If you include certain types of activities in your gym class, you can promote interdisciplinary ties. For example, teach the students different types of dance moves to show them about traditional dances in places across the globe. Furthermore, introduce them to games and sports that are not traditionally played in the United States but rather are/were enjoyed frequently by children who live in other countries or time periods to enhance their appreciation of culture and history.
Of course, physical education classes seek to keep the children in the school fit and healthy. However, they also work to promote individualized areas of health, such as developing speed, endurance and strength. These qualities help the students to engage in recreational activities that they enjoy, such as soccer and swimming, as well as to develop healthy habits that will last them for the rest of their lives.
Physical education helps to better the body, but also the mind. For example, students will see how they have improved in the number of situps they can do or how quickly they can run a mile through yearly physical fitness tests. Additionally, through team sports such as basketball and football, the students will learn how to work appropriately with others. Furthermore, they will share in the success of others and rejoice at their own personal successes.
Throughout the course of physical education classes, demonstrate the appropriate ways to use first aid equipment and how to handle an emergency when it arises. Furthermore, they can see when it is appropriate to take risks in a sport (such as stealing a base). When you take the students outside to play sports, have them wear sunscreen or sunglasses, if appropriate, and explain the importance of protecting oneself from the powerful rays of the sun.