What does a typical year of PE look like at this age?

Students try a wide mix of activities: team sports, fitness work, dance, racket games, and outdoor games. They practice skills like throwing, catching, dodging, and pacing themselves during a run. They also learn how warm-ups, heart rate, and rest fit together.

How can families support PE at home?

Build short bursts of movement into the week. A walk after dinner, tossing a ball in the yard, a bike ride on the weekend, or stretching while watching TV all count. The goal is regular activity, not a perfect workout.

My child says they are bad at sports. How do I help?

Focus on effort and small wins, not on winning games. Play low-pressure games at home like catch or mini-golf, and talk about what felt easier this week than last. Skill at this age grows fast with practice and patience.

What if my child does not like team sports?

PE at this age is not only team sports. Students also do fitness activities, dance, hiking, yoga, and individual challenges. Helping students find one activity they enjoy outside school often matters more than loving every unit.

How do I sequence units across the year?

Start with cooperative games and fitness basics so students learn group norms and how to pace themselves. Move into invasion games in the fall, individual and net activities in winter, and striking or outdoor units in spring. Revisit fitness concepts inside each unit instead of teaching them in isolation.

Which skills usually need the most reteaching?

Spacing, defensive positioning, and pacing during sustained activity tend to lag behind. Many students can perform a skill in a drill but lose it inside a real game. Short, game-like practice with quick feedback works better than long lines and lectures.

How should social skills like cooperation be assessed?

Watch for specific behaviors during play: including quieter classmates, calling fair, handling a bad call, and encouraging a partner. Short observation notes during small-sided games give better evidence than a single rubric at the end of a unit.

How do I know students are ready for next year?

By spring, students should be able to join a new activity, follow the rules after a short explanation, and keep moving for most of a class. They should also be able to describe one fitness habit they want to keep up outside school.

Does PE class count toward my child's overall fitness?

It helps, but it is not enough on its own. Most students need activity on most days, including weekends. Treat PE as a base and add family walks, sports, chores that get them moving, or active play at home.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year gym class shifts from learning the rules of a game to playing it with real strategy. Students sharpen the skills they already have, like throwing, dribbling, and dodging, and start using them in faster team games. They also begin tracking their own fitness and figuring out which activities they actually enjoy. By spring, students can warm up on their own, play fairly in a group game, and name a few activities they want to keep doing outside of school.

Team sports
Fitness skills
Movement strategy
Sportsmanship
Healthy habits

Source: Connecticut Connecticut Core Standards

Year at a glance

How the year usually goes. Every school and district set their own curriculum, so treat this as a guide, not official pacing.

1
Movement skills and team play
Students sharpen the basic moves behind most sports: running with control, dodging, throwing, catching, and striking with a bat or racket. Parents may hear about pickup games and small-sided matches at home.
2
How the body moves
Students learn why a good warm-up matters, how pacing works, and what makes a move stronger or steadier. They start using terms like balance, force, and rhythm when they talk about a skill.
3
Fitness and healthy habits
Students try different ways to build endurance, strength, and flexibility, from circuits to running games. They track simple fitness goals and learn how rest, water, and food fit in.
4
Teamwork and fair play
Students practice working with people who play at different levels. They learn to communicate during a game, handle wins and losses, and follow rules without an adult standing over them.
5
Activity for life
Students think about what kinds of movement they actually enjoy, from biking to dance to lifting. They plan a simple weekly routine they could keep up outside of class.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 7.

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

CT-PE.1.7

Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build a body that's ready for sports, games, and staying active for life.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

CT-PE.2.7

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during physical activity, like adjusting effort, pacing themselves, or understanding why a workout helps their heart and muscles.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

CT-PE.3.7

Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, cooperating, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

CT-PE.4.7

Students learn to recognize what kinds of movement feel good and actually work for them, then build habits around those activities. The goal is staying active by choice, not just for a grade.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build a body that's ready for sports, games, and staying active for life.	CT-PE.1.7
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during physical activity, like adjusting effort, pacing themselves, or understanding why a workout helps their heart and muscles.	CT-PE.2.7
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, cooperating, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move.	CT-PE.3.7
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students learn to recognize what kinds of movement feel good and actually work for them, then build habits around those activities. The goal is staying active by choice, not just for a grade.	CT-PE.4.7

Physical Education

Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor

CT-PE.1.7

Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build a body that's ready for sports, games, and staying active for life.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

CT-PE.2.7

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during physical activity, like adjusting effort, pacing themselves, or understanding why a workout helps their heart and muscles.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

CT-PE.3.7

Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, cooperating, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

CT-PE.4.7

Students learn to recognize what kinds of movement feel good and actually work for them, then build habits around those activities. The goal is staying active by choice, not just for a grade.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving in different ways, like running, balancing, and throwing, to build a body that's ready for sports, games, and staying active for life.	CT-PE.1.7
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays fit to make better choices during physical activity, like adjusting effort, pacing themselves, or understanding why a workout helps their heart and muscles.	CT-PE.2.7
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with others during physical activities: listening, cooperating, and handling wins and losses with respect. The focus is on how students treat teammates and opponents, not just how well they move.	CT-PE.3.7
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students learn to recognize what kinds of movement feel good and actually work for them, then build habits around those activities. The goal is staying active by choice, not just for a grade.	CT-PE.4.7

Common Questions

What does a typical year of PE look like at this age?
Students try a wide mix of activities: team sports, fitness work, dance, racket games, and outdoor games. They practice skills like throwing, catching, dodging, and pacing themselves during a run. They also learn how warm-ups, heart rate, and rest fit together.
How can families support PE at home?
Build short bursts of movement into the week. A walk after dinner, tossing a ball in the yard, a bike ride on the weekend, or stretching while watching TV all count. The goal is regular activity, not a perfect workout.
My child says they are bad at sports. How do I help?
Focus on effort and small wins, not on winning games. Play low-pressure games at home like catch or mini-golf, and talk about what felt easier this week than last. Skill at this age grows fast with practice and patience.
What if my child does not like team sports?
PE at this age is not only team sports. Students also do fitness activities, dance, hiking, yoga, and individual challenges. Helping students find one activity they enjoy outside school often matters more than loving every unit.
How do I sequence units across the year?
Start with cooperative games and fitness basics so students learn group norms and how to pace themselves. Move into invasion games in the fall, individual and net activities in winter, and striking or outdoor units in spring. Revisit fitness concepts inside each unit instead of teaching them in isolation.
Which skills usually need the most reteaching?
Spacing, defensive positioning, and pacing during sustained activity tend to lag behind. Many students can perform a skill in a drill but lose it inside a real game. Short, game-like practice with quick feedback works better than long lines and lectures.
How should social skills like cooperation be assessed?
Watch for specific behaviors during play: including quieter classmates, calling fair, handling a bad call, and encouraging a partner. Short observation notes during small-sided games give better evidence than a single rubric at the end of a unit.
How do I know students are ready for next year?
By spring, students should be able to join a new activity, follow the rules after a short explanation, and keep moving for most of a class. They should also be able to describe one fitness habit they want to keep up outside school.
Does PE class count toward my child's overall fitness?
It helps, but it is not enough on its own. Most students need activity on most days, including weekends. Treat PE as a base and add family walks, sports, chores that get them moving, or active play at home.