safe for me to throw them outside without feeling too guilty. :D

[momto2Cs]

This book looks pretty good!

[Shifra]

This book looks pretty good!

I was actually going to suggest this book, too. I took it out of the library some time ago, and really felt that it addressed "sports skills" that can be done in a very small group setting (ie. with a bunch of siblings).

[kpnick in nc]

Our County Rec Department offers a homeschool PE course once a week. And yes, we get less done on those days. The class is in the morning, so it isn't too disruptive and it's not during nap time. And it is a time when I know they will expend energy.

This has been a great time for my children. They have done kickball, volleyball, soccer, running, tennis, etc. They have even played parachute games :thumbup: . They do fitness tests at the beginning and end of each semester. My children have so many sweet memories with their friends and PE is 'covered'.

I don't have the fondest memories of PE myself, but this has been such a different experience. While the kids do make competitions out of everything they can, it is still an encouraging environment and they cheer each other on regularly. A PE setup with the correct environment and the right teacher is quite fun.

[CatholicMom]

Our County Rec Department offers a homeschool PE course once a week. And yes, we get less done on those days. The class is in the morning, so it isn't too disruptive and it's not during nap time. And it is a time when I know they will expend energy.

This has been a great time for my children. They have done kickball, volleyball, soccer, running, tennis, etc. They have even played parachute games :thumbup:. They do fitness tests at the beginning and end of each semester. My children have so many sweet memories with their friends and PE is 'covered'.

I don't have the fondest memories of PE myself, but this has been such a different experience. While the kids do make competitions out of everything they can, it is still an encouraging environment and they cheer each other on regularly. A PE setup with the correct environment and the right teacher is quite fun.

 

That is awesome! The kids would LOVE that. Our town rec department has asked for suggestions. I wish I mentioned something like this. Maybe I will throw it out there and see what happens!

[RootAnn]

On a side note, apparently my (public-schooled high school-age) nieces are taking PE this summer so they don't have to cover that credit during the school year. It is one of the ways they are fitting in more academics while covering their requirements. (Two credits of P.E. are required during high school in my state for public school children.)

[chepyl]

We do co-op PE once a week. They play kick ball and all of that. We do dance and musical theatre 1-3 times a week and play outside. We have also done t-ball, swim lessons, and free swim at the ymca. Our Y has a homeschool pe class.