Home school and physical education?

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PE isn't necessarily a requirement when you're home schooled. It may be in some states, but only a few states actually require certain subjects be taken by home schoolers. Still, any decent parent would want to be sure their child is not only fit and healthy, but understands the importance of fitness and good health and knows how to stay healthy themselves.

I was home schooled all through high school, and along with studying the body, how it works, and how to keep myself healthy (physically, emotionally, mentally, and sexually), I also played sports and stayed involved in other activities that would keep me active and in good shape. I practiced fencing regularly (about twice a week), and I also did things like soccer, bike riding, swimming, horseback riding, and nature walks. Additionally, we were members of a homeschool PE group that met weekly to play sports and try new activities. The PE group offered incentives for staying in shape. We would all keep logs of our daily physical activity, working towards set individual goals. When we reached our goal (say, a number of hours of physical activity per week for an eight week period) we would receive a certificate or medal. Working towards goals as a group was good because we could encourage and motivate one another. The parents got involved as well. It was a lot of fun.

For a child between the ages of five and seven, there is a lot you could do for physical education. For activity, you could get involved in community sports teams, swimming lessons, martial arts, gymnastics, tumbling classes, dance, etc. You can also plan regular play dates in the park, at the pool, the beach, etc. If there is a homeschool support group in your area, see if they have a PE group or if they meet for regular park days. If not, find local homeschoolers and try to start your own. You can also educate your child about how their body works. This could be done with formal lessons, trips to science museums, or with library books or Magic School Bus videos that focus on the human body and how to keep it healthy. You can also talk about why certain foods are really good for you and why others are only for once in a while as a treat. The same goes for why it's important to get a good night's sleep, brush your teeth, visit your doctor, etc. Some fun little assignments you could do would be to draw a food pyramid after learning about the food groups, or make a list of all the things you eat in a day, writing healthy foods in blue and junk foods in red to get an idea of how healthy your eating habits are. You could also incorporate early math skills by doing things like taking a survey in your neighborhood to find out what the most popular exercise activity is in your neighborhood, or how many hours a day your neighbors exercise, then make a bar graph to show your results. Just be creative....Show more

People who work at schools usually don't know anything about homeschooling. In the US, homeschooling is legal in every state-- it is your parents choice, not the school. Schools can't stop you. You can do phys ed by taking up jogging, or yoga, or going to karate class or joining a sports teamor whatever your neighborhood offers. Check with classes & community centers....Show more

My children spend a lot of time moving about. We walk everywhere, well I walk they tend to run a lot. Remember they are not sitting in a classroom for most of the day. They run around the garden and the house, but I try to discourage running in the house.

Formal exercise is swimming, they have gone regularly since 6 months old. The eldest also does gymnastics, the youngest does dance. They are both 12 and 8 years old....Show more

I count regular playing, biking, hiking, jump roping, climbing trees, etc. as physical education. My older ones did intramural sports, but my younger one hates sports. We also do health, too....Show more