1. THE IMPORTANCE OF
PDHPE IN PRIMARY
SCHOOL – INFORMATION
FOR PARENTS
BY MISS HOLGATE
PDHPE RATIONALE

2. Childhood Obesity
 Childhood obesity is on the rise and has a negative impact on health,
self esteem and social acceptance.
 From 2011-2012 one quarter of Australian children between the ages of 5-17
were overweight or obese.

3. Health and lifestyle education.
 Learning about health and staying active through PDHPE classes, is
important because:
 It teaches children about nutrition and how to make healthy choices, allowing
them to learn important decision making skills.
 Physical activity teaches children important social skills and can help them
improve their self esteem.
 It promotes physical activity in a fun and enjoyable way, allowing students to
be creative in their movements.
 Students learn important movement skills that they will use for the rest of their
lives.
 Physical activity allows children to improve their health and decreases the
chances of obesity.

4. Personal Health Choices
 PDHPE isn’t just about food and physical activity. It teaches
students important skills that enable them to make positive and
informed decisions about:
 Personal Hygiene
 Nutrition
 Drug and alcohol use
 Smoking
 The environment
 Disease control
 Sun protection

5. Communication
 PDHPE allows students to improve a broad range of communication skills.
 Communication skills allow children to:
 Understand themselves and others better.
 Identify and express feelings, wants and needs
 Work effectively in group and team environments
 Have stable interpersonal relationships
 Positively respond to situations
 Know how to seek help when they need it.
 Be more tolerant and caring towards others
 Decrease the chances of bullying or being bullied.

6. Growth and Development
 Students learn about growth and development, and this enables
them to:
 Learn about the human body, body parts and how they work
 Increase an understanding of their physical, social, emotional and cognitive
changes.
 Gain an understanding of changes that occur throughout different cycles of a
person’s life
 Learn to become confident in managing such changes.
 Understand their bodies, the concept of body image and the various factors that
impact on their eating behaviours and self esteem.

7. Safe Living
 PDHPE teaches students important life skills about safety. Students
learn about:
 How to act in ways that will keep themselves and others safe
 Child protection education that teaches them how to recognise and respond to
unsafe situations
 How to identify, react to, and minimise hazards at school, at home and in the
playground
 Road safety
 Water safety
 Bullying, mental health and where to get help
 Safety procedures and what to do in an emergency situation