Create a Homeschool Physical Education Curriculum

Setting the Standards

The beauty of homeschooling is that each parent educator has the freedom and flexibility to create a program that suits the student and the family’s lifestyle. You can select activities that are fun and rewarding for an individual child or you can work activities into an opportunity to share quality family time with everyone.

Still, many homeschool educators worry that their student won’t be getting a proper physical education Each educator is well-advised to consult state laws for existing guidelines. Visit the Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA) website for links to individual state agencies to see if there are laws that cover physical education requirements in your area.

In addition, you can refer to the National Association for Sport and Physical Education through the American Kinesthesiology Association website for their national standards of a physically educated person. Overall the association recommends 150 minutes of instructional physical education for elementary age students and 225 minutes for middle and high school age students per week during the entire school year. That works out to about 30 to 45 minutes per day, five days a week.

Reviewing the Options and Creating the Curriculum

Your plan can use totally free activities or take advantage of local centers and sports teams to get your student moving and establish a pattern of healthy, regular physical activity and development.

Here are a few suggestions for creating your personal plan.

• Create a fitness routine of simple floor exercise, bicycling or walking
• Schedule daily Wii time (if available)
• Create a homeschool physical education coop for weekly activities like skating, skateboarding, tennis or ball playing with a group of homeschool students
• Enroll your student in a local sports teams like little league
• Explore community center programs such as the YMCA or church-sponsored classes

You can also visit the HSLDA website to find homeschool organizations by state to help you make contact with leaders in your community who can assist you in exploring the options. Like your other classes, you can also schedule, track and grade the activity to document your individual program.

Enjoying the Activity

Letting your homeschool student help plan their physical education activity will go a long way toward putting together a successful curriculum. As in adulthood, physical activities that are personally enjoyable are much more likely to become a welcome part of the student’s routine. The main focus should be to create a curriculum that reinforces the positive benefits of regular physical education that will last your student a lifetime.

Image Credits:

Female Stretching, Image by sxc.hu.com/jzlomek; https://www.sxc.hu/photo/814159

Skateboarder, Image by sxc.hu.com/jnewsted; https://www.sxc.hu/photo/913966

Baseball Kid, Image by sxc.hu.com/lolamix; https://www.sxc.hu/photo/776749

References:

This article is based on my personal experience:

• Homeschooling my daughter and freelance writing as the Clearwater Homeschooling Examiner for the Examiner.com

Homeschool educators and students can use these resources for learning how to put together a physical education plan:

• Home School Legal Defense Association; https://www.hslda.org/about/default.asp

• National Association for Sport and Physical Education; https://www.aahperd.org/naspe/standards/upload/Appropriate-Uses-of-Fitness-Measurement.pdf