Your Fifth-Grader: Physical Education and Health
In Your Child's Classroom
Moving and grooving
Physical education class should be a fun social interaction that encourages physical fitness activity throughout your child's life.
In fifth grade your child takes part in activities to increase her cardiovascular fitness, strength and flexibility. She learns new skills and strategies, cooperative play, teamwork and sportsmanship. She is introduced to a variety of team sports such as flag football, volleyball and field hockey. She may perform gymnastic and dance routines that focus on weight transfer, smooth transitions and balance.
"Keep the lines of communication open and continue to praise your child for making healthy decisions." — Amy Kaiser
Your fifth-grader learns about the major muscle groups and targeted stretches to prepare for physical activity. He practices ways to increase his strength. Amy Kaiser, physical education specialist, explains: "Understanding muscle groups and body systems helps students understand how exercise contributes to good health. It is fun to try to name the muscle that you are stretching."
In addition to sports, your child will play cooperative games throughout the year. She practices a variety of skills in ball games, such as dribbling while preventing an opponent from getting the ball. An emphasis is placed on teamwork and sportsmanship. Students are taught to work cooperatively with a partner or as part of a group and to win and lose with good sportsmanship. Kaiser states: "Sportsmanship is such an important quality. Being able to recognize that everyone has something to contribute to a group or team is a sign of maturity and good sportsmanship."
Fitness assessments
Often at this grade level, students will have fitness assessments at school. These fitness tests often measure aerobic conditioning, muscle strength and muscle flexibility. These tests relate to their exercise and eating habits. Kaiser explains: "Fitness tests are a gauge to see where a child is currently. Children can look at their results and set a goal to increase or practice that skill in order to improve the next time."
Healthy habits
Your fifth-grader learns how good nutrition, sleep, stress management and physical activity contribute to a healthy lifestyle. He learns how to plan a healthy diet using the five food groups and understands the importance of reading food labels to find information about nutrients, dietary guidelines and recommended serving size. He learns about calories, a unit of energy produced by food and used by the body. He can describe dietary guidelines that will help him stay healthy and live longer.
Your child learns the benefits of daily physical activity and the importance of warm-up and cool-down exercises. She practices basic first aid skills and procedures such as how to respond to insect bites, burns and cuts, and knows when to call 911. She reviews the major body systems and their basic functions, and learns how to prevent disease. She explores the role that social influences such as the media, family and peers have on her self-image and body image. She learns ways to resolve conflicts and to say no to unhealthy situations. Kaiser explains: "It is hard to think about your child and realize that she's already fighting peer pressure at this age. Keep the lines of communication open and continue to praise your child for making healthy decisions."
