Something had to change. Then the studies started coming in that demonstrated Americans are becoming more overweight. The 1996 U.S. Surgeon General s Report on Physical Activity and Health showed that 60 percent of adults are not getting enough physical activity. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, inactivity and poor diet cause at least 300,000 preventable deaths per year in the United States. Also, almost half of people age 12 to 21 and a third of high school students do not participate in vigorous physical activity on a regular basis.
Physical education is movement with a purpose.
A flood of education and childhood development research showed that children have different learning styles and reach certain development milestones at different times. The focus is movement, not sports. So we work on mixing the skills together. She said physical education teachers are recognizing the importance of skill development. Children can t automatically dribble a basketball, she said, so she works on activities that will build coordination, flexibility, agility and teamwork, skills that facilitate activity.