Physical Education

At Westfield Friends, Physical Education has three key goals: helping children understand their bodies and how to care for them, building strength and lifelong habits of exercise, teaching healthy competition and collaboration to achieve team goals. 

 

In the Preschool years, movement, rhythm, coordination, and strength building happen within the classroom and with lots of play-based opportunities on the playground. The playground is designed to encourage running, jumping, balancing, and developing children's large motor muscles. 

 

In the Pre-K and Kindergarten years, children have a weekly formal PE class. The focus is to build hand-eye coordination and teach the rules and skills of sports and games we love to play, such as kickball, soccer, four square, and baseball.

 

Grades 1-8 gather weekly for a yoga session. This class builds body awareness, stresses flexibility, and connects breathing to movement. Students participate in their mixed-age buddy groups, with older and younger children helping each other learn new movements and improve previously learned sequences. 

 

Grades 1-8 have PE with a focus on games and friendly competition. The activities rotate through cooperative games, kickball, volleyball, flag football, cross country, and baseball.  The teaching of good sportsmanship and the value of inclusion is strongly encouraged. Long term, students will learn to build teams that benefit from each child's unique talents.