WEDNESDAY, Aug. 21, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- A quality physical education program involves more than just getting kids to move for a set amount of time during the school day, experts say. PE classes can teach lessons not found in any other classroom, Erika Mundt , a PE teacher at Iowa West City High School in Iowa.
“A successful PE program can literally change the way a school functions as a whole,” said Mundt, who was the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE) America High School PE Teacher of the Year in 2018. “PE involves cooperative learning, acceptance of yourself and others, learning to try new things no matter how good you are, communication, and problem-solving,” Mundt added in a news release from the National Education Association. That’s not to downplay the need for exercise.
Physical activity during the school day is essential for student mental health, Mundt said, particularly following the pandemic. “I just hope that school districts and administrators take into consideration PE when they are trying to catch up with the pandemic and realizing that cutting PE and cutting activity time isn’t the way to get students to learn more,” Mundt said. “PE is an efficient way to help kids learn more.
” Kids learn more and stress less when they take PE, said Cara Grant , president-elect of SHAPE America. “As young as early elementary school, students discover how physical activity helps them feel better,” said Grant, who is PreK-12 curriculum .