PDHPE teaches students important life skills like healthy eating, physical activity, safety, and interpersonal relationships. It is as important as core subjects like math and science. PDHPE promotes physical and mental well-being by encouraging exercise, nutrition education, safety skills, and positive social development. While some see it as less important, PDHPE provides crucial benefits to student health, development, and quality of life.

1. Why Teach PDHPE in
Primary Schools?Personal Development, Health and Physical Education (PDHPE) is only one of the six learning areas (KLA) in the
NSW primary curriculum. PDHPE is considered less important than the others, such as science and math's,
however, it is just as important as any other KLA because PDHPE is unique to the others, as it offers a
completely different learning structure to the total school curriculum and offers crucial information that students
need to learn in this day and age.

2. PDHPE – Get Active!
Physical activity is an important part of school life in NSW. PDHPE encourages children to participate in
physical activity on a regular basis and learn the benefits of living a healthy, active lifestyle, due to the
fact that it can:
- Help control your weight
- Reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease
- Reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome
- Reduce you risk of some cancers in the long term
- Strengthen your bones and muscles
- Improve your mental health and mood
- Improve your ability to do daily activities and prevent falls in the long term
- Increases your chances of living longer

3. PDHPE – Get Healthy!
PDHPE assists in the promotion of children making healthy lifestyle choices. As it teaches
students to become aware of their bodies and nutritional needs. By teaching students to
live a healthy lifestyle in PDHPE, students gain appropriate attitudes and behaviours in
regards to their health. Thus, students are able to make healthy lifestyle choices resulting
in an improved quality of life.

4. PDHPE – Safe Living!
PDHPE is crucial because it promotes living and learning in a safe and secure environment.
Students learn essential life skills and safety rules/procedures, e.g., road safety, swim safety and
stranger danger. It is important that students be taught these safety precautions so they can
recognise particular situations in which their personal safety may be at risk, and thus how to
protect themselves when these risks arise.

5. PDHPE – Interpersonal
Relationships
Another factor of PDHPE importance is its assistance in the development and maintenance of
positive social relationships between students. Not only does PDHPE allow students to develop
skills in negotiation, conflict resolution, effective communication and team work that are learnt
and applied in social relationships, but it also helps students learn to respect and value
themselves. Throughout the curriculum of PDHPE students learn self confidence, which in the
long term benefits their overall wellbeing.

6. PDHPE – FUN!
But the most vital reason why PDHPE is so important in the
school curriculum is the fact that it is so much fun, and that’s
what it should all be about.