November 10, 2024 – If you want to move throughout the day, follow a kindergarten student around! McMillan Early Learning Center (MELC) recently hosted a “Bring your family to PE” week.

Mr. Eric Davolt, MELC Physical Education teacher, believes daily physical activity has many benefits for kids, such as increasing energy, focus, and readiness to learn and reducing stress and anxiety. PE encourages teamwork, cooperation, and taking turns, helping children learn to work with others and develop strong social skills.

Mr. Davolt also recognizes the important role parents play in the health and development of students. “Physical activity has benefits for people of all ages, so helping my students’ families be active together is one of my goals for physical education,” he shared. Mr. Davolt hopes these family activities will allow everyone to experience the fun of being active together.

During one family PE activity, participants challenged themselves by bending down to pick up small cones while balancing on a beam—a great mix of focus and fun! Mr. Davolt explains, “Physical education has evolved over the years; it’s more cooperative now and includes brain-based activities that help students in multiple ways.”

Mr. Davolt is a strong advocate for physical education and the well-being of the whole child. “We’ve had many parents join us this week. It’s encouraging to see their involvement, and we’re always excited to welcome families to McMillan. It shows that school is a welcoming and supportive place,” he added.

Starting healthy habits early through kindergarten PE sets the foundation for a healthy lifestyle, while also building important academic and personal skills. At McMillan, kindergarten students enjoy 50 minutes of physical education each week, as well as various classroom activities and two recess breaks each day.