We have had many conversations with parents about why physical education is one of the best academic subjects your children can participate in. We often get push back since many parents had poor physical education experiences. For many, just reading or hearing the words physical education bring a flood of emotions and negative thoughts. At Family Time Fitness we want to change your perception of what physical education is and how it can benefit your children. When physical education is taught correctly it is one of the best things you can do for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
Today, I am going to share why adding physical education to your homeschool gives you another advantage over the public schools.
Physical Education at home can be personalized
When you do physical education at home you can personalize the activities to meet your child’s specific needs. You can work at the child’s pace to develop their motor skills. In a school setting a physical education class may have 20 or more students in one class. I have worked in schools where there are more than 60 children in one physical education class. There is no way a teacher can meet the individual needs of each child. Someone is getting left behind.
You can get more done in less time at home
Doing physical education at home allows your children to practice more movements in less time. In 20-30 minutes of at home physical education your child can work on their coordination, agility mobility, flexibility as well as engage in aerobic and strength building activities. A 30 minute physical education class in school may only get two or three things done. Because of large class sizes teacher spend a lot of time at the start of class taking roll and giving instructions. This leaves very little time for the students to actually be active and practice their movement skills.
Physical Education can be done every day
You can and should schedule at least 20-30 minutes of physical education each school day. Research shows that exercise is one of the best things for brain development and learning. Every homeschool can find 20-30 minutes a day to add physical education. Most students in schools might get 2-3 days of physical education per week. Many schools have removed daily physical education to add more time for STEM classes. These classes are great but we are seeing the negative effects of not having kids being active every day. There has been an increase in disruptions and discipline issues when physical education and recess is removed from a child’s school day.
Schedule Physical Education whenever you want
At home, you can schedule physical education whenever you want. When you see your kids getting fidgety or losing focus, have them do some physical education. 10-15 minute of movement will help to release built up energy and help your child re-focus. It also helps to stimulate the brain to improve learning and memory. Children in school who are fidgety or have trouble focusing may get labeled and often struggle with learning. These students may lose interest in learning because it can be hard to sit still for prolonged periods of time.
These are a few of many reasons why homeschooling provides a better learning environment than the public school setting. We want to help you create the best learning environment for your children. If you need help with how to incorporate physical education into your homeschool check out the Family Time Fitness website or our Facebook page.
