Did you dislike PE? Do your kids dislike PE?

[chris1987]

I'm studying to be a PE teacher and I'm curious to know what people's views are on how PE has changed over the years. Do your kids enjoy or dread it? Why? How could it be better?

I disliked it for all the reasons others have listed. Though swimming was the exception.

DS loves it & it gives him a good dose of self-confidence. We took him to a few sports clubs when he was younger as he was at a small primary school with little sport. IMO if you want to improve things look at what they do in cricket. Everyone has equal turns at everything in a match until about age 9. It seems to me to lead to a better team mindset & that those who benefit from September birthdays or an early growth spurt dominate less. In primary school place less emphasis on football, those that love it are usually already doing it outside school & at lunchtimes so it actually has the biggest gap in terms of being skilled/uncoordinated. (An objective opinion DS went to a football club for a few years.)

@PerspicaciaTick you are right - we often had only one go at something. They would say we are doing shot or long jump, you would get just one go, and then never do it again.

You would just be observing and thinking 'ahh, I need to do it that way' and never got a chance to try again.

Very discouraging not to have a chance to improve.

Seems the OP has well and truly sodded off. Disappointing.
Having said that - perhaps they might grace us with their presence come Monday.

Another one that hated PE at school )most of the time) but liked the gym, dance classes, exercise classes and yoga etc as an adult. I enjoyed PE much more when my school introduced rotations in climbing, trampolining etc rather than cross country and hockey.

For me there were a number of issues:

1. focus on team sports at the expense of building a love of exercise. I’d have loved the option of Zumba, yoga etc.

2. a focus on the sporty kids with no attempt to help the average or crap. Picking teams was always horrid as well.

3. inappropriate clothes. My children aren’t yet old enough to go to school but my local public school run baby classes and one of the most striking things for me was seeing all the girls running around the school in appropriate, comfortable sportswear. I was quite impressed but imagine that is not the norm for all school uniforms even now!