Physical education Lesson Plans

Health has become a very important issue in recent years. There have been all kinds of diet crazes and workout trends. Strangely enough, even with this focus on staying healthy, children have been suffering significantly in the health department. About a third of the children in the nation are overweight or obese.

Childhood obesity puts kids at risk for numerous health problems, including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. Overweight children also tend to lead sedentary lives in their adulthood and suffer from low self-esteem and behavioral issues.

A Possible Solution

Physical education at school could be one of the key ingredients to solving children’s predominant health issues. Although underfunding has led to some subpar PE equipment, PE lesson plansstill remain valuable frameworks over which instructors can structure their classes.

Originally, physical education curriculum focused on reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease in kids. The curriculum later expanded and is now designed to stress living an active life and incorporates valuable social skills necessary for any developing youth.

Lesson Plans and Curriculum

The ever-valuable lesson plans and curriculum are based around standards set by the state. The physical education class should align to those standards and initialize appropriate activities. Here is a sample set of standards for second graders in California.

·        Standard 1: Demonstrate motor skills and movement patterns needed to perform an array of physical activities.

·        Standard 2: Demonstrate knowledge of movement concepts, principles, and strategies as they apply to learning and performance of physical activities.

·        Standard 3: Assess and maintain a level of physical fitness to improve health and performance.

·        Standard 4: Demonstrate knowledge of physical fitness concepts, principles, and strategies to improve health and performance.

·    Standard 5: Demonstrate and utilize knowledge of psychological and sociological concepts, principles, and strategies as applied to learning and performance of physical activities.

While some of these standards sound a little complex for the average second grader, the activities associated with each standard are fairly simple, ranging from a game of catch to balancing and tumbling.

Nutrition

Although it’s not inherently a part of the curriculum, many schools have been including lesson plans based around nutrition. Staying active is important, but getting the right nutrition will help kids when they’re out playing or participating in sports. Food is our source of energy and teaching kids what to eat and how to eat right is a large part of keeping them energized and battling childhood obesity.