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Exercise their Minds™. Protect PE.

Voices Training
September 7, 2017

The benefits of physical education (PE) ring clear as a school bell. With PE, we can keep kids’ hearts healthy and their minds in gear to do their best at school. The fact is, active kids do better. Physical education has positive impacts on their physical, mental, and emotional health. Yet competing priorities are making effective PE programs increasingly less common. With your help, we can change that. We are proud to lead the Exercise Their Minds. Protect PE campaign along with over a dozen national organizations including the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Active Schools and SHAPE America. 

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PEfile.JPGFollow the campaign on social media through the hashtag #ExerciseTheirMinds or visit the website ExerciseTheirMinds.org. 

Active kids learn better. The fact is, active students focus and think better. That means higher test scores across the board. But the benefits don’t end there. Physical education addresses the needs of the whole child. Physical education programs provide the activity kids need for a positive impact on their physical, mental, and emotional health. PE programs improve judgment, reduce stress, and increase self-esteem. Making sure all students are getting physical education is a critical part of keeping kids healthy.  PE is so much more than physical activity. It’s time to better support the whole child. Exercise their Minds™. Protect PE.

Kids shouldn’t miss out on physical education just because of their zip code. 

Heart disease and type 2 diabetes have a greater impact on communities of color, and longstanding racial inequities and socioeconomic challenges leave many schools without the resources to provide PE. With all of the competing priorities schools have, health often gets left behind. But students at these schools shouldn’t be at greater risk because of where they live. As teachers and parents, we can change this by advocating for policies that create and support PE programs at all schools.

The campaign, running over the next month, will educate, engage & activate parents and other community members about the importance of PE with weekly calls-to-action. Social media messaging, which includes calls-to-action, videos, & graphics, will allow supporters to deepen their engagement & extend our reach across the country.  Follow the campaign on social media through the hashtag #ExerciseTheirMinds or visit the website ExerciseTheirMinds.org. Exercise their Minds™. Protect PE.

When children get more time for physical education, they do better physically, mentally, and emotionally, which is good for schools too.

Effective PE programs help make sure that our children are on their way to a healthier future. Physical activity can have a positive impact on cognitive ability, help kids avoid tobacco, and reduce their risk for insomnia, depression, and anxiety. Active kids also learn better. However, school PE programs have been decreasing over the years. Now only 3.8% of elementary, 7.9% of middle, and 2.1% of high schools provide daily PE or its equivalent throughout the entire school year. As parents and teachers, we can change these statistics and set our kids up for success.

Follow the campaign on social media through the hashtag #ExerciseTheirMinds or visit the website ExerciseTheirMinds.org. Exercise their Minds™. Protect PE.

Issue - Physical Education Issue - Physical Activity