Lifetime participation in physical activity is a major goal of physical education. For this reason, teachers should focus on instructional units that provide students with knowledge and skills in content areas that can be used throughout their adult lives. Examples of lifetime activities include outdoor recreational activities, cycling, water…

When reevaluating the educational landscape and aiming to incorporate movement into the day, remember that all exercise is not created equal. We recommend creating a model to evaluate the level of student exercise within an organization. The four-level framework discussed in this column can be used to evaluate exercise and sedentariness within an…

Adolescence is a crucial period for developing social and emotional habits that are important for mental and emotional well-being. Learning how to cope, manage emotions, problem solve, and develop interpersonal skills strengthens resilience, and promotes healthy lifestyle behaviors. Various health coaching techniques can be applied to the…

The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the Health Eating Active Living (HEAL) United Curriculum and how HEAL United is leveraging their advocacy efforts to help K-12 students in Alabama live healthier lives.

Physical education class is undoubtably unique; the monotony of sitting in a desk is broken as students can move, learn sports concepts, and participate in activities. Physical education teachers implement warm-ups, cool-downs, and games to push students toward their goal of sixty minutes of physical activity per day. How do physical education…

Schools around the nation are attempting to increase the amount of physical activity (PA) students receive through a variety of creative means. Recently, organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the National Institute of Health (NIH) have sounded an alarm about the lack of time children spend in PA participation. The purpose…

The back-to-school period takes place in a particular context marked by the obligation to adopt strict health security measures to fight against the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Physical distancing, as one of the main measures imposed in the situation of the current health crisis, represents a major constraint to the teaching of physical…

As obesity rates rise among youth, physical education classrooms have become a resource for teaching children how to make lifelong changes that will lead to improved overall health. In addition, new curricula and government mandates are focusing on health-related fitness content and its application to lifelong fitness. As these components become…

Physical activity should be naturally occurring and not necessarily labeled as "exercise." Rather, it should set the stage for lifestyle habits that include movement for physical and mental health. The cross-curricular integration of literacy and health and physical education may help students see ways to connect physical and academic…

A physical education instructor incorporates a teaching method known as project-based learning (PBL) in his physical education curriculum. Utilizing video-production equipment to imitate the production of a televisions show, sixth-grade students attending a charter school invited college students to share their stories about physical activity and…

Although the primary focus of physical educators is to increase students' physical activity levels and their knowledge about the importance of movement, they also have the opportunity to affect students' overall wellness by teaching nutrition and how healthy eating contributes to overall health and weight management. Nutrition concepts…

Physical education has been an integral part of the school curriculum for more than a century. Although the focus has changed over time, the major objective has remained relatively constant: to provide students with the knowledge, skills, abilities, behaviors, and confidence to be physically active throughout their lifetime. As more physical…

Adolescent girls are less active than their male counterparts and physical activity levels tend to decline as one ages. One of the goals of concerned physical educators is to promote a physically active lifestyle and to teach skills and promote behaviors that will allow students to be active both in and out of school. This article presents a…

Research suggests that a girl's career interests in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) declines between grades 6 and 8. Similarly, in middle school, there is a decrease in physical activity among girls. Researchers at the University of Rhode Island (URI) conducted a chemistry-based science camp that took place…

The basic movement concepts associated with falling and rolling are needed for many dynamic adult activities. This is the case any time the activity, either by intent or accident, involves safely transitioning from a standing position to the ground quickly. Failure to teach these skills in school physical education could result in a barrier to…