In Your Child's Classroom Living a healthy lifestyle Third-graders learn the benefits of participating regularly in physical activity, and can explain the importance of a lifestyle that includes getting enough sleep and eating well. Your child learns that proper stretching increases flexibility and why flexibility is important. She learns more challenging warm-up and cool-down exercises, such as lunges and push-ups.

An important goal in third-grade physical education is to realize the impact of decisions that will last a lifetime. Students at this age learn that they need to incorporate an active lifestyle into their daily lives. Often at this age, students take their first fitness tests at school. Fitness tests often include aerobic conditioning, muscle strength and muscle flexibility. These assessments relate to their exercise and eating habits. Amy Kaiser, physical education specialist, explains: "Fitness tests are a gauge to see where a child is currently. Children can look at their results and set a goal to increase or practice that skill in order to improve the next time."

Many students at this age get involved in physical activities outside of school. "It is so exciting after teaching a unit that we can have a class discussion about opportunities in the community to increase participation," Kaiser says. "Students start to connect their school lives to the greater community around them."

To increase physical activity at home, Kaiser suggests decreasing the amount of TV time: "As a parent truly one of the most helpful things you can do is turn off the TV. Think of TV like the 'fats and oils' section of the food pyramid: OK in moderation but not healthy in large quantities for a healthy diet. Turning off the TV encourages outdoor play, creativity and more interaction with friends and family members."

Smooth moves Third-graders continue to develop skills in group games and exercises. They walk, run, hop, jump, leap, gallop, slide, skip, turn, side-step and twist. Your child may learn jump-rope tricks such as running in, jumping and running out while the rope is still moving. He may work in a group to create dance routines to music. He learns activity —related vocabulary such as speed, flexibility and balance.

Your child demonstrates the knowledge and skills needed to participate in a large variety of games and sports. She learns strategies for performing well in games. She works to improve her throwing, catching and kicking skills. She uses both her dominant and non-dominant hand to throw and catch. She fine-tunes her accuracy and form in throwing and catching. She plays soccer, working on her skills of trapping, dribbling, kicking and passing.

Third-graders engage in various exercises to improve their endurance. Your child will learn and understand how to increase his cardiovascular endurance, flexibility and muscle strength. He engages in continuous aerobic activities for a sustained period of time, such as playing tag games and running.

Social skills and sportsmanship Your third-grader learns new rules that go along with the many games and sports she plays. She continues to learn cooperation and teamwork skills. She learns to assist a partner with his performance by "spotting" him and offering encouraging words. She's expected to respect the rights and feelings of others, as well as show self-control and perseverance. She understands the benefits of cooperating and sharing.