Whilst at Guides recently my girls made a comment about doing something in the morning for PE. A nearby leader and (former teacher) overheard had a chuckle and said she had never imagined homeschoolers doing PE classes. If I am honest in the early days I didn't include PE as an actual subject but for the last couple of years I have made it a must. Sure the kids did sports at various clubs on days they were scheduled to attend but we didn't do anything at home except for some family games like badminton, volleyball and such.
I soon realised that teaching them about PE not only ensures they are fit but also helps with their co-ordination and fine motor skills. Regular activity is also strongly associated with higher concentration levels as well as more directed, composed behaviour. For those of you who are starting to homeschool their early learners, PE is as important to your schedule as teaching your child the ABC and 1,2,3.
I now ensure that the children do PE every day, even if it is just for 20 minutes and simply a jog down the paddocks and back. On the days that they play squash or have swimming lessons (The Fashionista tells me that swimming 26 laps of the pool is more than enough for one day, such a wuss!) I don't bother but I do make sure that every day we do some something active and make sure to incorporate lessons where a new skill or movement can be taught.
Recently I taught the children down ball (or four square) which the girls absolutely loved. Now the four of us get out and have competitions. The Papa and The Fashionista are highly competitive so Agent Smelly and I laugh while watching the determined pair trying to beat each other.
Agent Smelly who complains that she is not that good at sport took up squash this term and is doing SO well. Even a couple of other parents have commented to me on how well she has picked up the game. I am just so happy for her. She is also the youngest in the group and is hitting better than some of the older kids so she is thrilled with their comments and her progress. It has taken us a while but she has finally found something that she realises that she is better at than her sister, apparently an important thing when you are the baby sister! We have advised her time and time again that she cannot compare herself to someone older (or should compare herself to anyone for that matter) but I guess it's just a natural thing for the human race to always compare ourselves to someone else. A very, very unhealthy and bad habit.
You'r youngest is like my youngest is always comparing himself to his older brother & sister. So, he's decided to start everything early throughout his life: potty training to going to college. He's done everything at a younger age & is still trying to catch up. :)
ReplyDeleteI am the oldest Kate and only have younger brothers so I never got into the competitive sibling thing. My brothers on the other hand are twins and were totally competitive! Thankfully there was no resentment as they are very close, simply a little competition ... not sure if it was healthy or not... lol
DeleteLisa,
ReplyDeleteI agree about the need for our children to do something active every day. The easiest way for us is to start the day with a run together. We love exercising as a team, encouraging each other along and enjoying each other's company.
You have squash courts? Andy and I played a lot of squash before we had children. We can't play any more because all of our courts were turned into gyms. Apparently there wasn't enough interest in squash to keep them open.
I have read where you have mentioned that you guys all run and been totally envious. I was a competitive short distance runner but could never do long ones.
DeleteI am so sad to hear that about squash courts in Aussie. I am not sure how many are around in NZ but in our wee town of 1,200 we have retained our squash courts and they are trying to get kids into learning and playing competition again. I played too, and loved the game so am hoping that as h/schoolers we will all be able to go during the day and have a game sometime.
We play a lot of organised sports, but I hadn't thought about calling it PE. We aim for a minimum of 3 hours exercise per week. Plus nature walks, of course!
ReplyDeleteYour nature walks always look so lovely. I feel peaceful just looking at your photos.
DeleteWe play a mix of team sport and solitary sports but I am conscious of making sure that I try and do something that teaches new physical concepts of movement to them. One of my favourite subjects at school was PE and my girls love working through our FamilyTimeFitness.com series that we use. They love the new skills and challenges.
this is something that has actually been on my mind for a while now. My son is not the kind of child to be active or even go outside for 5 minutes let alone 20.
ReplyDeleteThere are lessons (such as swimming) and team sports (such as soccer which he no longer wants to do) which can help and may cover some aspects of PE it isn't enough.
I also rather be inside so need to push myself as well. I have found a PE curriculum online for download which has been recommended by many overseas blogs which I’m tempted to purchase.
We bought Family Time Fitness not sure it was worth the expense. I had a few problems with them, not the program.
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