mandatory physical education essay

The Importance of Physical Education: 5 Insightful Essay Examples

• What is Physical Education?
• Benefits of Physical Education

Enhances Physical Health

Boosts mental health, develops social skills, enhances academic performance, promotes lifelong fitness habits.

• Example 1: Persuasive Essay on Physical Education

Introduction

Body paragraphs.

• Physical Health Benefits : PE ensures students get the necessary physical activity to prevent lifestyle diseases.
• Mental Health Advantages : Exercise is pivotal in managing stress and promoting emotional balance.
• Social Skills Development : Team activities help students build teamwork and communication skills.
• Example 2: Analytical Essay on the Benefits of Physical Education
• Physical Benefits : Analyze how regular physical activity in PE improves fitness levels and overall health.
• Mental Benefits : Discuss the positive effects of exercise on mental health, including stress relief and improved cognitive function.
• Social and Academic Benefits : Evaluate how PE helps in social skills development and boosts academic performance.
• Example 3: Cause and Effect Essay on Physical Education
• Causes : Structured PE classes provide regular physical activity and teach healthy lifestyle habits.
• Effects on Physical Health : Improved fitness levels and reduced risk of lifestyle diseases.
• Effects on Mental and Social Health : Improved mental well-being and social skills development.
• Academic Impact : Enhanced concentration and academic performance.
• Example 4: Argumentative Essay on Making PE Mandatory
• Necessity for Physical Health : PE is critical for preventing health issues related to inactivity.
• Mental Health Pros : Regular exercise contributes to better mental health.
• Development of Social Competence : PE promotes teamwork and social interaction.
• Academic Enhancement : Physical activity positively influences academic outcomes.
• Counterarguments and Rebuttals : Addressing common objections such as budget constraints and academic priorities.
• Example 5: Expository Essay on Role of Physical Education
• Role in Physical Development : Explanation of how PE contributes to physical growth and health.
• Role in Cognitive Development : Insights into how physical activities enhance cognitive abilities and academic performance.
• Role in Emotional and Social Development : Examination of PE’s role in promoting social skills and emotional well-being.
• Long-term Benefits : Discussion on how PE fosters lifelong healthy habits.
• Tips for Writing an Effective Physical Education Essay
• Start with a Strong Thesis Statement : Clearly state the purpose of your essay and the key points you will cover.
• Use Concrete Examples : Provide specific examples and evidence to support your arguments.
• Maintain a Logical Structure : Use clear and concise headings and subheadings to guide readers through your essay.
• Address Counterarguments : Acknowledge and refute opposing viewpoints to strengthen your argument.
• Conclude Effectively : Summarize the main points and reinforce the importance of physical education.
• Wrapping Up

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Essay on Why Physical Education Is Important

Students are often asked to write an essay on Why Physical Education Is Important in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Why Physical Education Is Important

Keeps us healthy.

Physical education is important because it helps us stay healthy. When we move and exercise, our bodies become stronger. Our hearts pump better, and we can breathe easier. This means we get sick less often and can enjoy more activities without getting tired quickly.

Improves Learning

Exercise not only keeps our bodies healthy but also our minds. When we are active, our brain gets more oxygen. This makes it easier for us to think, remember things, and solve problems. So, physical education can help us do better in school.

Makes Us Happy

Being active also makes us feel happier. When we exercise, our body releases chemicals that make us feel good. This can help us feel less stressed and more relaxed. Physical education gives us a chance to have fun, make friends, and enjoy different sports and activities.

Teaches Teamwork

In physical education, we often play games and sports that require teamwork. This teaches us how to work with others, understand the importance of teamwork, and develop leadership skills. These are important skills that can help us in school, work, and other parts of our lives.

250 Words Essay on Why Physical Education Is Important

Physical education enhances physical health, pe fosters teamwork and social skills.

PE classes also provide opportunities for students to learn and practice teamwork, cooperation, and social skills. Team sports and group activities teach students the importance of working together towards a common goal, communicating effectively, and resolving conflicts peacefully. These skills are essential for success in both personal and professional life.

PE Boosts Cognitive Function

Studies have shown that regular physical activity can improve cognitive function, including memory, attention, and problem-solving skills. Exercise increases blood flow to the brain, which helps in the growth and development of brain cells. PE classes that involve physical activity and mental challenges, such as strategy games or obstacle courses, can enhance cognitive function even further.

PE Teaches Healthy Habits

PE classes help students develop healthy habits that they can carry throughout their lives. These habits include regular exercise, proper nutrition, and adequate sleep. By learning about the importance of these habits in PE class, students are more likely to adopt them and maintain a healthy lifestyle as they grow older.

PE Encourages Self-Confidence and Positive Body Image

PE classes provide a safe and supportive environment for students to explore their physical abilities and develop a positive body image. Through physical activity, students learn to appreciate their bodies for what they can do, rather than focusing on how they look. PE also helps students develop self-confidence by providing opportunities to achieve personal goals, overcome challenges, and work as part of a team.

500 Words Essay on Why Physical Education Is Important

Physical education improves overall health and fitness.

Physical education is essential for improving a person’s overall health and fitness. Regular physical activity can help to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. It can also help to improve muscle strength, flexibility, and cardiovascular fitness. Additionally, physical education can help to develop good habits and attitudes towards physical activity that can last a lifetime.

Physical Education Enhances Academic Performance

Physical education teaches important life skills.

Physical education can help students to develop important life skills such as teamwork, cooperation, and sportsmanship. These skills can be learned through a variety of physical activities, including team sports, individual sports, and fitness activities. Physical education can also help students to develop self-confidence, discipline, and perseverance. These skills can be valuable in all aspects of life.

Physical Education Encourages Healthy Lifestyles

Physical education can help to encourage students to adopt healthy lifestyles. By providing students with the opportunity to experience the benefits of physical activity, physical education can help to motivate them to continue participating in physical activity throughout their lives. Additionally, physical education can help students to learn about the importance of healthy eating and making healthy lifestyle choices.

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Should Schools Make Physical Education Mandatory?

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As we touched upon yesterday , after-school sports are on the chopping block for many schools and districts facing budget cuts. But after-school sports aren’t the only endangered physical activity—physical education classes have also been trimmed due to budgetary concerns and an increased focus on test-based accountability.

The American Heart Association recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity a week for elementary students, and 225 minutes per week for middle school students.

Yet, according to the “2010 Shape of the Nation Report” by the National Association of Sport and Physical Education, only five U.S. states require physical education in every grade K-12 (Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Mexico, and Vermont). Only Alabama, Florida, and Louisiana require the recommended 150+ minutes of physical activity per week for elementary students, and only Alabama, Montana, and Utah require the recommended 225+ minutes per week for junior high and high school students.

Virginia is the latest state to consider making physical education mandatory . The state Senate voted 37-2 yesterday to pass a bill which would require schools to offer at least 150 minutes of physical education weekly for students in kindergarten through 8th grade. (The bill doesn’t mandate high-school PE.)

Currently, according to the “2010 Shape of the Nation”, Virginia mandates physical education in grades K-7 and requires daily recess in elementary school. Elementary students are required to receive 150 minutes per week of physical activity; however, this may be any combination of phys. ed. classes, extra-curricular athletics, or “other programs and physical activities deemed appropriate by the local school board.”

While the health benefits of phys. ed. classes are unquestionable, the budgetary strains and liability concerns are often enough to make states stop short of the AHA’s recommended requirements. This essay from the Journal of Law and Education , titled “School Liability: The Danger of Mandatory Physical Education Classes,” speaks largely to the uncertainty that states face when considering mandatory physical education programs. (The author explains that a school’s liability varies state to state, “depending on which standard of liability the state has adopted.”)

UPDATE, 1/27: The Virginia House Education Committee advanced the mandatory phys. ed. bill yesterday, with a 13-4 vote to send the measure to the House floor.

A version of this news article first appeared in the Schooled in Sports blog.

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Physical Education In Schools Should Be Compulsory

Should Physical Education in schools be compulsory?

All the Yes points:

Participation in sport promotes health., physical education is an important part of holistic schooling., school sport is about discovering gifts., the quest for national sporting achievement begins in schools., without school support, sports will collapse., sports encompasses life choices., if not forced to exercise in youth, many will never think to do it in adulthood., sport helps to forge character., participation in sport promotes a healthy lifestyle, physical education helps to forge skills that will prove invaluable in later life, schools can punish students who do not participate in the classes with further pe lessons, all the no points:, individuals should have the right to control their own bodies, students should have the right to choose which subjects they complete at school, compulsory physical education risks unnecessary and costly injury, physical education is best taught to selected groups, sport is a waste of school time and resources, yes because….

Participation in sport promotes health. Government is, or should be, concerned with the health of its citizens. Encouraging physical activity in the young through compulsory PE fights child obesity and contributes to forming lifelong habits of exercise. This doesn’t have to be through traditional team sports; increasingly schools are able to offer exercise in the form of swimming, gymnastics, dance, weight training, use of a multigym, aerobics, etc.

No because…

Students should be allowed a choice. Lots of children don’t want to do this. If their parents agree, why should they be forced to (or forced to lie in producing a sick note)? It is different from any other lesson – it is about what one does with one’s body. In any case, it is a red herring to say that PE makes any serious difference to people’s health. There are plenty of more effective ways of ensuring a healthy population than pushing children round a freezing sports pitch once a week; not least would be addressing the disgusting diets our young have today, and encouraging walking or cycling to school rather than total reliance on the car.

Physical Education is an important part of holistic schooling. PE is an aspect of school being about more than just book learning – it is about educating the whole person, a holistic education that betters us in an all-round sense, rather than a merely academic experience. Some aspects of physical education are vital for future wellbeing, e.g. being able to swim, learning to lift heavy weights safely. Arguments about cost seem petty when compared to this aim – and also misguided, since PE departments would continue to exist to serve those that chose to study PE voluntarily, even if the subject were no longer to be compulsory. Arguments about the size of classes may well be correct, but these suggest better funding for PE rather than abandonment of the commitment to public health.

Sport is a waste of school time and resources. One or two PE lessons a week make very little difference to an individual’s health – but a huge difference to a school’s budget. It creates a whole extra department in schools, wasting a great deal of money and time that could be better spent on academic lessons. It also requires schools buildings to be surrounded by a large amount of land for playing fields, making it prohibitively expensive to build new schools in urban areas. The quality of teaching is low, as students are taught in huge classes. On the other hand, the quality of teaching and of equipment goes up if there are fewer (but keener) students taking the subject. Frankly, given the average current pupil-teacher ration, the subject is not merely without positive purpose – it may be dangerous to students who are normally not properly supervised.

School sport is about discovering gifts. If not driven by PE, many in society wouldn’t find out that they had a talent for a sport, or even that they enjoyed it. Once experienced, sport can be enjoyed for life, while for some it will provide the possibility of a college scholarship and even a career. Individuals are not humiliated in PE – if they are, the schools concerned should be brought to task just as they would be with regard to humiliation of students in any subject. Rather, as UNESCO says, the student should be helped to fulfil a level of attainment in sport that corresponds to his gifts.

Students can ‘discover’ these delights outside of school, without ‘discovering’ the bullying that comes with PE more than with any other lesson. They are more likely to obtain specialist coaching at sports clubs. Furthermore, for every child that ‘discovers a gift,’ there are many that suffer. PE is unique, in that ‘failure’ in its lessons involves physical humiliation. This is bad for children and especially bad for adolescents, who have more than enough body issues without this.

The quest for national sporting achievement begins in schools. If we don’t have compulsory PE, it is much harder to pick out athletes to represent our country on a wider stage. Even with a ‘sports academy’ model run along Australian lines, it’s much easier to find suitable individuals with a full sports program in every school. State education is not just about aiding the individual – it’s also about the state getting a good return on its investment – in a well-educated populace to drive business and entrepreneurialism etc. This applies equally in sports, too.

Schools aren’t supposed to be about fostering achievers for the state – that smacks of Stalinism. Schools should be tailored to the individual – if the individual student doesn’t want to participate in sports, they shouldn’t have to. If we allowed such national aims to be considered in schools, would we consent to humiliation of those that did badly in maths lessons, to encourage their achievement in maths (and thus business skills?) Of course not. But we allow that in PE.

Without school support, sports will collapse. If full classes aren’t made up, then team activities will end by sheer lack of numbers, no matter if several very talented individuals are at the school (or even potentially talented – they’ll never know without the program). If voluntary take-up of sport in schools is too low, then schools will shut down PE programmes so that there is no choice at all. Not everyone is academic: why deprive those talented sports students of their one chance to shine?

Forcing children that don’t want to play to make up teams in order to allow others to shine smacks of rigid education from a bygone era. In any case, in an increasingly litigious age, a compulsory rather than voluntary sports program is a liability. More and more schools are avoiding the very team games (e.g. rugby, soccer, hockey, football) the proposition discusses here, due to the (realistic) fear of lawsuits.

Sport is different to, say Latin – it encompasses life choices (most importantly, a concern for physical fitness, but also working in a team etc) that ought to be encouraged in all students. Extra classes for interested students can take place separately, and often do in the form of fixtures with other schools, championships etc. Sport shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to academia, an either/or – it should be a part of every student’s life in addition to their other studies. If the opposition is correct about the heavy workload involved in schools, then students are that much more likely not to choose PE in an environment where it is voluntary, and the quality of our children’s health will be even worse. Much better to keep being healthy compulsory, and reform the pressures elsewhere in the curriculum.

Successful sporting nations like Australia realise that sports, like any other specialised subjects, are best taught to selected groups that display both talent and interest in the field – forcing all to compete holds back the able and punishes the less able. The right way to go is to liberate those that don’t want to participate, and allow those that are extremely keen to go to academies that focus their talents more efficiently than a regular school ever could. Furthermore, our children are burdened enough in schools already, especially at the older end of the system, with multiple examinations. PE simply adds, needlessly, to this hectic schedule.

If not forced to exercise in youth, many will never think to do it in adulthood. This is no idle question: obesity in the UK is rising rapidly. Individuals have no right to ‘choice’ about this: they’re being compelled to attend school, to take the lessons the state says they should take. The state doesn’t just impose a curricular compulsion, since physical attendance is forced – so there’s nothing unique in principle about enforced PE. Indeed, what can be more important as an aim for our schools than to encourage public health? It is in recognition of that fact, that in 1978 UNESCO recognised PE as ‘as essential element of lifelong education.’ If PE is made voluntary, it seems obvious that many students – against their long term interests, and the long term interests of society – will choose not to. That will damage this essential element of education, and damage public health. It is true that the health of society is not perfect even with compulsory PE – but how much worse might it be without it?

We acknowledge the right of individuals (or their parents) to control their own bodies – when they have an operation, where they go, what they do. Why is this any different? This discussion should be held in the real world: students actually aren’t compelled to attend PE classes, as ‘sick notes’ are produced with alarming regularity by parents complicit in their child’s wish to avoid this lesson. The aim of ‘compulsory PE’ isn’t being fulfilled at present in any case, and greater efforts to enforce it will only result in more deceit, or children missing school for the entire day – or, in the most extreme cases, being withdrawn from state education by parents unwilling to allow their children to be forced into something they don’t wish to do. Instead, we should simply abandon the whole exercise and allow PE to become voluntary. The UNESCO charter stresses the right to PE, and was addressed to nations that failed to provide it at all – it was not meant to suggest that individuals should be compelled to do it in nations that do.

Sport helps to forge character. Playing team sports builds character and encourages students to work with others. It teaches children how to win and lose with good grace and builds a strong school spirit through competition with other institutions. It is often the experience of playing on a team together which builds the strongest friendships at school, which endure for years afterwards.

Many say the same benefits derive from the common endurance of prison… In particular, injuries sustained through school sport and the psychological trauma of being bullied for sporting ineptitude can mark people for years after they have left school. Teamwork can be better developed through music, drama, community projects, etc. without the need to encourage an ultra-competitive ethos.

Participation in sport promotes health. The effect on self-esteem and well-being as a product of sport can only be experienced by certain children if forced by their schools to first participate. A recent report to the European Parliament declared ‘physical education is a springboard for involvement in sport and physical activities throughout life’[1]. Government is, or should be, concerned with the health of its citizens. Encouraging physical activity in the young through compulsory PE fights child obesity and contributes to forming lifelong habits of exercise. This doesn’t have to be through traditional team sports; increasingly schools are able to offer exercise in the form of swimming, gymnastics, dance, weight training, use of a multi-gym, aerobics, etc [1] Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union. European Parliament

It is a red herring to say that PE makes any serious difference to people’s health. There are plenty of more effective ways of ensuring a healthy population than pushing children round a freezing sports pitch once a week; not least would be addressing the disgusting diets our young have today, and encouraging walking or cycling to school rather than total reliance on the car. Both methods would involve promoting a healthy lifestyle without forcing the participation in unpopular physical education classes that do little for one’s education.

Physical education helps to forge character and the mutual respect required to succeed in an adult environment. Playing team sports builds character and encourages students to work with others, as they would be expected to do in most business or sporting environments. Sport teaches children how to win and lose with good grace and builds a strong school spirit through competition with other institutions. It is invaluable to imbue with children the delicate balance between a competitive rivalry that encourages effort and, on the other hand, losing the fairness and respect required to enjoy sport. It is often the experience of playing on a team together which builds the strongest friendships at school, which endure for years afterwards. As was noted in a report to the European Parliament, ‘PE…helps children learn to respect and value their own bodies and abilities, and those of others'[1]. Compulsory physical education is the only means by which all children can be forced to appreciate such advantages. [1]Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union. European Parliament.

Physical education undermines one’s character as much as it strengthens and forges it. For every future athlete who grows in stature as he becomes comfortable in a team environment, there are a number of academic students who are forced weekly to cope with the brutality and criticisms of others more gifted at specific sports. Values like respect are not taught on a football field, any glance at a professional football match leads inexorably to that conclusion. Furthermore, learning about teamwork and co-operation no longer requires hours spent playing sport; they can be taught just as accurately and effectively in a classroom through music, drama, community projects, etc. without the need to encourage an ultra-competitive ethos.

Compulsory PE lessons can be treated in the same manner an ordinary educational class is treated; if the student refuses to participate and therefore does not do their work, they are punished with extra work of that same class. In this case, that would necessitate added physical education exercises at a later date or immediately after the class. The excuse that the student does not wish to participate in the class should be seen as no different to if it were stated during a maths or English class, where it would not be accepted. The fact that physical education is qualitatively different to those classes is irrespective; once deemed a compulsory subject, and therefore beneficial, it must be accepted and completed.

The intention of advocating a healthy lifestyle and sports is lost if there is a punishment attached to the class. Furthermore, to expect all students to participate in a class that is so overtly embarrassing to the weaker athletes is almost state-sanctioned bullying. In a maths class, the working and answers of the weakest students are not paraded in front of the class for all to see, and if they try to stop this, kept behind for extra work. It is demonstrably unfair to ask students, fragile about their appearance as it is, to compete physically with classmates. It should be encouraged, but maintain voluntary for those who wish to do so. The others can still be taught about healthy living and exercise without being dragged into physical exertion.

We acknowledge the right of individuals (or their parents) to control their own bodies – when they have an operation, where they go, what they do. Why is this any different? This discussion should be held in the real world: students actually aren’t compelled to attend PE classes, as ‘sick notes’ are produced with alarming regularity by parents complicit in their child’s wish to avoid this lesson. The aim of ‘compulsory PE’ isn’t being fulfilled at present in any case, and greater efforts to enforce it will only result in more deceit, or children missing school for the entire day – or, in the most extreme cases, being withdrawn from state education by parents unwilling to allow their children to be forced into something they don’t wish to do. Instead, we should simply abandon the whole exercise and allow PE to become voluntary. The UNESCO charter stresses the right to PE, and was addressed to nations that failed to provide it at all – it was not meant to suggest that individuals should be compelled to do it in nations that do[1]. [1] UNESCO. (1945, November 16). Constitution of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved May 18, 2011.

If not forced to exercise in youth, many will never think to do it in adulthood. This is no idle question: obesity in the UK is rising rapidly and Dr. David Haslam believes schools are part of the problem[1]. Individuals have no right to ‘choice’ about this: they’re being compelled to attend school, to take the lessons the state says they should take. The state doesn’t just impose a curricular compulsion, since physical attendance is forced – so there’s nothing unique in principle about enforced PE. Indeed, what can be more important as an aim for our schools than to encourage public health? It is in recognition of that fact, that in 1978 UNESCO recognised PE as ‘as essential element of lifelong education.’ [2] If PE is made voluntary, it seems obvious that many students – against their long term interests, and the long term interests of society – will choose not to. That will damage this essential element of education, and damage public health. It is true that the health of society is not perfect even with compulsory PE – but how much worse might it be without it? [1] Batty, D. (2008, February 21). Schools make children more obese, leading doctor says. Retrieved May 18, 2011 [2] UNESCO. (1978, November 21). International Charter of Physical Education and Sport. Retrieved May 18, 2011, from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Students should be allowed a choice with relation to their school subjects, including physical education. Children know, often from early ages, what they want to do with their life from what subjects they enjoy and those they don’t. Lots of children don’t want to do physical education; it is different from any other lesson – it is about what one does with one’s body. For those not confident about their bodies, why should they be forced to go through the embarrassment and stress of a PE class when they could be spending the time most constructively and happily in a classroom? Furthermore, and on the flip side, those who do enjoy PE will still be able to take the class and in an environment surrounded by those who feel similarly. Athletes will no longer be held back by those who force teachers to re-iterate instructions or rules.

Students, unaware of the subjects that will most benefit them in the competitive work environment, have no such right to choose all their subjects at school. Many schools offer students a restricted right to choose subjects at school, but only those which offer comparative advantages. Certain subjects like, in the Western world, English, maths, science and physical education, are not voluntary because they offer advantages to all that form a foundation necessary to excel in other areas. If students were given the right to choose all their subjects, few would do the more difficult subjects like science and maths that, whilst requiring more effort, are more rewarding for society as a whole, and the students themselves.

A compulsory rather than voluntary sports program is a risk for both students and schools. More and more schools are avoiding team games (e.g. rugby, soccer, hockey, football) for the (realistic) fear of lawsuits when injuries and disputes occur. In one example, a defendant was awarded £100,000 by the school of a student who tackled dangerously and caused both neck and ligament injuries to his opponent opponent[1]. Furthermore, injuries sustained through school sport and the psychological trauma of being bullied for sporting ineptitude can mark people for years after they have left school. Furthermore, psychological injuries occur to those who would not otherwise do sport if not forced, these injuries tend to be the longest and most damaging. Voluntary physical education would avoid such traumatic episodes. [1]BBC News (2001, August 8). Rugby injury wins £100,000 damages. Retrieved May 18, 2011.

Compulsory physical education does not risk unnecessary and costly injury. Injuries that occur in physical education are firstly more advisable than injuries that occur in the classroom or playground for PE teachers tend to be trained in first-aid. Furthermore, the psychological bullying occurring in physical education classes is only a small subset of bullying that is rife among schools as a whole. The prowess, or lack of it, that leads to bullying in PE classes is no different to the lack of ‘prowess’ in looks, or name, or spelling that will drive bullying in other educational environments.

Successful sporting nations realise that sports, like any other specialised subjects, are best taught to selected groups that display both talent and interest in the field – forcing all to compete holds back the able and punishes the less able. The right way to go is to liberate those that don’t want to participate, and allow those that are extremely keen to go to academies that focus their talents more efficiently than a regular school ever could. Furthermore, our children are burdened enough in schools already, especially at the older end of the system, with multiple examinations. PE simply adds, needlessly, to this hectic schedule.

Sport is different to, say Latin – it encompasses life choices (most importantly, a concern for physical fitness, but also working in a team etc.) that ought to be encouraged in all students. As Ken Hardman argues, ‘physical education makes a unique contribution to the education of all pupils’[1]. Extra classes for interested students can take place separately, and often do in the form of fixtures with other schools, championships etc. Sport shouldn’t be seen as an alternative to academia, an either/or – it should be a part of every student’s life in addition to their other studies. If the opposition is correct about the heavy workload involved in schools, then students are that much more likely not to choose PE in an environment where it is voluntary, and the quality of our children’s health will be even worse. Much better to keep being healthy compulsory, and reform the pressures elsewhere in the curriculum. [1] Hardman, K. (2007). Current situation and prospects for physical education in the European Union. European Parliament.

Sport is a waste of school time and resources. One or two PE lessons a week make very little difference to an individual’s health– but a huge difference to a school’s budget. It creates a whole extra department in schools, wasting a great deal of money and time that could be better spent on academic lessons[1] It also requires schools buildings to be surrounded by a large amount of land for playing fields, making it prohibitively expensive to build new schools in urban areas. The quality of teaching is low, as students are taught in huge classes. On the other hand, the quality of teaching and of equipment goes up if there are fewer (but keener) students taking the subject. One Californian student asked to comment stated PE ‘doesn’t help me in any way…it’s really a waste of time. I don’t learn anything here.’[2] [1] Active Living Research. (2007). Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance. San Diego. [2] Marshall, J., & Hardman, K. (2000). The State and Status of Physical Education in Schools in International Context. European Physical Education Review, 203-229.

Physical Education is an important part of holistic schooling. PE is an aspect of school being about more than just book learning – it is about educating the whole person, a holistic education that betters us in an all-round sense, rather than a merely academic experience. Some aspects of physical education are vital for future wellbeing, e.g. being able to swim, learning to lift heavy weights safely. Furthermore, ‘kids who are more physically active tend to perform better academically’[1]. Arguments about cost seem petty when compared to this aim – and also misguided, since PE departments would continue to exist to serve those that chose to study PE voluntarily, even if the subject were no longer to be compulsory. Arguments about the size of classes may well be correct, but these suggest better funding for PE rather than abandonment of the commitment to public health. [1] Active Living Research. (2007). Active Education: Physical Education, Physical Activity and Academic Performance. San Diego.

In the P.E. class, when the student is not good at P.E., some students could get bullied. Because in some schools, the person who is good at P.E., is the most popular person. But, if the student is not good at P.E., they could get bullied and that could make a trauma. That can make a mental disease.

PE Is humiliating as well as unnecessary, Now I´m not an expert on this topic, but isn´t Hauling around a heavy backpack all day enough?

wow, just how lazy are you…

“Knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind…” as quoted by famous American writer Sylvia Plath. I think this quote justifies my point of argument that physical education should not at all be compulsory in school….

physical education in school is not at all compulsory for it is a total waste of time for those children who are not at all interested ….. and therefore spontaneously put no effort in it. It is better if it is made an elective issue as this will not only save the time of those who are interested in other school extra- curricular activities but also make the ones who are efficient in it…

Essay on Physical Education in School for Students in 1000+ Words

In this article, we have published an essay on physical education in school. It includes its meaning, importance, and benefits. Also, how is physical education good for our  health?

Table of Contents

Essay on Physical Education in School (1000 Words)

Physical education is essential because it improves the fitness of youngsters, makes them  disciplined  and active. It helps them to find out teamwork, test their decision-making capabilities too.

Adults spend their whole day in air-cooled offices; they eat food, don’t find time to exercise. It’s getting to be very tough for our generation.

Healthy Habits

It helps students to make good habits from an early age. Running, jogging, weight training, eating, and sleeping on time are a few habits that can help them in the future.

Interpersonal Skills & Team Work

Physical education teaches the way to communicate messages effectively and the way to figure them together.

Stress Buster

Makes you confident.

With improved interpersonal skills, relaxed and calm composure, and healthy habits, one becomes more confident. Physical education plays a notable role during this too.

Alternate Career Opportunity

Health is wealth.

Our current generation is affected by obesity from an early age. They also get spectacles at an old age. Obesity comes with related illnesses too.

Research has proven that children who regularly play different types of sports lead to high self-confidence, which is essential for building a person’s character.

Physical education helps one gain knowledge about the general aspects of physical health. Teenagers face many health-related problems like obesity, anemia, bulimia, and even diabetes, which are rampant amongst teenagers.

Through education, teachers can promote the advantages of healthy and nutritious food and discourage them from having food by highlighting their ill effects. They will easily promote sound eating practices and guidelines for nutrition.

It won’t be wrong to mention that children, who learn the importance of health and hygiene at an early age, tend to get older to be responsible and healthy adults who are conscious of the advantages of a healthy lifestyle.

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Habits formed with the assistance of education tend to remain with us for an extended time. We should bring skilled coaches and needed equipment to colleges.

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Keeping Physical Education in Schools Essay

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Introduction

Physical education aids in significant health benefits, physical education improves academic performance, physical education is not hard to maintain.

Physical education is a process geared towards physical development through exercise instructions which one applies to achieve a healthy lifestyle. These exercises range from sports, games, dance, aerobics and other gymnastic programs. Both quality and quantity of physical education programs are important in schools in forming an all-rounded student.

Schools should incorporate effective physical education programs for all learners on a daily basis to ensure fitness in the students. Young children require creative exercises to avoid boredom, and the trainers should involve the children in coming up with the programs to ensure that their ideas are incorporated in the regimen. This will make the physical exercises fun to carry out.

Apart from participating in the physical education programs, the students need to be taught on the importance of the various exercises so that they inculcate the culture of physical fitness into their life-time fitness programs.

Most health experts recommend an average of one hour of moderate to strenuous exercises for school going children (Marion, 2009). Physical education is an important activity in the public schools and should be allowed to remain an integral part of the curriculum.

Physical education is an important aspect of a child’s comprehensive growth process. The incorporation of the program into the school curriculum will impact positively the school children and help them adopt the activities taught as an integral part of their endeavor to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Regular physical activities have been found to result in healthier life with lowered risk of preventable conditions such as high blood pressure, some forms of cancers and diabetes. Physical exercises on a regular basis lead to a better cardiovascular endurance and also lower blood pressure to normal homeostatic levels.

With the emergence of new modern forms of entertainment such as computer games, play stations and internet based games, many children have neglected the physically demanding entertainment programs. This has increased the number of those with cases of child obesity to epidemic levels in America and other European countries (Marx & Wooley, 1998).

It would be advisable to incorporate a culture of involvement in physical exercises in young children to avert such disasters as chronic, cardiovascular diseases and disabilities. Many studies have shown that exercise helps greatly reduce unnecessary body fat and a corresponding increase in lean muscle mass which being elements of good health.

As schools aim to achieve high academic success, they should also focus on improving the welfare of the learners by encouraging healthy lifestyles which is achievable through physical activities and healthy diets. Physically fit learners have low incidences of depression, anxiety and also show high levels of self-esteem as well as improved socialization ability in comparison to their peers (Carlie, 2011).

According to research carried out by Active Living Research group, on how policies and environmental factors affect the performance of learners in schools, the less the time is allocated for physical education, the lower the academic performance is recorded. All schools under the study which had comprehensive exercise and physical training programs had a better performance in academics even with less instruction time in class work.

There is a wide range of exercise models learners can use that do not require expensive facilities. For instance, learners can involve in activities such as aerobics, running and playing. The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) needs to be reviewed to ensure learners have adequate time for exercise as opposed to long hours in classwork (University of Michigan Health System, 2011).

The NCLB completely failed to capture the importance of exercise in the general development of school going children. The anticipated improvement in academics has not been realized. This has been attributed to academic fatigue and decreased physical fitness in children among other factors, which always improve concentration capacity.

A controlled exercise program by adults or trained instructors ensures the school going children carry out their exercises in well protected environments and only according to outlined guidelines.

As numerous studies have shown a link between good academic performance and exercising, schools should strive to invest in physical education. Furthermore, many talents in children such as football skills and athletics prowess are discovered through these programs (Stewart, &Mars, 2010).

Apart from the improved academic performance, physical education contributes to developing responsible citizens. Many studies have indicated a drop in cases of indiscipline in children involved in physical fitness programs in comparison to those who do not.

Drug abuse is also rampant among idle students as compared to those who take part in exercise programs. The benefits accrued from physical activity go beyond academic performance and positive results have been recorded in psychosocial component of life, too (University of Michigan Health System, 2011).

The No Child Left behind Act (NCLB) is one of the reasons the physical education program has received little attention. This has in turn resulted in higher rates of obesity in the country with the government spending billions of dollars to counter obesity-related complications in school going children. It is estimated that by 2018, the United States will have spent up to $344 billion to counter obesity related complications.

This constitutes about twenty one percent of the health sector’s budgets. This can be effectively avoided by investing in physical education among the school going children who make up the greatest percentage of obesity cases. Ironically it would only cost $ 500, 000 to reintroduce the physical education programs in schools.

Schools facing budgetary constraints to purchase physical education facilities could easily overcome this challenge by soliciting for funds from well wishers or organize fund raisers (Marion, 2009). The government needs to allocate funds for physical education in schools in addition to constituting legislation that would make physical education as part of the curriculum.

In the United States, deaths arising from poor diet and inactivity hit the 300,000 mark annually. Studies indicated that this problem begins in early childhood and adolescents stages of life. This is the time most people are schooling and, therefore, investing in physical education as an integral part of the curriculum, would have tremendous impact on changing the lifestyles of millions of American citizens.

The government should prioritize in areas of creating awareness among school going children, teachers, parents and guardians to inculcate a culture of healthy living among all people. The government should also involve medical and physical fitness experts in formulating policies and making recommendations regarding physical education programs in schools.

As has been indicated by the united states department of health and human services, physical activeness would lead to lowered expenditures by the government in matters health since the benefits accrued from it reduce the risks of disease incidences.

In one swing, a constant physical activity which is apparently an enjoyable experience has numerous health benefits that only a fool can ignore. Improved strength and endurance, controlled weight, healthy bones and muscles, reduced anxiety and stress as well as improved self-esteem, maintenance of low levels of cholesterol and blood pressure (Marx & Wooley, 1998).

The benefits associated with physical activities surpass the disadvantages. From improved health to improved academic performance and the improved socialization powers, the advantages of physical education are limitless. It is the prerogative of the parents and guardians to ensure that the children involve in responsible physical activities and remove the fear of injuries or time wasting from the element of physical education.

It is wrong to presume that for effective physical fitness, one has to own state of the art facilities as there are many forms of physical exercises. To also assume that for better academic performance, a learner requires long study hours is wrong and as the old adage goes “All work without play makes Jack a dull boy”

The importance of physical education can not be underestimated. There is a need to ensure both quality and quantity of physical education in school programs. The government should also formulate policies and legislation geared towards promotion of physical fitness. Guidelines given by expatriate bodies should be followed since their advice is based on reliable studies.

For instance, the American Heart Association and the National Association of State Boards of Education recommend no less than two hours of physical education each week. The government ought to offer training techniques to instructors and post them to all schools.

In addition it should avail any necessary facilities to ensure successful physical training programs. Owing to the reluctance displayed by both school administrations and the learners themselves in matters of physical education, the government could make it compulsory and examinable.

Carlie, D. (2011). Physical Education (P.E.). Education/Budget Cuts . Web.

Marion, S.C. (2009). OTL: PE Left Behind . Web.

Marx, E. & Wooley, S. (1998). Health Is Academic: A Guide to Coordinated School Health Programs. New York: Teacher’s College Press.

Stewart, G.T.&Mars, H. (2010). Why We Should Not Cut P.E. Educational Leadership . 67(4). pp.60-65.

University of Michigan Health System (2011). Gym gone but not forgotten? Parents want more physical activity at school for kids. Web.

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Works cited

• PHIT America. (n.d.). Physical Inactivity Facts. Retrieved from https://www.phitamerica.org/Prevent_Obesity_-_Physical_Inactivity.htm
• PHIT. (n.d.). The Inactivity Pandemic - The Impact of Inactivity. Retrieved from https://www.phitamerica.org/Prevent_Obesity_-_Physical_Inactivity.htm
• Kaiser Family Foundation. (2010). Generation M2: Media in the Lives of 8- to 18-Year-Olds. Retrieved from https://www.kff.org/other/report/generation-m2-media-in-the-lives-of-8-to-18-year-olds/
• Shape America. (n.d.). 50 Million Strong by 2029. Retrieved from https://www.shapeamerica.org/advocacy/50millionstrong/
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2018). Consumption of Fast Food Among Children and Adolescents in the United States, 2011-2012. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db213.htm
• World Health Organization. (2016). Obesity and Overweight. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
• Santos, A. (2019). Prioritizing Academic Performance Over Physical Education in Schools. Retrieved from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042819311617
• Busby, E. (2015). UK schools sell off playing fields to plug funding gaps. The Guardian. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/education/2015/oct/29/schools-sell-off-playing-fields-plug-funding-gaps
• Rado, D. (2018). Physical Education Requirement in Illinois High Schools: A Gym Class Act? Chicago Tribune. Retrieved from https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-met-illinois-gym-class-20180202-story.html
• Ministry of Education Singapore. (2014). Physical Education (PE) Curriculum. Retrieved from https://www.moe.gov.sg/education/programmes/pe-curriculum

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Physical Education — Importance of Physical Education in Schools

Importance of Physical Education in Schools

• Categories: Physical Education

About this sample

Words: 440 |

Published: Jan 30, 2024

Words: 440 | Page: 1 | 3 min read

Table of contents

History and evolution of physical education, benefits of physical education, role of physical education in promoting social skills, challenges and controversies in physical education.

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2010). The association between school-based physical activity, including physical education, and academic performance. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/health_and_academics/pdf/pa-pe_paper.pdf
• Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. (2016). Physical education: Educational benefits of PE. Retrieved from https://www.mext.go.jp/en/education/lesson/kentokako/1402471.htm
• World Health Organization. (2018). Global action plan on physical activity 2018-2030: More active people for a healthier world. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241514187

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