PE and Movement

Grades K-5About 150 minutes a week

Children learn to move well the same way they learn to read: a skill at a time, practiced until it is automatic. Thirty minutes a day in the yard or a park builds strength, balance and the patience to play by rules.

What you need

  • A soft ball and a bigger bouncy ball
  • A bucket, box or laundry basket as a target
  • Sidewalk chalk or a jump rope to mark lines
  • A notebook for a fitness log (grades 3-5)

What done looks like

  • He moves through a skip, gallop and slide without stopping to think.
  • He steps with the opposite foot when he throws, without being reminded.
  • Games with friends run without an adult settling every call.
  • His fitness log shows a goal, weeks of entries and one change he made.

What to do, grade by grade

  • K: hop, gallop, skip, slide and run on a chalk course; toss a ball to yourself and catch it before two bounces.
  • Grade 1: link two moves (skip into a leap); throw overhand at the bucket, stepping with the opposite foot.
  • Grade 2: clean form on run, jump and throw; simple games like tag or four square with no adult refereeing.
  • Grade 3: a full-rules team game, holding a position instead of chasing the ball.
  • Grade 4: an invasion game (soccer, basketball) and a striking game (kickball, softball) with a plan, not only skill.
  • Grade 5: set a fitness goal, log it weekly, adjust it; teach a game's rules to a younger child.

How to teach it

  1. Show the move once, slowly, then let him try it five times before you correct anything.
  2. Correct one thing at a time: the feet, then the arms, then the eyes.
  3. For throwing, say "point, step, throw": point at the target, step with the opposite foot, let go.
  4. Before a game, have him say the rules back to you. During the game, let him settle disputes first.
  5. Count progress in numbers he can see: catches in a row, seconds on one foot, laps around the yard.
  6. End every session with a short game he picks, so movement stays something he wants.

Safety: Water, shade and a warm-up in Texas heat. Clear the play area of hard edges. Stop at pain, not at tiredness.

Curriculum goals this sheet covers (11)

In the words of the grade-by-grade guide.

  • Hops, gallops, runs, slides, skips and walks while keeping balance and reasonable form
  • Self-tosses an object and throws it underhand with the opposite foot forward
  • Catches a ball he dropped himself before it bounces twice
  • Combines two locomotor skills in sequence, like a skip into a leap, without stopping between them
  • Throws overhand at a target and steps onto the opposite foot as he throws
  • Runs, jumps and throws with recognizable form rather than raw effort
  • Follows the rules of a simple game without an adult refereeing every play
  • Plays a full-rules team game and stays in a position instead of chasing the ball
  • Plays an invasion game and a striking-and-fielding game with real strategy, not only skills
  • Sets a personal fitness goal, tracks it over weeks, and adjusts it when it turns out to be wrong
  • Plays a full-rules game well enough to teach the rules to a younger sibling

Goals covered: Hops, gallops, runs, slides, skips and walks while keeping balance and reasonable formSelf-tosses an object and throws it underhand with the opposite foot forwardCatches a ball he dropped himself before it bounces twiceCombines two locomotor skills in sequence, like a skip into a leap, without stopping between themThrows overhand at a target and steps onto the opposite foot as he throwsRuns, jumps and throws with recognizable form rather than raw effortFollows the rules of a simple game without an adult refereeing every playPlays a full-rules team game and stays in a position instead of chasing the ballPlays an invasion game and a striking-and-fielding game with real strategy, not only skillsSets a personal fitness goal, tracks it over weeks, and adjusts it when it turns out to be wrongPlays a full-rules game well enough to teach the rules to a younger sibling

All real-world sheets