Many adolescents lack the requisite physical preparation for sport participation and PA. Multi-sport participation and resistance training during youth (age 5-11) and adolescence (age 12-17) years can positively affect physical activity levels, health outcomes, and promote long-term athletic development (LTAD). The National Strength and…

Every educator needs a toolkit of strategies to ensure that students of different abilities, backgrounds, and learning profiles achieve success in the classroom. Rather than requiring busy educators to read copious amounts of research and theory first, "Practical Strategies for Managing a Diverse Classroom" flips the script, providing…

The improvement and mastery of balance has been considered an important motor-skill concept for children in the past and incorporating new dynamic balance routines in the curriculum could lead to positive outcomes in children's motor development. This article describes dynamic balance routines and drills that can be used as a unit to promote…

Physical Education is a core component of the primary school curriculum. The primary years are perhaps the most significant period for motor development in children, a time during which basic movement competencies are developed and which offers the first opportunity for embedding physical activity as part of a healthy lifestyle. This is the first…

In today's environment of high-stakes testing, handwriting is a skill that is often overlooked in order to focus on other areas of the curriculum. However, research indicates that handwriting is tied to academic achievement, especially composition and literacy skills. This article provides strategies that can be used to support students with…

The NASPE standards for physical education programs stress that students should not only achieve competence in physical skills but also acquire and integrate the underlying concepts that can lead to effective movement. Physical educators can successfully embed these underlying concepts into the daily skill instruction and guided practice in their…

With childhood obesity and physical inactivity at an all-time high, parents and physical educators alike must look to the early years to promote competent and confident young movers. Popular opinion believes that children are naturally active and motor skill development progresses as a normal function of getting older. However, if one looks at…

The perspective of this article is that the purpose of the elementary physical education program is the development of a physically active lifestyle. We discuss the relative contribution of the development of motor skills, fitness, content related to encouraging participation, and the affective goals of the program to the development of a…

The purpose of this study was to examine levels of physical activity engagement, motor competence, and physical fitness as related to child access to physical activity facilities in the home and school environments. The present investigation attempts to further efforts to examine the relationship between physical activity levels and access.…

Children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) constitute approximately six percent of the population, or about two children out of a class of 35. Often referred to as "clumsy" or physically awkward, children with DCD are generally academically able, but have movement difficulties that affect their progress in academics and in activities…

For many children, especially those with reading difficulties, a motor-kinesthetic learning activity may be an effective tool to teach complex concepts. With this in mind, the authors developed and tested a game designed to teach fourth- to sixth-grade children some basic principles of nervous system function by allowing the children themselves to…