Most states require that homeschooled kids get physical education, but few have detailed requirements on how to meet that goal.
Here in Minnesota, the law simply states that homeschooled children must receive physical education instruction. You can check other state laws here.
An hour a day of physical activity is a good minimum goal for any child. Kids can easily mix up that activity, spending part of the time playing and part doing more structured activities. Different seasons allow for different PE opportunities, too.
Looking for some inspiration on how to get PE time for your kids? Here are 50 ways, with some photos of some of our family’s physical activities over the years.
- Swimming
- Martial arts classes
- Hiking
- Playing basketball (either on a team or informally)
- Bike riding
- Dancing
- Jumping rope
- Playing catch
- Shoveling snow
- Roller blading
- Soccer
- Jogging
- Boating
- Playing Wii sports
- Ice skating
- Gymnastics
- Ballet or other dance classes
- Walking
- Hula hooping
- Playing frisbee
- Using gym equipment
- Skiing
- Waterskiing
- Rock climbing
- Track team (many local schools welcome homeschooled students, depending on state laws)
- Weight lifting
- Yoga
- Cheerleading
- Horseback riding
- Square dancing
- Bowling
- Sledding
- Flying kites
- Golfing
- Football
- Hockey or street hockey
- Rebounding on a trampoline
- Taking part in homeschool gym times
- Tennis
- Badminton
- Spin classes
- Heavy yardwork like raking leaves and moving rocks
- Farm work like walking beans
- Volleyball
- Skateboarding
- T-ball and baseball
- Active games like tag, hide and seek, and ghost in the graveyard
- Kickball
- Using playground equipment
- Doing exercise videos or morning exercise shows
Click on the slide show to see some pictures of homeschoolers having PE fun.
Invite your kids to come up with additional ideas and just log their time as they go.
Aim for a good mixture of plain old physical exercise (such as running, playing and hiking) and activities that improve skills (such as basketball, playing catch and martial arts class).
Remember to give kids lots of freedom in choosing their activities and try to make it part of their normal routine so it will be a natural part of life long after they’re done homeschooling.
Remember too that it’s important for us parents to be healthy too, so join in!
