A caregiver is one who provides formal or informal services to a person with physical disabilities or a long-term illness. The day-to-day responsibilities place inordinate amounts of stress on caregivers. Thus, caregivers need mental and physical support. Creative movement enables dancers to express anxieties through movement and to experience an…

Virtually all current physical education curriculum guides and textbooks include sections on learner outcomes based on the national standards for physical education, which often refer to gymnastics skills. Gymnastics is a perfect venue for teaching movement concepts, developing and maintaining overall body fitness, fostering personal and social…

From the earliest years of what is now AAHPERD, American dance education has exerted a strong presence. In 1932 the National Section on Dance was established, and in 1979 the capital letter "D" ceremoniously became a part of AAHPERD. Visionaries such as Gulick and Margaret H'Doubler (who is credited with creating the first dance major…

The curriculum for kinesiology students typically includes foundation courses focused on the scientific principles underlying human movement. Modifications for gender, age, and physical ability are also commonly included in these courses. Rarely addressed, however, are students' dispositions toward diverse groups. This article examines several…

Group exercise leader certifications often include a written, as well as a practical, component. In order to prepare candidates for certification, some organizations offer workshops before the examination. However, candidates are expected to have prior experience in leading group exercise. Undergraduate fitness leadership classes can be an…

Historically, gymnastics has served an essential role in physical education and the development of physical fitness. Participating in gymnastics-related activities can improve the physical and motor fitness of children of all ages and can make significant contributions to the goals of physical education. This article describes the importance of…

This article addresses postural awareness and efficiency as a fundamental but often overlooked aspect of movement training that falls naturally into the domain of HPERD pedagogical practice. Beginning with a brief overview and discussion on the anatomical "cost" of poor organization, the body of the article describes activities that can be…

Holiday and festival celebrations are a unique form of cultural expression. Physical activities associated with cultural traditions offer the perfect opportunity for physical educators to integrate interdisciplinary teaching in their programs. This article focuses on the application of a multicultural perspective by introducing 12 station tasks…

Little attention has been given to the developmental process of "how children learn to move" and the changing role that emerging motor competence may play in children and youths' physical activity levels as they grow. But we need to recognize that there is a developmental trajectory to physical activity and the factors that affect it if we are…

K-12 students enter physical education with many naive conceptions or misconceptions of how motor skills are acquired. One goal of physical education is to teach concepts that will help students learn and perform motor skills, but many practitioners don't know how to provide experiences that will teach students to apply their knowledge…

Biomechanics is the science of how people move better, meaning more skillfully and more safely. This article places more emphasis on skill rather than safety, though there are many parallels between them. It shares a few features of the author's paradigm of applied biomechanics and discusses an integrated approach toward a middle school football…

An important component in the early stages of skill development is spatial awareness. This article discusses how good spatial awareness in children results from concepts that are reinforced throughout the school's curriculum. Activities for developing spatial awareness are also provided.

This article applies the principles and concepts of the aesthetics of movement to actual physical education teaching situations. It does so by discussing the author's one-day observations of several middle school physical education classes taught by three different teachers. During these classes, the teachers taught students how to calculate and…

In the midst of the violence of the 21st century, many children fear that they or someone they know will lose a relative or friend through terrorism. Professionals in dance movement therapy, dance education, and physical education can help children to overcome their fears in order to feel safe and to build self-esteem. This article examines how…

Creative movement is an ideal vehicle for integrating curriculum, because the potential for human inspiration is limitless. When working in a creative-movement setting, students communicate thoughts, ideas, or feelings without fear of being judged incorrect or losing a competition. Yet, pantomime is just the beginning. The next step would be to…