What your child is learning

Your child develops knowledge, skills and attitudes for being active and healthy in these areas:

Movement and Fitness

• playing cooperatively
• basic skills such as running, hopping, and bouncing balls
• participating in physical activities

Safety

• recognizing and following safety rules for physical activities, footwear and playgrounds
• identifying safety symbols and rules for traffic, school buses, poisons and chemicals, stoves, sharp utensils, bathtubs, and waterfronts
• knowing where to go and whom to ask for help in the community

Personal and Social Management

• identifying their own actions, feelings, emotions related to getting along with others
• knowing how to listen carefully, avoid danger, find help;
• recognizing what is safe/healthy and what is unsafe/unhealthy

Healthy Lifestyle Practices

• knowing daily habits for healthy living, such as daily physical activity, teeth brushing and washing, healthy eating, and getting enough sleep
• identifying helpful and harmful substances
• naming the parts of the body
• understanding the right to privacy (e.g. washrooms)

To find out more about what your child is learning, talk to the teacher.

You may also refer to the the K-4 PE/HE: A Foundation for Implementation document.

How your child is assessed

The emphasis in physical education is on participation in physical activity. Your child’s teacher will assess children on their progress in basic movement skills.

In health education, the emphasis is on learning safe and healthy lifestyle behaviours. The teacher will assess children on how they show what they have learned about safety, getting along with others and being healthy.

Resources

At the Heart of Education: A Parent Report on What's New in Physical Education/Health Education
This parent report highlights the concept of physically active and healthy lifestyles for all students as shown in the new combined K-12 PE/HE Curriculum.

Healthy Schools is Manitoba’s school health initiative designed to promote the physical, emotional and social health of school communities. It is based on the belief that good health is important for learning and that schools are in a unique position to have a positive influence on the health of children, youth and their families.

Active role models. Active kids. Find out how you can get “in motion” with your family.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does my child need to be an athlete to succeed in physical education? No. While some children are better than others in certain sports or physical activities, the focus of physical education is not to develop athletes. During Early Years (Kindergarten to Grade 4) students learn about basic movement skills and ways to keep fit while taking part in a variety of games, physical activities and environments. Through guided practice, they improve at their own rate and learn to get along with others.

My child is generally inactive and doesn’t seem to be very fit. How can I get him OR her to be more active? You might try organizing family outings such as biking, hiking, swimming, skiing, bowling and skating. You can also play games with your child. Dance, skip, play catch, shoot hoops with him or her.

Do we have a choice to whether our child receives instruction on topics such as human sexuality or is it mandatory? You have a choice. You may choose to have your child participate in the school-based program or choose an alternative delivery (e.g., home, church, professional counselling) when the content is in conflict with family, religious and/or cultural values.