Kindergarten through 3rd Grade - Comprehensive Health and Physical Education Guidelines

Between kindergarten and 3rd grade, your child should meet a number of different health and physical milestones. This section provides an overview of the requirements for children in kindergarten through third grade and explains how the Guidelines prepares children at earlier ages for meeting these standards in their formal schooling.

Movement Competence and Understanding 

• The first standard in the Comprehensive Health and Physical Education area is related only to physical education (P.E.). This standard focuses on children’s development of motor skills and their ability to correctly move in patterns during a variety of routines, games, and activities. 
• In preparation for these skills in grades K–3, toddlers and preschoolers build the large and small muscles of their body, gaining strength and control. 
• Kindergarteners continue to develop these motor skills by learning awareness of their bodies and the space around them as they move safely during a number of activities.
• In 1st grade, children add in rhythmic and cross-body movements, and by 3rd grade, children may combine movement patterns as they show growing control and balance.

Physical and Personal Wellness

• The second standard talks about healthy eating, exercise habits, and preventing disease. 
• The Guidelines for children ages 3–5 years focus on children continuing healthy growth by getting rest and exercise and learning to complete personal care tasks, like brushing their teeth. These preschool skills are found primarily in the domains of Physical Development and Health: Physical Health Status and Health Knowledge & Practice. 
• In kindergarten and 1st grade, students grow their understanding of physical wellness to include how their body systems and parts react to and benefit from exercise. As children age, this knowledge becomes more useful to them and grows even more. 
• Children in 2nd grade use their growing knowledge about physical and personal wellness to make healthy choices.
• 3rd graders know the benefits of continued physical activity and gain a greater understanding of the makeup of the human body.

Emotional and Social Wellness

• The third standard is related to children’s mental, emotional, and social health. 
• Foundational skills for children ages 3–5 years in this area are found in the Social and Emotional Development and Approaches to Learning domains of these Guidelines. 
  • As described in those sections, preschool children are learning many foundational emotional and social skills that they need to support their learning in school, including the ability to build social relationships, control their behavior and emotions, develop a healthy view of themselves, and show emotional and behavioral health. 
• These skills continue to be important to students in kindergarten through 3rd grade, as research has linked social-emotional learning to a number of positive results and benefits. The standards ensure that kindergarten students demonstrate respect for themselves and others and follow directions. 
• 1st grade students grow in their ability to successfully work well with others, including following the rules of activity.
• In 2nd and 3rd grade, children continue working on social skills so that they may show positive and helpful behaviors and language toward other students in class.

Prevention and Risk Management 

• The final standard focuses on children’s understanding of rules that keep them safe from harmful situations and dangerous substances or materials. The basis for these skills is found in the Guidelines for ages 3–5 years in the subdomain of Health Knowledge & Practice within the Physical Development & Health domain. The Guidelines describe children’s knowledge about basic health and safety rules and their ability to respond in the right way to harmful or unsafe situations.
• Children in grades K–3 learn safe participation in games and sports and about applying rules, procedures, and safe practices in the classroom and at home.