Teambuilding and Social Skills in PE

Students in all grade levels at Hohenfels Elementary School engaged in a variety of activities geared towards developing social skills, personal skills, and teamwork skills during their first quarter Physical Education classes.  

Students in Kindergarten through Second Grade focused on taking turns, cheering on others, moving safely in space, and following directions by playing small team games.  Students in grades three through five worked in small groups to solve challenging problems by collaborating to form, communicate, execute, assess and adapt their team strategy. During all these activities, students were fully engaged and cooperative with their teammates.  They were also able to identify ways to be successful working with others in different settings outside of PE.

According to the Society of Health and Physical Educators (SHAPE), the professional organization which defines the national educational standards for health and physical education, there are four categories of standards for PE for all grade levels: Motor skills, cognitive skills, personal skills, and social skills.  Based upon these standards, half of PE classes are geared toward the development of personal and social skills such as following directions, being safe, giving and receiving feedback, working with others, understanding feelings.