What should students be able to do in PE by the end of this year?

Students should run, skip, jump, and balance with control. They should throw, catch, kick, and dribble well enough to play simple games. They should also follow rules, take turns, and explain why moving and exercising keeps the body healthy.

How can families build movement into a busy week at home?

Aim for an hour of active play a day, even in short bursts. A walk after dinner, a game of catch in the yard, or jumping rope before homework all count. The goal is to make moving feel normal, not like a chore.

What skills usually need the most practice at this age?

Catching a ball with the hands instead of the chest, dribbling while looking up, and jumping rope are the trickiest. Many students also need more practice keeping their balance on one foot and stopping under control after running.

How should the year be sequenced across units?

Start with locomotor skills and spatial awareness, then move into throwing, catching, and kicking with partners. Bring in dribbling and striking in the middle of the year, and finish with small-sided games that pull the skills together. Fitness concepts run alongside every unit.

How can a parent help if a child struggles with catching or throwing?

Practice with a soft ball or rolled-up socks at close range, then step back as the child gets steadier. Cue them to watch the ball into their hands and step forward when they throw. Five minutes a few times a week makes a real difference.

What does good sportsmanship look like at this age?

Students take turns, share equipment, follow the rules of a game, and encourage classmates instead of arguing about who won. They should be able to lose a round, shake it off, and keep playing. This takes steady reminders all year.

How is fitness taught without turning kids off exercise?

Talk about how the heart beats faster, why muscles feel warm, and how rest and water help the body. Tie those ideas to games students already enjoy. The point is to connect feeling tired and strong with healthy habits, not to push laps or timed tests.

How do you know a student is ready for next year?

By spring, students should move through a small-sided game using the right skills, follow safety rules without reminders, and name a few activities they like and want to keep doing. Smooth, in-control movement matters more than speed or strength.

What does a student learn in ?

This is the year movement skills start to combine. Students dribble, throw, catch, and jump with better control, and they begin linking those skills together in small games and activities. They learn simple fitness ideas like why the heart beats faster during exercise, and they practice playing fairly with classmates. By spring, students can take turns, follow the rules of a group game, and name an activity they enjoy doing to stay active.

Throwing and catching
Dribbling
Fitness basics
Teamwork
Fair play
Active habits

Source: Pennsylvania Pennsylvania 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
Moving safely together
Students warm up the school year by running, skipping, and stopping on cue without crashing into classmates. They learn the rules of the gym and how to share space during games.
2
Throwing, catching, and kicking
Students practice the basics of sending and receiving a ball. Parents may notice better aim when playing catch in the yard and steadier kicks during backyard soccer.
3
Fitness and how the body works
Students learn why their heart beats faster during tag and why stretching helps. They start to connect daily movement with feeling strong and having energy at school.
4
Teamwork in games
Students play small-sided games that ask them to cooperate, take turns, and cheer for teammates. Disagreements during recess become chances to practice fair play.
5
Active habits for life
Students reflect on what kinds of movement they enjoy, from biking to dancing to climbing. They set simple goals for staying active outside of gym class.

Mastery Learning Standards

The required skills a student should display by the end of Grade 3.

Physical Education

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

PA-PE.1.3

Students practice moving skills like running, jumping, throwing, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active in sports, games, and everyday life.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

PA-PE.2.3

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays healthy to make better choices during games, exercises, and active play.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

PA-PE.3.3

Students practice working with classmates during movement activities. They take turns, follow shared rules, and treat others the way they want to be treated.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

PA-PE.4.3

Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, then name why it feels good or helps them stay healthy. The goal is building a habit of staying active that lasts past third grade.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving skills like running, jumping, throwing, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active in sports, games, and everyday life.	PA-PE.1.3
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays healthy to make better choices during games, exercises, and active play.	PA-PE.2.3
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with classmates during movement activities. They take turns, follow shared rules, and treat others the way they want to be treated.	PA-PE.3.3
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, then name why it feels good or helps them stay healthy. The goal is building a habit of staying active that lasts past third grade.	PA-PE.4.3

Physical Education

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

PA-PE.1.3

Students practice moving skills like running, jumping, throwing, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active in sports, games, and everyday life.
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance

PA-PE.2.3

Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays healthy to make better choices during games, exercises, and active play.
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…

PA-PE.3.3

Students practice working with classmates during movement activities. They take turns, follow shared rules, and treat others the way they want to be treated.
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement

PA-PE.4.3

Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, then name why it feels good or helps them stay healthy. The goal is building a habit of staying active that lasts past third grade.

Standard	Definition	Code
Develop a variety of motor skills, including locomotor, non-locomotor	Students practice moving skills like running, jumping, throwing, and balancing. Building these skills makes it easier to stay active in sports, games, and everyday life.	PA-PE.1.3
Apply knowledge related to movement, performance	Students use what they know about how the body moves and stays healthy to make better choices during games, exercises, and active play.	PA-PE.2.3
Develop social skills through movement, including respect for self and others…	Students practice working with classmates during movement activities. They take turns, follow shared rules, and treat others the way they want to be treated.	PA-PE.3.3
Develop personal skills, identify personal benefits of movement	Students practice moving their bodies in different ways, then name why it feels good or helps them stay healthy. The goal is building a habit of staying active that lasts past third grade.	PA-PE.4.3

Common Questions

What should students be able to do in PE by the end of this year?
Students should run, skip, jump, and balance with control. They should throw, catch, kick, and dribble well enough to play simple games. They should also follow rules, take turns, and explain why moving and exercising keeps the body healthy.
How can families build movement into a busy week at home?
Aim for an hour of active play a day, even in short bursts. A walk after dinner, a game of catch in the yard, or jumping rope before homework all count. The goal is to make moving feel normal, not like a chore.
What skills usually need the most practice at this age?
Catching a ball with the hands instead of the chest, dribbling while looking up, and jumping rope are the trickiest. Many students also need more practice keeping their balance on one foot and stopping under control after running.
How should the year be sequenced across units?
Start with locomotor skills and spatial awareness, then move into throwing, catching, and kicking with partners. Bring in dribbling and striking in the middle of the year, and finish with small-sided games that pull the skills together. Fitness concepts run alongside every unit.
How can a parent help if a child struggles with catching or throwing?
Practice with a soft ball or rolled-up socks at close range, then step back as the child gets steadier. Cue them to watch the ball into their hands and step forward when they throw. Five minutes a few times a week makes a real difference.
What does good sportsmanship look like at this age?
Students take turns, share equipment, follow the rules of a game, and encourage classmates instead of arguing about who won. They should be able to lose a round, shake it off, and keep playing. This takes steady reminders all year.
How is fitness taught without turning kids off exercise?
Talk about how the heart beats faster, why muscles feel warm, and how rest and water help the body. Tie those ideas to games students already enjoy. The point is to connect feeling tired and strong with healthy habits, not to push laps or timed tests.
How do you know a student is ready for next year?
By spring, students should move through a small-sided game using the right skills, follow safety rules without reminders, and name a few activities they like and want to keep doing. Smooth, in-control movement matters more than speed or strength.