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As children’s physical and emotional needs change, so does physical education curriculum. Today’s PE teachers are discovering new ways to support their students’ development and strengthen the connection between physical, emotional, and social health.
This month, Human Kinetics Library explores new ways of imagining physical education with selections addressing topics that include teaching with a Whole Child mindset, supporting children navigating disabilities, and bringing technology into teaching and assessment. Scroll down to read our featured content, including excerpts from the Human Kinetics Core Collection and Physical and Health Education Spring 2025 Updates.
It is widely understood that a child’s health is affected by the health of their school and community. This belief drives the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model, a framework for promoting health and learning embraced by many educators. In their groundbreaking book Promoting Health and Academic Success, editors David A Birch, Donna M. Videto, and Hanna P. Catalano bring together experts who address initiatives promoting education and health for students using the WSCC approach.
Read this provided introduction, in which the editors provide an overview of the WSCC model and describe how it can help teachers meet physical and health education standards.
This ebook is part of the Human Kinetics Physical and Health Education Spring 2025 Update.
Educational gymnastics meets children at their physical skill level and teaches balance as a lifelong skill, as well as self-responsibility and a consideration for oneself and others. Educational Gymnastics for Children, by Tina J. Hall and Shirley Holt/Hale, presents educators with both a theoretical foundation and a practical approach to educational gymnastics for all elementary students.
In this sample chapter, Hall and Holt/Hale introduce this child-centered form of instruction within the context of Laban’s Movement Analysis Framework.
This ebook is part of the Human Kinetics Physical and Health Education Spring 2025 Update.
Technology offers support for educators in a wide range of disciplines, including physical education. In Technology for Physical Educators, Health Educators, and Coaches, authors Seth E. Jenny, Jennifer M. Krause, and Tess Armstrong help educators and coaches increase their expertise by learning to use new technologies in areas of instruction including assessment, management, communication, professional development, and advocacy.
Read the book’s introduction, which describes standards established by the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) and applies the framework to physical education.
This ebook is part of the Human Kinetics Physical and Health Education Spring 2025 Update.
Physically active children experience healthier growth and development—physically, emotionally, and socially. Promoting Elementary School Physical Activity: Ideas for Enjoyable Active Learning provides K-5 classroom teachers and physical educators with simple, practical, research-supported strategies and activities that have proven successful in schools and are suitable for children of all ages.
In this sample chapter, education experts Russell R. Pate and Ruth P. Saunders present strategies for enhancing physical education classes that 1) offer moderate to vigorous physical activity, 2) facilitate class organization and management, and 3) contribute to a positive motivational climate.
While antisocial behavior and bullying remain prevalent in schools today, coaches and physical education teachers can play a key role in helping children learn about conflict resolution, democratic decision making, and leadership. In her book Playing Fair, scholar and expert Joy I. Butler offers teachers instructional methods that embrace the Teaching Games for Understanding (TGfU) approach, and ultimately help students gain a better understanding of themselves and others.
Read this introductory chapter in which Butler discusses how to help children invent and play games that reinforce concepts like democracy in action, setting them up for successful collaboration.
Although children on the autism spectrum can sometimes feel left behind in class, physical education instructors have the opportunity to help all children feel included while also teaching physical literacy and building student confidence. Active Games for Children on the Autism Spectrum provides the adaptive framework teachers need with more than 80 games to help children on the spectrum take part in physical activity and enjoy being active.
In this sample chapter, authors Erin Bennett and Mary Dyck offer games for teaching fundamental movement skills that can benefit all children.
The best running coaches understand that every athlete is unique, requiring individualized training plans tailored to their strengths, challenges, and specific events. This month, Human Kinetics Library hits the track with resources for coaches and educators including selections from our Core Collection's Spring 2025 update, covering topics such as sustainable running, mental endurance in ultrarunning, training for different competitive distances, and more. Whether you’re working with beginning or advanced runners, these resources will give you the tools you need to both train and inspire your athletes.
Explore Human Kinetics Library’s Sport Skills and Core Collections for more.
Running is about more than completing a marathon or trimming your time on the next 5K. The act of running can reduce stress, evoke joy, enrich personal connections, and even support planet sustainability. In Becoming a Sustainable Runner: A Guide to Running for Life, Community, and Planet, Tina Muir and Zoë Rom look beyond competitive running and offer actionable steps that can help runners and coaches alike embrace all aspects of running.
In this sample chapter, Muir and Rom explore how running can go from being a solitary act to one that allows for connection with others through running groups and partnerships.
This ebook is part of the Human Kinetics Core Collection Spring 2025 Update.
Running in the toughest endurance races requires both physical and mental preparation. In her book Mental Training for Ultrarunning, competitive distance runner Addie Bracy focuses on training the mind to prepare for all challenges that can arise on the trail, road, or track.
Read this provided chapter in which Bracy discusses the importance of knowing our mental weaknesses and developing the skills to transform those weaknesses into strengths on competition day.
This ebook is part of the Human Kinetics Core Collection Spring 2025 Update.
Difference race distances require different training strategies. In Faster Road Racing: 5K to Half Marathon, Pete Pfitzinger and Philip Latter team up to present easy-to-follow programs that give runners an edge in any event.
In this chapter, Pfitzinger and Latter present plans for 5K training, covering endurance, maintaining the right aerobic base, and the best week-by-week training schedule leading up to the event.
When it comes to experts on running, award-winning coach Jack Daniels tops the list. In the fourth edition of his book In the fourth edition of his book Daniels’ Running Formula, the NCAA’s National Coach of the Year offers advice on event-specific training from 800 meter races to ultradistance events and triathlons.
Read this sample chapter in which Daniels utilizes fundamentals of sport science to analyze different types of training and intensities to help runners understand the purpose of their workouts as they prepare for different races.
The best runners have passion, dedication, and the ever-present desire to go faster, longer, and farther. In The Art of Running, experts Julian Goater and Don Melvin present a new approach to running, achieving your goals, and setting your personal best.
In this provided chapter, the authors draw from personal experiences to address the importance of building flexibility, including how to become more aware of what the body needs and engage in key stretches to address different parts of the body.
